
What is a flat blade screwdriver used for?
The flat-head, or slotted flat blade, screwdriver, has a much longer history than the Phillips. Dating back to the 16th century, the flat-head is used to tighten screws, bolts, and fasteners of all sizes. Like the Phillips, it gives the user significant leverage when tightening screws.
Is a flat head screwdriver called a standard screwdriver?
Flat Undercut 82-degree. A flat undercut 82-degree head has the same angle as a standard 82-degree head, but the head is much shorter. This head shape helps give the screw a longer thread on the same screw length because of its shorter head size. 2. Raised.
What is a flat blade screwdriver?
A "slotted flat blade screwdriver" is a long standard hand-tool dating back to the 1500s. It has a flat-bladed tip used to turn, fasten or loosen screws and bolts. The flat blade screwdriver is an extremely versatile tool and is used for fasteners of all sizes, providing significant leverage.
What is the name of a flat head screwdriver?
The tool used to drive a slotted screw head is called a standard, common blade, flat-blade, slot-head, straight, flat, flat-tip, or "flat-head" screwdriver. This last usage can be confusing, because the term flat-head also describes a screw with a flat top, designed to install in a countersunk hole. Furthermore, the term implies that a screwdriver has a "head"; it does not.
What is a flat head screwdriver?
When was the screwdriver invented?
How many handles does a junk drawer have?
Can you throw away a flat head screwdriver?
Can a flat head screwdriver be used as a chisel?

What are the 3 types of screwdrivers?
What are the Screwdriver Types?Flat Head or Slotted Screwdriver. This screwdriver type is probably the most common form of hand tool. ... Phillips Screwdriver. ... Torx or Star Screwdriver. ... Hex Screwdriver. ... Pozidriv Screwdriver. ... Robertson or Square Screwdriver. ... Tri Wing Screwdriver.
What are the 6 types of screwdrivers?
Flat Head (or Slotted Head) Screwdriver.Phillips Screwdriver.Pozidriv Screwdriver.Robertson or Square Screwdriver.Torx Screwdriver.Hex Screwdriver or Hexagon Screwdriver.
What is a flat point screwdriver?
Definitions of flat tip screwdriver. a screwdriver with a flat wedge-shaped tip that fits into a slot in the head of a screw. type of: screwdriver. a hand tool for driving screws; has a tip that fits into the head of a screw.
What is flat and Phillips screwdriver?
A flathead has a single blade, and a Phillips has two blades in the shape of a cross. Attempts to use a flathead tool on a screw designed for a Phillips usually won't be successful, and a Phillips screwdriver could never be used on a slotted screw.
What are the five most common screwdriver types?
The five most common drive profiles are slotted, Phillips, Pozidriv, TORX® and hexagon. Slotted drives feature a simple slot as a host for the blade, however, they have a disadvantage of a lack of centring – making it easy for the tool to slip out of the screw.
Are there different types of screwdrivers?
There are many types of screw fasteners to fit a wide variety of purposes, and there's a proper screwdriver for each of them. Using the wrong tool can strip and damage the screw as well as whatever it's being used to fasten. Matching the right screwdriver to the screw can save time, effort and frustration.
What is a flathead screw called?
Flat Head Screws, also called Countersunk Screws, are conical with a flat outer face and a tapering inner face. An advantage to this type of screw is that very little of the head protrudes beyond the surface, allowing it to sink into the material. These screws are commonly made out of stainless steel or zinc coating.
What is a square screwdriver called?
What is a Robertson Screw or Robertson Head Screw? Most of us call Robertson screws “square drive” or “socket head” screws. They were invented by Canadian traveling salesman Peter Robertson around 1906.
What are slotted screwdrivers?
Slotted screwdrivers, also known as a flat head or flat blade screwdrivers, have a flat blade tip at the end of the shaft that is inserted into the single horizontal groove (the slot) in the fastener head and the handle is turned to rotate the screw.
Why are there two types of screwdrivers?
Answer: The primary reason for the wide variety of screw head drive types is to ensure the fact that you will never have the proper screwdriver close at hand when you need it.
What is a Philip screwdriver?
Definition of Phillips screwdriver : a screwdriver that is designed to be used with a type of screw (called a Phillips-head screw) that has a slot in its top that looks like a cross.
Why is a Phillips-head screwdriver called that?
Henry Frank Phillips (June 4, 1889 – April 13, 1958) was an American businessman from Portland, Oregon. The Phillips-head ("crosshead") screw and screwdriver are named after him.
