Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

List of screw drives

en.wikipedia.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

121–130 of 263 posts

Re: List of screw drives

#121

Post by analog31 »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #93
lsc wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find this to be really weird... Anyone who has worked on vehicles knows the importance of getting the exact right tool to unfasten a fastener (and the... consequences of using something that "almost works" - usually meaning you have to spend hours trying to get the fastener out) I mean, sure, you need tools to open things up... but the right bit is about a thousand times more important than an expensive bit, and fo…

> Anyone who has worked on vehicles knows the importance of getting the exact right tool to unfasten a fastener If you're a pro auto shop, you can probably get your hands on all of the exactly right tools. If you're an individual, it's another story... It's a matter of lag in the supply/demand loop. The moment Apple introduced pentalobe screws, or in general, the moment a different company introduces an unusual screw…

Glue is often an afterthought, when they discover that the meager number of screws doesn't hold the product together and they're a month from shipping.

Re: List of screw drives

#122

Post by mattmaroon »

blhack wrote: post #73

As far as I'm concerned, torx is the only reasonable screw anymore. It seems like most construction screws (at least in the US) have moved to this. Just to make the point: I've stripped out more torx drivers than I have torx heads. I can say I truly don't understand how phillips ever even took hold over flatheads. Cheap phillips head screws seem designed to strip out. Somebody elsewhere in this thread made the point…

Square heads are also acceptable. Kreg uses them for pocket hole screws and I like how easy it is to get the bit in when you're in a tight spot. They resist cam out pretty well also, I've not yet had a screw of either type I couldn't easily remove.

A good flat head screw is better than a crappy Phillips but a bad one is worse. The bad ones seem to strip by design.

Re: List of screw drives

#123

Post by 24gttghh »

micheljansen wrote: post #75
blhack wrote: post #73

As far as I'm concerned, torx is the only reasonable screw anymore. It seems like most construction screws (at least in the US) have moved to this. Just to make the point: I've stripped out more torx drivers than I have torx heads. I can say I truly don't understand how phillips ever even took hold over flatheads. Cheap phillips head screws seem designed to strip out. Somebody elsewhere in this thread made the point…

As someone who has just remodelled an old house with loads of flatheads: you've got to be kidding me. I hate those things with a passion. Flathead screws only restrict the movement of the screwdriver in one dimension and allow it to move in the other one. This leads to the screwdriver to keep sliding out when you put force on under even the slightest angle. Phillips screws improve on this design by restricting moveme…

If I was in charge of these things, I would enact a 'Fahrenheit 451'-style policy, except for Flathead screws instead of books. Any of the other myriad style of screws is preferable to those ancient fasteners.

Re: List of screw drives

#124

Post by agumonkey »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #93
lsc wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find this to be really weird... Anyone who has worked on vehicles knows the importance of getting the exact right tool to unfasten a fastener (and the... consequences of using something that "almost works" - usually meaning you have to spend hours trying to get the fastener out) I mean, sure, you need tools to open things up... but the right bit is about a thousand times more important than an expensive bit, and fo…

> Anyone who has worked on vehicles knows the importance of getting the exact right tool to unfasten a fastener If you're a pro auto shop, you can probably get your hands on all of the exactly right tools. If you're an individual, it's another story... It's a matter of lag in the supply/demand loop. The moment Apple introduced pentalobe screws, or in general, the moment a different company introduces an unusual screw…

Glue also fall in that case. It feels like a problem but more often than you know it's possible to unglue something. It just require different tools and knowledge.

Re: List of screw drives

#125

Post by dotancohen »

jammi wrote: post #61
bagels wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wish auto manufacturers knew this.

They do. Cars are engineered to fail and some models are sold even at loss to get the profit from OEM parts and service. This is also often the reason why seemingly similar parts are incompatible from one model to the next; the manufacturers are racing against the (often much more durable) aftermarket parts. If they were in the business of making cars great for the consumers, they'd engineer them strong with grease f…

OP is being downvoted for starting off on a rant, but he is 100% correct about the grease fittings.

Re: List of screw drives

#126

Post by gaustin »

wyclif wrote: post #105
slededit wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Phillips screws are design to have the driver leave the socket if it is over-torqued. Frequently people keep going after this has occurred which results in stripped heads, but if you listen to what the tool is trying to tell you then it shouldn't happen.

Recently, Fender (the electric guitar manufacturer) began offering vintage reissue models with the originally-issued flathead screws, at some point years ago they had switched to Phillips. When doing any kind of modification or repair, I realised after getting one of the vintage models that I preferred flathead for that reason. Phillips is bad on guitars because not only is it easy to strip the head, but you can also…

That is as much a technique problem as it is a fastener problem.

Use a torque driver if you can. And always bracket the bit with your fingers.

If you are straining, something is wrong.

Re: List of screw drives

#128

Post by TeMPOraL »

agumonkey wrote: post #124
TeMPOraL wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Anyone who has worked on vehicles knows the importance of getting the exact right tool to unfasten a fastener If you're a pro auto shop, you can probably get your hands on all of the exactly right tools. If you're an individual, it's another story... It's a matter of lag in the supply/demand loop. The moment Apple introduced pentalobe screws, or in general, the moment a different company introduces an unusual screw…

Glue also fall in that case. It feels like a problem but more often than you know it's possible to unglue something. It just require different tools and knowledge.

What are the typical tools and methods to unglue stuff when fixing electronics?

Re: List of screw drives

#129

Post by magduf »

blhack wrote: post #73

As far as I'm concerned, torx is the only reasonable screw anymore. It seems like most construction screws (at least in the US) have moved to this. Just to make the point: I've stripped out more torx drivers than I have torx heads. I can say I truly don't understand how phillips ever even took hold over flatheads. Cheap phillips head screws seem designed to strip out. Somebody elsewhere in this thread made the point…

>I can say I truly don't understand how phillips ever even took hold over flatheads. Cheap phillips head screws seem designed to strip out.

It's not cheap ones; Phillips heads were designed to strip out. It's the very reason they're used.

The whole idea was to use them in factory assembly, so that workers wouldn't overtorque them. You put them in and tighten, and when they cam out, you're done.

If you want a fastener that can be easily removed, and maybe reused several times, Phillips is the wrong choice.

And if you have a torque-limiting screwdriver, as should be common in any modern factory, then Phillips is simply obsolete and unnecessary.

Re: List of screw drives

#130

Post by magduf »

kbrosnan wrote: post #79
micheljansen wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As someone who has just remodelled an old house with loads of flatheads: you've got to be kidding me. I hate those things with a passion. Flathead screws only restrict the movement of the screwdriver in one dimension and allow it to move in the other one. This leads to the screwdriver to keep sliding out when you put force on under even the slightest angle. Phillips screws improve on this design by restricting moveme…

An advantage of flathead is that it is easy to unfoul the screw head. A minute with a utility knife or a flathead screwdriver will clear the channel of dirt or paint. I would not want to deal with a torx that has several layers of paint dried into it.

I think a better solution to this problem is a different tool: a bulldozer.
Post reply on HN