Flatheads are horrible and I don’t really know the purpose of them, but Phillips heads are designed specifically so they DO strip – to prevent over tightening.
Any screws that can’t be over tightened should stay phillips, but everything else should just be a T20 torx bit. Having messed with hundreds of every which type of screw, torx is my favorite.
Most screw choices are mandated by efficient manufacturing since the vast majority of screws in manufactured items will in practice never be unscrewed once the item leaves the factory.
Screw head design is a trade off between speed in positioning the driver, the grip of the driver (cam out), the chance of stripping out the screw head and the risk of driving the screw to deep into or breaking the substrate as well as the complexity and cost of cutting the drive shape into the screw.
Flat heads where the first screws because a simple slot was all that could be cut. Today, a flat head indicated a screw that should not be overtightened e.g. one in brittle plastic. After a lot of experimentation, Phillip’s head were adopted by Henry Ford in 1920s to prevent both over stripping and over tightening in assembly lines. That made them a standard.
Torx are highly efficient in many regards but very expensive to manufacture. You see them in electronics because they grip to the driver in the factory and you can apply a lot of force to a very small screw if it has a torx head.
My personal new favorite for most materials is the hybrid square-drive/phillips. You get the driving power and strip out protection of the square drive with the backwards compatibility of a phillips.
Denisovans, all of you !
/begin rant
The Robertson is THE helical fastening device driver method of choice by anyone with any shred of sanity left.
The flat blade was a first try and a Phillips was just a modified flat that is easy to automate and fasten something once before becoming the default circular design.
Ever use a Robertson? Not only does the driver not jump or cog in the screw-head but it can actually hold the screw before you attempt to fasten something with it.
/end rant
Hi – howsitgoin….
Well, if you’re anything like me, you don’t know what you’ve got and just sit there admiring the pretty card art or trying to build a little house with your hand.
Yep, I pretty much broadcast whatever I’m thinking on my face too. Then of course, I *try* to look disappointed if I’ve got a good hand, but I can never pull it off quite right. I usually get sent off to the “Go Fish” table out of pity.
Right so here me out. I am calling myself a quantum thinker in that I am always in a state of knowing what I’m doing and not knowing what I’m doing it’s only when observed do I pick a state. Two years ago I was playing texas hold’em with the extended family I was one of the last two the pot was like twenty five bucks and these words come out of my mouth “oh thats what a straight is. Now this game makes sense.” They than realized they had all been beaten by someone who’s poker face was genuine cluelessness.
I’d probably sit there grinning like an idiot, as I tend to look super suspicious when I consciously know the stakes of whether or not people think I’m lying, regardless of whether or not I’m actually lying.
Also, Adam, you’re bleeding to death. I just find it polite to tell people when they’re bleeding.
panel 4. i totally agree. why the heck are there both? it’s a conspiracy by craftsman!
Flatheads are horrible and I don’t really know the purpose of them, but Phillips heads are designed specifically so they DO strip – to prevent over tightening.
Any screws that can’t be over tightened should stay phillips, but everything else should just be a T20 torx bit. Having messed with hundreds of every which type of screw, torx is my favorite.
Most screw choices are mandated by efficient manufacturing since the vast majority of screws in manufactured items will in practice never be unscrewed once the item leaves the factory.
Screw head design is a trade off between speed in positioning the driver, the grip of the driver (cam out), the chance of stripping out the screw head and the risk of driving the screw to deep into or breaking the substrate as well as the complexity and cost of cutting the drive shape into the screw.
Flat heads where the first screws because a simple slot was all that could be cut. Today, a flat head indicated a screw that should not be overtightened e.g. one in brittle plastic. After a lot of experimentation, Phillip’s head were adopted by Henry Ford in 1920s to prevent both over stripping and over tightening in assembly lines. That made them a standard.
Torx are highly efficient in many regards but very expensive to manufacture. You see them in electronics because they grip to the driver in the factory and you can apply a lot of force to a very small screw if it has a torx head.
My personal new favorite for most materials is the hybrid square-drive/phillips. You get the driving power and strip out protection of the square drive with the backwards compatibility of a phillips.
A discourse on screw design. Hah! King of Geeks!
And don’t get me started on hex and star heads. What Philips and flat too mainstream?
I have to say, flat and Philips both suck, their heads strip way too easily. Hex is probably my favorite, with star (Torx) as a close second.
On the poker note, I never play, as my face is way too expressive. Nobody ever wonders how I feel.
But you’ve got to admit that circular screw heads are definitely the worst. 😉
Denisovans, all of you !
/begin rant
The Robertson is THE helical fastening device driver method of choice by anyone with any shred of sanity left.
The flat blade was a first try and a Phillips was just a modified flat that is easy to automate and fasten something once before becoming the default circular design.
Ever use a Robertson? Not only does the driver not jump or cog in the screw-head but it can actually hold the screw before you attempt to fasten something with it.
/end rant
Hi – howsitgoin….
Well, if you’re anything like me, you don’t know what you’ve got and just sit there admiring the pretty card art or trying to build a little house with your hand.
I’m a big fan of Texas Hold ‘Em but either good or bad hand I get the shakes. At least I’m consistent.
Yep, I pretty much broadcast whatever I’m thinking on my face too. Then of course, I *try* to look disappointed if I’ve got a good hand, but I can never pull it off quite right. I usually get sent off to the “Go Fish” table out of pity.
I’ve been guilty of panel 2 on multiple occasions.
Right so here me out. I am calling myself a quantum thinker in that I am always in a state of knowing what I’m doing and not knowing what I’m doing it’s only when observed do I pick a state. Two years ago I was playing texas hold’em with the extended family I was one of the last two the pot was like twenty five bucks and these words come out of my mouth “oh thats what a straight is. Now this game makes sense.” They than realized they had all been beaten by someone who’s poker face was genuine cluelessness.
Side note: Kristen Steward probably has NO IDEA how good she’d be at poker.
How oddly appropriate… I’m off to a poker game now… I think I’m gonna have to try some of these moves 😀
I won’t tell you that I love you Kiss or hug you Cause I’m bluffin’ with my muffin I’m not lying I’m just stunnin’ with my love-glue-gunning
LADY GAGA – POKERFACE LYRICS
Hard to believe no Lady Gaga lyric reference in today’s strip.
I’d probably sit there grinning like an idiot, as I tend to look super suspicious when I consciously know the stakes of whether or not people think I’m lying, regardless of whether or not I’m actually lying.
Also, Adam, you’re bleeding to death. I just find it polite to tell people when they’re bleeding.