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1936: Henry F. Phillips receives patents for a new kind of screw and the new screwdriver needed to make it work. It changes the worlds of mass production and machine repair, not to mention your home toolbox.

Phillips was a Portland, Oregon, businessman who invented something to solve a problem that few home-repair folk or do-it-yourselfers even knew existed. In those days, if you wanted to drive a screw into a hole, you just grabbed the right-size slotted screwdriver and did the deed.

The only thing you needed to puzzle over was the size. Too big wouldn't fit; too small wouldn't give you enough torque.

So why do you now need to grab the right kind, as well as size, of screwdriver? It's enough to make you cross.

Phillips wasn't trying to make life with hand tools easier. He was trying to solve an industrial problem. To drive a slot screw, you need hand-eye coordination to line up the screwdriver and the slot. If you're a machine - especially a 1930s machine - you ain't got no eye, and your hand coordination may depend on humans.

The Phillips-head screw and Phillips screwdriver were designed for power tools, especially power tools on assembly lines. The shallow, cruciform slot in the screw allows the tapering cruciform shape of the screwdriver to seat itself automatically when contact and rotation are achieved. That saves a second or two, and if you've got hundreds of screws in thousands of units (say, cars), you're talking big time here.

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Related Questions

Where was the Philips screwdriver invented?

The Phillips screwdriver was invented in Portland, Oregon in the eary 1930's by Henry F.Phillips.


What Philips screwdriver?

A Phillips screwdriver is a screwdriver for use with Phillips screws.


What is Philips screwdriver?

A Phillips screwdriver is a screwdriver for use with Phillips screws.


Who was the inventor of the Philips screwdriver?

The Phillips screwdriver was created by Henry F. Phillips (1890-1958) who was a U.S. businessman from Portland, Oregon . The Phillips-head ("crosshead") screw and screwdriver were both named after him .


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A phillips screwdriver is generally made of a steel shaft with a plastic handle


What is a no 2 Phillips screwdriver used for?

For #2 Phillips screws.


What is a crosshead screwdriver used for?

For a crosshead screw the "Phillips" screwdriver is used .


What is a Phillips screw?

A Phillips head screwdriver has a crossed pattern head, rather than the straight edge of a flat head screwdriver


What is the diameter of a Phillips screwdriver p4?

Phillips P4 is 3/8 diameter.


What type of screwdriver is needed to tighten a stripped Phillips head screw?

To tighten a stripped Phillips head screw, you will need a screwdriver with a slightly larger size than the stripped screw, such as a Phillips head screwdriver with a size one step up.


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Who invented the phillips head scew driver?

The Phillips head screwdriver was invented by Henry F. Phillips in the 1930s. He designed it to better accommodate the demands of assembly line manufacturing, particularly for the automotive industry. The unique cross-shaped design allows for greater torque and helps prevent slippage during use. Phillips' design became widely adopted and is now a standard tool in many applications.