Robertson square-socket screw
Tornillo de cabeza cuadrada Robertson
- Date
- 1908 · confidence high
- Place
- Milton, Ontario, Canada
- Credited to
- Peter L. Robertson
- People
- 👤 P. L. Robertson1879–1951
- Field
- Tools
What it is
A screw with a slightly tapered square socket in the head in which the driver bit stays put without slipping and without end pressure. Peter Robertson patented it in Canada in 1908 and it became standard in Canadian carpentry.
Henry Ford wanted to adopt it for his factories, but Robertson refused to cede the licence; this slowed its spread to the United States.
What it led to
- one-handed driving and power driving on the assembly line
- square-socket screws and powered drivers
- standardisation of the modern socket screw