[Public-List] Main Sail Track Fasetening

Bill Wallace wayfarer3134 at yahoo.com
Tue Oct 20 07:52:17 PDT 2009


They are the best screws I've used - the screwdrivers have a standard colour coding - green is #1, red is #2, black is #3 and yellow (I think) is #0.  With anything other than the lowest quality tools/screws, they STAY on the screwdriver even when reaching downward or when jostled by the boat (how many screws have you lost overboard or dropped in the bilge due to a wave at the wrong time :-), and if you use the right size (easy to do because of the standardized sizes & colours), they very seldom strip the head.  I almost always replace the provided screws on equipment with Robertson ones.  Fairly easy to get a collection of SS sizes for boat use.

There is another square head size that is incompatible - that is a straight sided square screw that the screwdriver does NOT stay on the screwdriver (wrong shape - the Robertson is a flat square pyramid in 3d, not the same size square) .  You won't likely see them, but I have once or twice.

Bill.



----- Original Message ----
From: Roger L. Kingsland <r.kingsland at ksba.com>
To: Alberg 30 Public List -- open to all <public-list at lists.alberg30.org>
Sent: Mon, October 19, 2009 7:29:32 PM
Subject: Re: [Public-List] Main Sail Track Fasetening

Peter & Gord,

Golly, I have been using them for years and just called them square heads or
finish screws (the ones w/ small heads).  Most of the SS "deck" screws I use
instead of the cheap drywall screws have square heads.  Good to know the
correct name.

Roger 148

PS - Does Canada really have 10 provinces?  



-----Original Message-----
From: public-list-bounces at lists.alberg30.org
[mailto:public-list-bounces at lists.alberg30.org] On Behalf Of Peter Milley
Sent: Monday, October 19, 2009 6:51 PM
To: 'Alberg 30 Public List -- open to all'
Subject: Re: [Public-List] Main Sail Track Fasetening

Hi Gord,
Yet another history lesson for our Yankee neighbours. Even the average
school kid here knows that a Robertson screw is the "square head".
With the price of the dollar approaching parity the Yanks should seriously
consider becoming our 11th province. They sail our Whitby boats, use our
Robertson screws; why not jump in with both feet.
That would make "Old King George sit up in his grave! 
Peter

-----Original Message-----
From: public-list-bounces at lists.alberg30.org
[mailto:public-list-bounces at lists.alberg30.org] On Behalf Of Gordon Laco
Sent: October 19, 2009 5:16 PM
To: Alberg 30 Public List -- open to all
Subject: Re: [Public-List] Main Sail Track Fasetening

Hi Roger... that thing about the Robertsons is only partly true.

The Roberston uses a genuine square recess.  You can put it on a driver
(hand or power) and it will stay there as you place the tip in position.  So
long as you use the right sized driver, they won't slip.  The Philips head
is  the horrible cross slot thing that slips like crazy and won't stay on a
driver.

The reference to Henry Ford is true... but there is a post script.  
Recognizing that the Robertson was a superior fastener, he specified  
them in his cars.  But, he wanted to buy out Mr Robertson's patent.  
This was something Robertson refused to do.  Ford set out to bankrupt him
and nearly did, but the company survived but never got over being driven
down (pun intended) by Ford.  Today they are little known outside Canada.  I
laughed like heck when I saw them starting to appear in Woodenboat Magazine
as 'new square-drive' screws.  I called the distributor to ask if these were
Robertsons.. they of course had never heard the name.

We did a documentary on the story a while back - it was a hard sell at first
but the twists and turns of the battle with Ford (who apparently was quite
spiteful) were better than fiction.

Gord



On 19-Oct-09, at 4:59 PM, Roger L. Kingsland wrote:

> Mick,
>
> I uses 1/4" SS rivets to fasten hull to deck and agree w/ you about 
> the difficulty.  I broke 2 rivet guns but my handshake is allot firmer 
> now.  If I did it again I would try a pneumatic rivet gun like this 
> one 
> http://www.nextag.com/Campbell-Hausfeld-PL1539-Air-66267316/prices-htm
> l
>  for
> $70 +S&H.  I also found this attachment to a cordless drill that looks 
> pretty nice but costs $142 w/ S&H 
> http://www.s-bgroup.com/lobster/rivedrill.html.
>
> Seems it would be allot easier than screws and worrying about getting 
> every one properly threaded.
>
> Gord - I got screwed by a guy named Robertson once but I didn't know 
> he actually made screws.
>
>> From the trusty internet (may even be true).
> Robertson Screw
> In 1908, square-drive screws were invented by Canadian P. L.  
> Robertson.
> Twenty-eight years before Henry Phillips patented his Phillips head 
> screws, which are also square-drive screws. The Robertson screw is 
> considered the "first recess-drive type fastener practical for 
> production usage." The design became a North American standard, as 
> published in the sixth edition of Industrial Fasteners Institute 
> Metric and Inch Standards. A square-drive head on a screw can be 
> better than a slot head because the screwdriver will not slip out of 
> the screw's head during installation. The Model T car made by the Ford 
> Motor Company (one of Robertson's first customers) used over seven 
> hundred Robertson screws.
>
> Roger 148
>
>
> Roger Kingsland, Managing Partner
> Kingsland Scott Bauer Associates
>
>
>
> KSBA
> ________________________________
>
> Architects/Planners/InteriorDesigners/ProjectManagers
>
> 3441 Butler Street
> Pittsburgh, PA 15201
> N 40° 27.8344'  W79° 57.9831'
>
> 412-252-1500 ext.101
> 412-779-5101 cell
> 412-252-1510 fax
> r.kingsland at ksba.com
> www.ksba.com
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: public-list-bounces at lists.alberg30.org
> [mailto:public-list-bounces at lists.alberg30.org] On Behalf Of Michael 
> Taylor
> Sent: Monday, October 19, 2009 4:10 PM
> To: public-list at lists.alberg30.org
> Subject: [Public-List] Main Sail Track Fasetening
>
> After painting the mast I am putting the main sail track back onto the 
> mast.  I see that some have tapped each of the existing holes to 
> replace the
> rivets with machine screws.    The track is stainless 7/8" with  
> 3/16th holes
> drilled.  The next drill size up will just clean out the existing mast 
> holes and leave sufficient room to thread either 1/4 inch or 6mm 
> machine screws.
>
> Having got a sample of machine screws with various heads it seems that 
> the heads are too big for the existing sail track (they don't seat at 
> the base of the track).  I assume that the only way to use machine 
> screws is to either change the sail track or drill new holes which I'm 
> not prepared to do.
>
> If I can't use machine screws it will be back to aluminum rivets with 
> a steel mandrel as I've found strainless very difficult to remove - 
> and install.
>
> Have I missed something with machine screw fitting here?
>
> thanks
>
> Mick
>
> #231
>
>
>
>
>
>
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