Square Drive Screw FAQ

Updated 9/4/2023

Why Square Drive Screws?

Robertson Square Drive® Screws offer great resistance to “Cam Out” (that disaster waiting to happen when the bit slips out of the recess and skids merrily across your almost finished masterpiece). Phillips® was a vast improvement over the slotted system and was designed to "Cam Out" before the screw is over-torqued and snaps the head off. Torx® and Star screws are improvements over Phillips and Slotted drive.
The recess decision can be an afterthought based on what you have on hand, when it should be based on your application. Torx and star drive screws are almost always sold with the bit because there are so many bit sizes. Commonly used outdoors where mistakes happen more, driving at an angle is needed, and contractors incur the high price of these high-priced screws on jobs for clients. In general, construction, which allows driving at angles, is much more likely to disengage and scratch your job, and it's commonly worth it.
Square Drive and Combo drive screws, can only be driven straight. Since the screws and the bit are tapered, they make a matched fit system where the screws stick to the bit for wood applications, where you do not want the screw to wander. Building boxes like cabinets or furniture or driving at an angle, can be a disaster because your wrist gets tired. A square drive is the best choice for your workshop when each screw matters, smaller screws are common, and efficiency matters.

Check out our Promaster Plus, ProMax®, PocketMax® and ProMaster® Square Drive Screws

Aren’t they just like Drywall Screws?

Square Drive Screws are designed for use in furniture manufacturing operations and other demanding industries using hardwoods and other “tough” materials. “Drywall” screws are mostly Phillips, made of hardened, brittle steel, and will often snap under the loads applied to drive them in joining two pieces of wood. Additionally, they are threaded to the head, which prevents them from pulling the two pieces of wood tightly together as desired. They are designed to penetrate a layer of powdery drywall and a soft, wooden, or thin metal stud. Woodworking screws are made of softer metal and have a thicker shaft to take the load of the driving through wood. It has a more positive fit that reduces "cam out" and requires only 4-foot pounds of pressure to keep the bit engaged.

Will they improve my woodworking?

Yes! Using Square drive screws will make you more efficient. You will save time searching for Bits, and your bits will last longer. The #2 square drive bit is color-coded Red and fits over 75% of the screws sold. This means you only need one driver bit on your drill most of the time. When the bit wears out, grind the edges to make it square again, and order another with your next order. Those two statements do not hold for all the other driver bits. The stick-to-fit system comes from the tapered bit, which matches McFeely's screws, so you do not need a magnet to keep the screw on the bit for one-handed driving. That tight fit means you can only drive screws straight. If you want to drive at an angle, we suggest using a Torx bit. McFeely’s screws are used every day in every state by Furniture builders, Cabinet makers, and Trim carpenters who appreciate quality and service and find our pricing to be a better value. Besides helping you avoid a scarred-up finish, their positive fit, not found on Torx, will let you apply more torque to the screw, pulling uncooperative joints tight on the first try.

But screwdrivers are expensive...

Most screwdrivers are very expensive, especially in consideration of what you get — a blade that is not well designed at best and only “fits” one or two specific screw sizes or a Phillips bit that quickly becomes useless as the wings wear out. Square recess drivers last longer than most other recess driver types, and only two driver sizes are required to fit the most common Square Drive Screw sizes.

Check out our selection of Screwdrivers

Can I use my cordless screwdriver or electric drill to drive them?

Yes! In fact you will find that because of their superior resistance to “Cam-Out”, driving Square Drive Screws with a power driver is so easy that you will prefer to use screws wherever possible. A drill equipped with a clutch is ideal because it will extend the driver's bit life. Of course, we carry out an extensive selection of power driver bits.

Check out our selection of Driver Bits

If they’re so good, why haven’t I heard of them before?

This Square Drive Recess was invented by P.L. Robertson (founder of Robertson, Inc.) in 1908 and was the first production fastener with an internal recess. He was a brilliant toolmaker that injured his hand while driving a slotted screw and started developing a better recess. They have been used extensively in US commercial furniture manufacturing and the mobile home industry since the 1950’s. McFeely’s began making them available to small cabinet shops and recreational woodworkers in the early 1980’s. Since then, woodworkers worldwide have known the benefits of Square Drive Screws, and they are now fast becoming the preferred drive type.

Tell Me One Reason Why They Beat My Regular Screws

We’ll tell you seven! But try them for yourself, and we’ll bet that you come up with some of your own!

1. Square Recess provides maximum driving torque — reduces driver bit “cam-out”.

2. Heat-treated steel for dependable strength.

3. Sharp thread angle cuts into wood to minimize cracking or splitting.

4. Optimized thread depth to thread spacing reduces crumbling between threads for better holding.

5. The thread surface is nearly perpendicular to the thread axis for maximum pullout strength.

6. Minimum body diameter reduces driving resistance.

7. The sharp point gets the screw started quickly — even without a pilot hole in many materials.

Can’t find the answers you’re looking for? Call 800-443-7937 and ask for our Product Support Department, or send us an email.