What Is a Screw Launcher?

Purpose and Use

• The screw launcher is a special tool designed to mitigate the difficulty of driving a screw in hard-to-reach or awkward places. Some places that need screws are unreachable with both hands or are too small to allow both hands in, so the screw launcher was designed to render one hand unnecessary. The screw is placed onto the bit at the head of the driver and held by a sleeve that fits over it or some other means of holding the screw ahead of the bit.

Features

• While the actual method of holding a screw varies by model, all screw launchers have such a device. All screw launchers are spring-loaded, which allows the leeway needed to insert the screw at the head of the driver, and subsequently for the driver to hold the screw in place. Screw launcher grips vary by design; some are cushioned and others are more utilitarian. Screw launcher bits vary by model; some are interchangeable, while others are statically fixed to offer one bit. Some screw launchers are designed to pick up screws and hold them in place for driving.

Development

• The 1930s saw one of the earliest patents for a screw-holding device. John and Robert Shaw described a device that would attach to a driver, and could include a screw magazine, allowing it to hold multiple screws at a time for sequential use. Later designs integrated the holder into the driver itself, coinciding with the modern screw launcher design. They describe a tube or other device that can be moved to hold a screw and be pushed back as the screw is driven, releasing it.

Price and Availability

• You can buy screw launchers from tool providers for between $5 and $20, at the time of publication. Most local hardware and warehouse stores carry them in myriad forms. Complexity, durability and adaptability likely correspond with price. That is, screw launchers constructed of hardier materials, with replaceable bits and cushioned handles, likely cost more than those with utilitarian handles and static bits.