History of screws

Nowadays, there are many things that need to be screwed in place. When did the screw appear and how did it develop?

Screws are not called screws at first, they are called spirals. Spirals have passed the baptism of time and people have changed continuously according to their needs to become today’s screws. Spirals were invented more than 2,000 years ago, but have been used to hold things in place for less than 500 years.

The first person to describe spirals was the Greek scientist Archimedes. A spiral is a large spiral inside a wooden cylinder used to lift water from one level to another to irrigate fields.

Archimedean spiral

Spirals were used to carry water throughout ancient society, and no one ever considered making them a permanent fixture.

In the Middle Ages, carpenters used wood nails or metal nails to connect furniture to wooden buildings. Screws have become quite popular as fixed parts. Because the screws are manufactured by hand, they are naturally expensive and only used on special workpieces. By the end of the 18th century, however, some unknown genius had discovered a better way of making them, though still using a machine to make flat-end screws. This makes the cost of screws low, can be widely used to fix hinges, doors, furniture, etc. Flat end screws are today’s mechanism screws. However, the effect of fine grained screws is reduced by percussion and requires the use of tools with longer protrusions to screw them in. About A.D. 1780, manufacturers of assembly tools in London introduced screwdrivers with longer protrusions, the trade name of which is still known as the London brand. Around 1840, Nettleford modified the wood screw into a pointed one. The screwdriver has been moving forward ever since. Today, there are wallboard nails (drywall nails), round head screws, fast teeth screws and other self-tapping screws.

Screws are still evolving today.