Eight Point "Star" Screw Driver?

Try a square driver. My cargo trailer had those type of fasteners and until I put my glasses on I could have sworn they were Torx heads. Steve

I had a cheap B & D driver and head collection that had lots of heads I had never seen before in there. You may find one of what you're looking for in one of those cheap Chinese 187 piece specials for $2.99 or so. If the head is as small as you say, the point should last a lifetime, and the set will probably have more than one of them.

Steve

They are square drive screws, the double square makes aligning the fastener on the driver faster. There might be special drive bits out there for high torque applications, but they certainly aren't needed for regular applications.

I thought you might be describing a "Bristol" drive, but they are 6 point. While googling around, I found this neat page of screw drives:

Pete Stanaitis

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Laurie Forbes wrote:

Good idea - tried a #2 Roberstson and it worked fine. Trouble was though, the desk still would not come apart (looks like it was glued and maybe doweled as well). Will have to hump it upstairs in one piece I guess.

Thanx....

Laurie Forbes

Some people insist on making the mistake of gluing joints designed to be taken apart in the belief that they are smarter than the designer. Gerry :-)} London, Canada

Yeah, and other people have watched as cheap knock-down furniture gets unexpected forces applied (someone sits on a table) and said table unzipped at those quick-assembly joints and turned into scrap.

Now I might not glue it together as-is if I expect the need to take it apart again - something big like a bed frame might get wood corner blocks glued and nailed, and then you can add strategically placed hidden screws to the assembly joint to strengthen it up a lot.

But little stuff like an end table that will fit through doorways, I can see no downside to a little judicious gluing, screwing and/or nailing it to make it into a single solid piece that will survive a whole lot longer.

The primary reason you use nails and dowels and biscuits in woodworking is to hold everything in alignment and keep the joints tight till the glue dries.

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Hickory trailers : 8 point trailer screws. The bit is only 2.95 plus free shipping

Nice link for those "what the hell do you call that screw? moments. Thanks.

Amazing how many drive systems there are, and how seldom the good ones get implemented. In Europe there is no square drive, for example. I gather that it's because of a licensing issue. In this case I bet this is also a facto r - that the screws are intended to be inserted using a square "Ropbertson" bit, but making an eight-point socket circumvents patents.

Yes you right... thank you

I have looked for the same 8 point drivers and have not been able to find any, I was even told that they are not made but a square head is what is typically used for screws or bolts with 8 star points.

I'm not familiar with that drive but your description could be right. Check the diagram for "Double-square" on this wiki page:

I didn't spot any other 8 point fasteners on that page. Robertson square drivers come in several sizes. See the same wiki page for a listing...

You didn't say what size you're looking for. :-/

Try one of these:

FastenMaster HeadLok Spider Driver Bits (2 per Pack)-FMSPIDER3-2PK - The Home Depot

Amazon.com: Craftsman 3/8" Drive 5 Piece 8 Pt Point SAE Inch Square Star Box Socket Set STD: Home Improvement

I finally bought an 8-point socket to work with garage door spring retainers since I was doing so many at one point.

I've used 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2" extensions in oil pans/diffs with the recessed 8-point socket head.

Your suggestion for using a square screwdriver worked great..thank you..

replying to Laurie Forbes, Eureeka wrote: Found the trailer-sized ones:

replying to Laurie Forbes, Eureeka wrote: Found the trailer-sized ones: