The 10 buck Harbor Freight set (which Home Despot had a few weeks ago for the same price but seems to have discontinued) has clutch head and spline (not Bristol but should fit well enough) in addition to a bunch of other stuff.
My Swiss Army Knife that I've had for at least 20 years has Torx.
Every box of Torx head screws I've purchased in the past decade came with a bit in the box.
Same here. And there's bins full of several sizes of bits at the hardware store too. I've got bags full of Phillips screws that I'll never use because the Torx (and Roberston) are so much nicer.
There's getting to be less and less of a reason not to make the switch...
...Kevin
Bon jour!
Household, sure, they're cheaper. I'm surprised that Phillips displaced slotted.
Time to get with the program. (I'd think people would be more aware of Torx than Robertson/square).
mple, setting up tracks for Soap Box Derby races. We have to construct star ting ramps and safety rails. We have to secure 10 x 20 canopies to the blac ktop, etc. For years I have wanted to switch to Torx or Star or Robertson, anything but Phillips. Unfortunately, I can't do that.
is what is used for the Derby car shells. However, not many of them have T orx or Star or Robertson bits, so we are basically forced to use Phillips h eads for everything if we want everyone to help with the set-up and tear-do wn.
emove a stripped Phillips screw from something because some rookie chunk-ch unk-chunked it in with a bit-up Phillips bit. Gawd, how I hate that sound.
se report to the Derby.
See my response to krw.
It's got nothing to do with the availability of bits at any given store, an d it's got nothing to do the fact that the boxes of certain "specialty" scr ews come with a bit to fit.
If you want proof, try this experiment...
Go to this website and find the nearest Soap Box Derby Rally race to your t own:
Stop over to enjoy the race. While you are there, walk around to any of 20
- 40 families racing that weekend and ask if you could borrow a Torx bit. T he more "sophistcated" families might have one in their tool box, but I'd b e very surprised if more than 10% of them did.
That means that if we set up with anything other than Phillips, there would be very few of us setting up and tearing down and that assumes that everyo ne that has Torx bits actually wants to help out. It's often hard enough to get people to help...the last thing we want to do is limit the pool by usi ng screws that only a few of us can drive.
No, the reason they have Phillips bits is because the only screws allowed t o be used on for the shell, brakes and airfoils of AASBD Soap Box Derby car s are Phillips screws. Pick a link, any link.
...
"Classical", maybe; attractive--not. Phillips is a _much_ neater-looking visual impression, with Torx not terribly far behind but much more of a electronics or mechanical look than woodworking flavor...
I've a bunch of ca. 1900 hardware from coat hooks to door hinges/locks Dad took off the house when they redid it. I've yet to find most of the stash of screws but they were for the most part an oval head blackened or for the hinges copper-plated that I've not been able to duplicate or find any longer. They just "look right" for the hardware; anything current looks horribly out of place...
Absolutely true. So if you decided it was time to orchestrate the switch fr om Phillips to Torx/Star/Robertson within an organization of ever changing volunteers, you'd show up on site with a box or two of the screws of your c hoice, meaning you'd have one or two bits that match the screws. You, and m aybe one other person, would then have the pleasure of doing all of the set up and tear down because the vast majority of the other volunteers would b e sitting around drinking coffee with their Phillips-bit-loaded screw guns by their side.
Granted, I'm talking about a specific organization where Phillips screws ar e mandated in the construction of the cars, therefore Phillips bits are wha t the vast majority of people bring to the race.
Geez, tell 'em to bring a torx bit.
drinking coffee with their Phillips-bit-loaded screw guns by their side.
How about you show up with a pack of bits as well?
Do you know the story of Johnny Appleseed? You can be come Johnny Torxbit. Buy a dozen and offer them to the help.
I see they are selling Phillips head, but I don't see a requirement. I'll take your word for it that a regulation exists. I suppose a different head could be a competitive advantage.
krw wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:
Why? Those slotted screws are a pain. It may be a case of right place, right time, but I'm not surprised Phillips displaced slotted. Using them is MUCH easier. Also, Phillips has the unfortunate ability of being compatible with some slotted screwdrivers, so you wouldn't necessarily have to buy a new screwdriver to use the new screws.
Puckdropper
It takes some time to dig through the rules and figure out what's what. The key is: "A-7.02: Cars must be constructed and updated per the most current construction plans published by the International Soap Box Derby, Inc."
Looking at the "plans", I find "This plan booklet shall be followed when assembling your car. The hardware provided in the International Soap Box Derby, Inc. Stock Car kit must be used and assembled as shown in the latest rules, plans and specifications. No changes, modifications or additions, other than the inclusion or omission of specified optional parts, shall be made to the car."
In other words you don't design a car and build it anymore, you buy a box of parts and screw it together.
ly-race-schedule.aspx
of 20 - 40 families racing that weekend and ask if you could borrow a Torx bit. The more "sophistcated" families might have one in their tool box, but I'd be very surprised if more than 10% of them did.
would be very few of us setting up and tearing down and that assumes that everyone that has Torx bits actually wants to help out. It's often hard eno ugh to get people to help...the last thing we want to do is limit the pool by using screws that only a few of us can drive.
owed to be used on for the shell, brakes and airfoils of AASBD Soap Box Der by cars are Phillips screws. Pick a link, any link.