What is a flat head screwdriver?
A slotted screwdriver (commonly referred to as a flat head) is designed to sit in a slot in a screw head and drive ( tighten or loosen) the screw. This screwdrivers primary function is to drive slotted head screws. The other thing they are good for is acting as small pry bars.
When was the first screwdriver invented?
In 1744, the flat-bladed bit for the carpenter's brace was invented, the precursor to the first simple screwdriver. Handheld screwdrivers first appeared after 1800. Different Types of Screws, Drives, and Heads. Related Answer.
What is a screw used for?
Screws are used to fasten two objects together. A screwdriver is a tool for driving (turning) screws; screwdrivers have a tip that fits into the head of a screw. Early Screws. Around the first century, screw shaped tools became common, however, historians do not know who invented the first.
What is a screw?
A screw is any shaft with a corkscrew-shaped groove formed on its surface. Screws are used to fasten two objects together. A screwdriver is a tool for driving (turning) screws; screwdrivers have a tip that fits into the head of a screw. Early Screws.
Why is the screw slot less likely to be damaged?
Less downward force is necessary to maintain holding power, the screw slot is much less likely to be damaged, and because of that less force is needed to remove a screw. The handles on Wera Kraftform drivers are ergonomically designed. They are comfortable to hold.
Who invented the Phillips head screw?
Phillips Head Screw. In the early 1930s, the Phillips head screw was invented by Henry Phillips. Automobile manufacturers now used car assembly lines.
Can you use a Torx driver with a smaller driver?
Try that with Torx (using a larger driver is impossible, and using a smaller one might also not be possible unless it is a small step smaller). Because of this, something like Torx, manufactured with the methods of the early 1900’s, would have yielded far too many screws which were out-of-tolerance and unusable.
What are the different types of screwdrivers?
There’s many screwdriver types, but for 99% of people these 6 common ones are all you’ll ever need to know. 1. The Flat Head (Slotted Head) Screwdriver. This is one of the oldest screwdriver types we know. It came into use during 15th century Europe and remains widely used worldwide today.
What size screwdriver fits a screw?
Though most often you’ll come across sizes 1 and 2 , which fit most standard size screws (2) and electronics and jewelry (1). Flat head (Slotted) screwdriver types are different, measured by fractions of an inch. So before you begin, just make sure the screwdriver fits the screw head properly.
What is a hex screwdriver?
Hex (or Hexagon) Screwdriver. Loose hex bolts, nuts and screws beware. The Hex screwdriver is used for bolts, not screws, and features a recessed tip rather than protrusions like the other mentioned screwdriver types.
When was the Philips screwdriver invented?
The Philips screwdriver was introduced in the early 19th century and has since taken over as the most common screwdriver today. This now common shape was an important and much needed upgrade during it’s day, allowing screws to be more accurate and precise.
How many parts are in a screwdriver?
There are three basic parts of a screwdriver: the handle, the shank, and the head. Some consider the tip (the tip of the metal head) as being it’s own part of a screwdriver, so there’s actually 4 parts.
What is a Pozridriv screwdriver?
A Pozridriv Screwdriver is recognizable by it’s double-cross, one Phillips cross with another cross over-layed and offset by 45 degrees. This design is widely used in Europe, but not so common in America. It’s more stable than Phillips and are used in situations that need more powerful torque for tightening a screw.
What is a screwdriver?
A screwdriver is used for tightening or loosening the screw. A round rod with a flat end, having a handle at the other end is called a screwdriver. The length of a screwdriver is measured excluding the handle. The length of a screwdriver varies from 50 millimeters i.e. 2” to 18”.
What is the middle part of a screwdriver called?
In order to save the wooden handle from being broken, an iron is fixed to the handle. 2. Shank . The middle part between the blade and the handle is called the shank. On its lower part tip or blade is made.
How does a watchmaker screwdriver work?
Watchmaker Screwdriver. The cap is fixed to the shank in such a way that both cap and the shank can be moved independently. For tightening or loosening a screw, the tip is placed at the head of the screw, and the cap is pressed with one finger, while with other fingers shank is rotated.
What is a bow tie screwdriver?
These types of screwdrivers are used throughout the automobile industry and are commonly used in older GM vehicles. The clutch head screwdriver is also known as bow-tie drivers, these drivers are used to work screws that have a bow-tie-shaped slot. Clutch Head Screwdriver.
How many screwdrivers are in a watchmaker?
