Wee countersink - why?

Re: Wee countersink - why?

Sam Simpson

>Hi Y'all,

Bill, in the late eighteenth and throughout the nineteenth century it was common practice to attach a table top by pocket screwing the side rail (skirt) to the top. I see these pocket holes with countersunk bottoms on a regular basis. In that application a dedicated countersink size is a must. I'm sure there are other applications if I just think hard enough.

Regards Sam Simpson.

Because It's...

Scott Burr Ben Lomond,CA

>cute! Nice little c-sink Bill. I have a feeling it was used as a "assembly" device for a certain sized screw.

Re: Wee countersink - why?

David Miller from Iowa

>Long time ago I picked a small countersink like this in its original package - an envelope. Had a really old looking font that read something like "Specially treated for use in the machinist trade" No marks on the tool itself. Dunno.

Speculating

Adam Cherubini, NJ

>When I see bits like these, I figure they are for metal work. Could be wrong. I would think the size corresponded to a certain depth. Burying the bit would guarantee a consistent depth, which could be important- keeping screw heads flush. In the case a butt hinge for example, you don't want over flush (proud) or too much under flush. If you were making countersunk hinges for sale, consistent c'sinks would be an advantage.

That is, if the screws were consistent :)

Adam

P.S. I could be totally wrong about this. I use these bits for wood all the time. If I want a flush wrought head nail, for example, I apply a countersink.

Re: Speculating

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>I have suspected that it was intended for a production environment, where you might countersink for hundreds of No. 6 screws, and, as you say, burying it full-depth would serve as a go/no-go sizing gauge.

Anyway, it's a cute little critter.