[Public-List] Main Sail Track Fasetening

Mon Oct 19 14:15:45 PDT 2009

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-html 
>  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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