turn of the screw: The history of Stanley Screwdriver part II, The

George E. Wood of Southington, Connecticut, filed his first screwdriver patent on 2 October 1900 (Figure 1). This patent was for an improvement in the construction of a screwdriver. Mr. Wood claimed in this patent that

... the combination with a metal shank having its handle end formed with one or more integral, laterally-extending wings, of a wood handle formed with a central longitudinal bore or passage for the said shank, and with a transverse slot located in its outer end, and intersecting the outer end of the said bore or passage, and receiving the wing or wings of the shank.1

He assigned this patent to the Acme Manufacturing Company of Southington, Connecticut.

Shortly after George Wood was granted the above patent (no. 671,039) on 2 April 1901, he went into business with John Hurley to manufacture screwdrivers. They set up a shop in Plantsville, Connecticut, and named the new company using their last names. The founding of the Hurwood Manufacturing Company marked the beginning of the 11 solid bar screwdriver." Solid bar screwdrivers had a blade that ran all the way through the handle in one piece. In earlier screwdrivers the blade went only part way up the handle and when used hard would come out of the handle. This and later patents solved that problem.

Herbert S. Pullman, employed by Hurwood, filed a patent on 14 July 1902 and granted on 23 February 1904, that took George Wood's 1901 patent one step further (Figure 2). Pullman made a slight change to the crosspiece in the handle and added integral wings on the shank under the bolster. This patent was assigned to the Hurwood Manufacturing Company

George Wood filed two more patents on 14 July 1902. (I believe that Herbert Pullman's and George Wood's 4 July 1902 patent were all filed at one time, since the witnesses and attorneys are the same on all patents). Mr. Wood's patents provided for a solid bar with a solid head. Patent no. 753,186, granted 23 February 1904, had two prong extensions from the head, which extended into the wood handle (Figure 3).

In manufacturing the screwdriver the forged solid bar would not have the screwdriver tip forged until it was inserted through the wood handle and the ferrule. After the handle portion was finished, the tip of the screwdriver was made.

Mr. Wood's second patent (no. 765,302) filed on 14 July 1902 (Figure 4) provided for a different arrangement. The solid bar had a round head with no prongs but "...recesses are formed in the shank from which spurs are formed along the length in any desired number." These spurs would, when driven through the wood handle, prevent the handle from turning during use. As stated in Stanley's 1938 publication Tool Talks, No. 15: "George E. Wood can truly be called the father of the modern screwdriver for it seems to mark the starting point of this tool's present numerous applications.2

The hardware trade immediately recognized Hurwood's quality, and sales of its screwdrivers increased to a point that the company moved to a larger plant in 1903.

Patrick H. Garrity of Waterbury, Connecticut, filed an application on 11 August 1902 (Figure 5) for a variation of George Wood's patent. Garrity's patent provided for a screwdriver shank with a solid square head which was recessed into the top end of the handle. This invention was granted a patent on 24 March 1903.

Garrity's patent was apparently purchased by Stanley before 1905 because his patent was used on a line of Stanley screwdrivers known as "Victor" screwdrivers that were offered in Stanley's 1905 Catalog No. 34. Figure 6 shows pages 106 and 107 of that catalog, describing the various sizes available for the no. 20 and 25 Victor screwdrivers. Pages 108 and 109 (Figure 7) of that catalog describe the Victor cabinetmakers' line and special screwdrivers. In addition to the standard and cabinetmakers' screwdrivers, Stanley also manufactured Victor machinists' screwdrivers (Figure 8), which were extra heavy in construction. Also offered at the time, was a small 1 1/2 inch screwdriver, called the Victor Junior, and a Victor Handy screwdriver designed to be used in tight places (Figure 9).

Stanley was now offering these Victor screwdrivers in addition to their no. 64 and no. 86 flat blade screwdrivers.3 A medium grade screwdriver series, known as the Defiance brand, was offered in 1905. These screwdrivers had round shanks fastened to a wood handle by a pin through the ferrule. The shank did not go all the way through the handle. They were offered in no. 70 for regular pattern and no. 75 for the cabinetmakers model.

Stanley was, apparently, trying to compete with the Hurwood Company and, in so doing, Edmund A. Schade filed an application for a patent on 7 March 1903. This patent was granted on 22 August 1905 (Figure 10) and was similar to George Woods' patent (Figure 4). Mr. Shade's patent provided for the solid shank in the handle to be made with a series of lateral projections or wings graded in size toward the head.