Watchmaker screwdrivers are available in sets. In a set there are six screwdrivers, having number markings from 0 to 5. The smaller the number of the screwdriver, the smaller and thinner is its bit. In place of the handle, a cap is fixed to the shank.
What is a multipurpose screwdriver?
The multipurpose screwdriver has a shank with a hexagonal hole at the end where it can fit a variety of drivers on both sides, with drivers or depending on the use of the set. Because they offer more versatility and economy of space, they are a very common toolset among those who have only basic requirements.
What is a watch driver?
They are precision instruments that employ small screws on pocket watches and eyeglasses. It is also known as a watch or eyeglass driver. They are usually Philips and flat head screwdrivers.
What is a flat blade screwdriver?
The flat blade screwdriver is an extremely versatile tool and is used for fasteners of all sizes , providing significant leverage. Its disadvantage is that it is not self-centering in the fastener. It has a handle for grip and comfort, a shaft and a head or blade at the end of the shaft.
What is a Phillips head screwdriver?
A newer variation of the flat blade screwdriver uses a cross drive system and is commonly called a "Phillips head screwdriver.". These screwdrivers have a 123-degree point with a blunted tip ...
What are screwdriver handles?
Handles are typically wood, metal, or plastic and usually hexagonal, square, or oval in cross-section to improve grip and prevent the tool from rolling when set down. Some manual screwdrivers have interchangeable tips that fit into a socket on the end of the shaft and are held in mechanically or magnetically.
What is a jeweler's screwdriver?
A jeweler's screwdriver. Screwdriver with magnetic tip. A set of "secure" or otherwise less common screwdriver bits, including secure Torx and secure hex or " allen" variants. Comparison of Phillips and Frearson screw heads.
When were screwdrivers invented?
The earliest documented screwdrivers were used in the late Middle Ages. They were probably invented in the late 15th century, either in Germany or France. The tool's original names in German and French were Schraubendreher (screwturner) and tournevis (turnscrew), respectively. The first documentation of the tool is in the medieval Housebook of Wolfegg Castle, a manuscript written sometime between 1475 and 1490. These earliest screwdrivers had pear-shaped handles and were made for slotted screws (diversification of the many types of screwdrivers did not emerge until the Gilded Age ). The screwdriver remained inconspicuous, however, as evidence of its existence throughout the next 300 years is based primarily on the presence of screws.
What type of drills have a clutch?
This helps the user tighten screws to a specified torque without damage or over-tightening. Cordless drills designed to use as screwdrivers often have such a clutch.
Which way does a screwdriver rotate?
Some manual screwdrivers have a ratchet action whereby the screwdriver blade locks to the handle for clockwise rotation, but uncouples for counterclockwise rotation when set for tightening screws—and vice versa for loosening.
What is a shaft made of?
The shaft is usually made of tough steel to resist bending or twisting. The tip may be hardened to resist wear, treated with a dark tip coating for improved visual contrast between tip and screw—or ridged or treated for additional 'grip'.
When were screw lathes used?
Screws were used in the 15th century to construct screw-cutting lathes, for securing breastplates, backplates, and helmets on medieval jousting armor —and eventually for multiple parts of the emerging firearms, particularly the matchlock.
What is a flat head screwdriver?
Matthew Wright. Updated January 06, 2019. A flat-head screwdriver is a screwdriver with a wedge-shaped flat tip, used to tighten or loosen screws that have a straight, linear notch in their heads. This is arguably the most common tool on the planet—the ubiquitous flat-head screwdriver. Every junk drawer has one or two in it.
When was the screwdriver invented?
So old is this tool that the first historical mention dates back to the 1500s. In its modern form, the flat-head screwdriver was probably invented in about 1744 in England, where it was known as a "turn-screw"—a type of bit used as an attachment in a carpenter's brace-and-bit tool.
How many handles does a junk drawer have?
Every junk drawer has one or two in it. While it comes in many shapes, the concept is always constant. There will be some sort of handle attached to a steel shaft that is flattened into a wedge shape at the tip. This flat tip is perfectly sized to fit into a screw with a straight head slot with a corresponding shape.
Can you throw away a flat head screwdriver?
DIYers who are experienced know that it's best to never throw an old flat-head screwdriver away since it can often be ground down, bent, filed, or otherwise adapted into all kinds of practical uses around the house. You have to be careful when leaving the tool's comfort zone, however.
Can a flat head screwdriver be used as a chisel?
Clever (or sometimes just impatient) handymen and handywomen will put a flat-head screw driver to work as a chisel, as a nail-puller, as a paint-scraper, as an awl, or as a small pry-bar.
