SCREWDRIVER TYPE: Hex Key Hex-head screws are typically small and commonly found in doorknobs, towel bars, faucet handles, even some mechanical installations and require a hex key screwdriver (also called an Allen screwdriver) to tighten or loosen.

Phillips screw heads allow a tighter fit than a flat head screw, which is why most factories and handymen use them. The screws tend to be lightweight and relatively small. The trick is to match your screwdriver to the type and size of screws you’re using.

Some of the most common types of screwdrivers are detailed in the sections below.

• Phillips Screwdriver.
• Torx or Star Screwdriver.
• Insulated Screwdrivers.
• Torque Screwdrivers.
• Flathead Screwdriver.
• Tri-Wing Screwdriver.
• Pozidriv Screwdriver.
• Hex Screwdriver.

They’re usually magnetic tips. Because they perform a localized heat-treatment on the tip over the plating, which darkens the tip to the chalky charcoal kind of color.

This screw is more commonly used with machinery, but you will usually find flat-head screws holding book shelf and lighting tracts to the wall or ceiling. They are also used in lighting fixtures and electrical outlets as well as holding hand rails, towel racks and toilet paper holders to the wall.

Screws were not made completely by machine until 1848. So if you find a furniture item using screws that have completely rounded shafts, pointed ends, and perfectly finished heads with matching cuts (much like a screw you would purchase today), the piece likely dates to the mid-19th century or later.

The Origin of the Name It’s a common misconception that the Phillips screwdriver was named after its inventor. But the truth is that the screwdriver is really named after Henry F. Phillips, the owner of the company which purchased the design from its inventor John P. Thompson invented a crosshead screw design in 1932.