Meanwhile at the Hurwood Company, the sales of their screwdrivers were increasing at such a rate that the lack of adequate production equipment left the company unable to fill orders. This, coupled with management problems, led to the sale of the company to the Stanley Rule & Level Co. in 1904. George Wood, because of his knowledge of the manufacturing of screwdrivers, was hired by Stanley as Superintendent of the screwdriver division. He held this position until his retirement, about 1923.

George Wood, now working for Stanley Rule & Level, filed an application on 17 January 1905 for another screwdriver patent (Figure 11). Granted on 19 November 1907 this patent provided for a tapered ferrule with a ribbed screwdriver shank seated into a wood handle.

One month later on 28 February 1905, Mr. Wood filed another patent for a screwdriver with a rubber insulating jacket covering the ferrule and the upper part of the shank (Figure 12). The handle's exposed grip portion was made of non-conducting material. This patent was granted on 19 November 1907.

Edmund Schade on 20 April 1905 filed another patent application for the construction of a screwdriver that retained strength, rigidity and durability but was economical to manufacture. This patent, granted 13 March 1906 (Figure 13) provided for a screwdriver with a round shank recessed on the top and held in the handle top by an angular metal cap which slid in from the side.

Stanley, after the purchase of the Hurwood Company, redesigned the Victor line of screwdrivers with George Wood's 1904 patented solid bar design (Figure 3). This screwdriver set the standard for fine quality screwdrivers. The Victor line was renamed "Hurwood." The model numbers were kept the same but the construction was changed to the Hurwood design style.

The Stanley Hurwood line (Figure 14) consisted of the no. 20 and no. 25 screwdrivers, which were made in blade lengths from 2 1/2 to 30 inches. Figure 15 shows three no. 20 screwdrivers with eight-, ten-, and twelve-inch blades. The no. 25 series was the same as no. 20 except it was insulated for electrical work. The no. 40 and no. 45 screwdrivers had cabinetmakers' tips, and both were available with blade lengths from 21/2 to 24'/2 inches in length. The no. 45 was the electricians' insulated screwdriver. Cabinet screwdrivers were made the same as standard models except the tips did not flare out at the sides. Smaller diameter shanks were offered on the no. 50 and no. 55 screwdrivers. These screwdrivers were made for fine work. The no. 55 was the same as no. 50 except it was insulated. Blade lengths ranged from 2 1/2 to 12 inches

Stanley Hurwood machinists' screwdrivers were made extra heavy for rigid work. The no. 51 had an overall length of 5 1/4 inches with a 3/8 inch diameter blade width and a shank length of 1 3/4 inches (Figure 16). The Hurwood no. 52 had a 3 inch blade, a 7/16 inch diameter and an overall length of 7 1/4 inches (Figure 17). Another screwdriver was made the same as a no. 52, but had a 1/2 inch diameter blade and the blade length was 4 inches and an overall length of 9 1/2 inches. This model was designated no. 53. The nos. 51, 52 and 53 had round shanks until 1934, when extra heavy square blades were provided (Figure 18). Hurwood's no. 54 screwdriver ( the vertical screwdriver on the left side of the photo seen in Figure 14) was 18 1/4 inches long with a double grip handle. The blade was 8 inches in length and 1/2 inch in diameter. A hexagon shank was near the ferrule, for use with a wrench.

In the Hurwood Machinists' line of screw drivers there were also three screwdrivers with hexagon shanks near the ferrule. Designated numbers 51 1/2, 52 1/2, and 53 1/2 they were similar to the No. 51, 52, and 53, but they had slightly shorter blades and were heavier in weight (Figure 19).

Figure 20 illustrates the Stanley Hurwood name marked on the shanks of the early examples.

Hurwood style screwdrivers remained Stanley's top-of-theline screwdriver to the late 1920s. Hurwood no. 20 remained in production until 1987. Throughout the 1910s and into the 1920s, more inventions were created leading to the development of the "100 Plus" screwdriver, which will be discussed in the next installation (Part III).

Notes

1. Patent description for patent no. 671,039, 2 April 1901.

2. "We Make Them-You Sell Them I-drive Stanley Screwdrivers handles." Stanley Tool Talks, No. 15. (1938): 3.

3. For a discussion of these screwdrivers see Walter Jacob, "The Turn of the Screw, the History of Stanley Screwdrivers, Part I," The Chronicle, Vol. 55, No. I (March 2002): 31-34.

Walter Jacob writes a regular column on Stanley Tools for The Chronicle.

Copyright Early American Industries Association Jun 2002
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