Screws with fully disappearing splines introduced [video]

While some companies are revolutionizing displays or processors, others are focusing on improving less flashy technologies such as conventional screws. Introduced are screws with a new design that makes unsightly screwdriver slots disappear completely when the tool is removed.

One of the many reasons furniture from companies like IKEA is affordable - in addition to the materials used, such as fibreboard instead of hardwood - is that many structural elements (screws, fasteners, etc.) are either left exposed or poorly hidden behind plastic covers.

For the student who needs an inexpensive place to live and a shelf to store books not made of cinder blocks, the aesthetics IKEA don't matter. But for a carpenter or professional furniture maker, such results leave much to be desired.

Buying furniture made by a true craftsman always costs more than mass-produced products, and this is due to the meticulousness of its manufacture, including the often intrusive level of detailing where screws and nails are perfectly hidden in the finished product.

This is where designer Andrew Klein's latest creation comes in. Rather than being hidden, a precisely crafted screw can be integrated into a wood furniture design as a decorative accent because the screwdriver slots (like the cross or square hole usually found on a screw) completely disappear as soon as the screwdriver is removed.

Source: youtube