Screw it together and then choose your own weight distribution, torque sett ings, spindle toe and camber, etc. You can choose your own wheel bearing lu brication, you need to eliminate cross bind in the floorboard, etc. There's a bit more to it than "just screw it together and send it down the hill".
Similar to Nascar, the cars are the same, but the fine tuning is key, unde rstanding the characteristics of each specific track is extremely important and then driving according to those characteristics probably accounts for
85-90% of the results. Since races can be won or lost by a thousandth of a second, every detail matters.Granted, the design phase has been eliminated (except in the Ultimate Speed Division) but it still takes some work to build a successful car. Lucky fo r me, my son won the World Championship when modifications were still allow ed in the Masters Division. We built our own axle mounts, steering and brak e mechanisms, wrapped the entire car in fiberglass, etc. Unfortunately, as the skill level (and money and time commitment) to make these types of modi fications dwindled, the division got smaller and smaller and almost disappe ared. If you didn't make these modifications to the kit, you didn't win. Th at's basically when the AASBD had to make the tough decision to go with unm odified kits in all 3 divisions.
That part is a shame, because my son and I learned a heck of a lot of stuff in the 3 seasons it took us to win the World Championship. It's because of those hundreds of hours of work that my son is not afraid to pick up a too l and say "I can fix that".
t
ally-race-schedule.aspx
y of 20 - 40 families racing that weekend and ask if you could borrow a Tor x bit. The more "sophistcated" families might have one in their tool box, b ut I'd be very surprised if more than 10% of them did.
re would be very few of us setting up and tearing down and that assumes tha t everyone that has Torx bits actually wants to help out. It's often hard e nough to get people to help...the last thing we want to do is limit the poo l by using screws that only a few of us can drive.
llowed to be used on for the shell, brakes and airfoils of AASBD Soap Box D erby cars are Phillips screws. Pick a link, any link.
ttings, spindle toe and camber, etc. You can choose your own wheel bearing lubrication, you need to eliminate cross bind in the floorboard, etc. There 's a bit more to it than "just screw it together and send it down the hill" .
derstanding the characteristics of each specific track is extremely importa nt and then driving according to those characteristics probably accounts fo r 85-90% of the results. Since races can be won or lost by a thousandth of a second, every detail matters.
ed Division) but it still takes some work to build a successful car. Lucky for me, my son won the World Championship when modifications were still all owed in the Masters Division. We built our own axle mounts, steering and br ake mechanisms, wrapped the entire car in fiberglass, etc. Unfortunately, a s the skill level (and money and time commitment) to make these types of mo difications dwindled, the division got smaller and smaller and almost disap peared. If you didn't make these modifications to the kit, you didn't win. That's basically when the AASBD had to make the tough decision to go with u nmodified kits in all 3 divisions.
ff in the 3 seasons it took us to win the World Championship. It's because of those hundreds of hours of work that my son is not afraid to pick up a t ool and say "I can fix that".
Further to my comment on the elimination of the modifications, I should hav e pointed out the upside. Had the AASBD not eliminated the modifications to the kits, hundreds of kids would not have been able to continue racing, in cluding my daughter. While some of us would still have put in the time/ener gy/money that it takes to build a competitive Masters car, the fact remains that the division was in danger of disappearing. By eliminating the modifi cations, the Masters division began to grow again and kids can keep on raci ng once they go as far as they can in the Stock and Super Stock divisions.
Due to the changes in the Masters division - which definitely helped it sur vive - my daughter raced for 2 more years and earned a chance to compete in the World Championship in Akron, OH both years. Say what you will about th e changes, those 2 successful years were a lot of fun for my family.
Leon wrote in news:jdadnc snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:
Usual home handyman sort of places - Home Depot, Ace, Sears. They were considered "specialty tools", like circlip pliers. No surprise you could find them in an auto parts store, but that's not the first place someone other than an auto mechanic would have looked.
I'd guess they started showing up widely about 7-8 years ago. (which would be about the same time it became normal to find a driver bit in a box of screws).
John
Well from the standpoint of HD, Torx heads on deck screws is the most common way to buy that head "now" so people should be more familiar, but not too long ago the same coated deck screws had the combo Phillips/Square drive head.
I'm sure it is all relative. I saw wide spread Torx in the 80's. You just had to realize what you were looking at in the assortment/array of screw drivers, sockets, and hex style wrenches.
Stop over to enjoy the race. While you are there, walk around to any of
20 - 40 families racing that weekend and ask if you could borrow a Torx bit. The more "sophistcated" families might have one in their tool box, but I'd be very surprised if more than 10% of them did.And all those great memories of working with Dad! I was born about 4 miles from the international Soap Box Derby track in Akron. Hey, you weren't the one who put the magnets in the nose of your car to get a budge from the start gate were you? :-p
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