Socket Sets

Sockets have existed for hundreds of years. There are examples dating back into the Middle Ages for clocks.  In the 1800s there were ratcheting wrenches and sockets.

Most of the sockets were fixed to handles. These are called "tights" because the socket is tightly fixed or a part of the handle. Removable sockets also existed.  The common sockets set with removable sockets were made from pipe. They tended to be rather weak compared to the forged or cast sockets of today

Around the turn of the Century there was an explosion or automobile
manufacturing. The first Ford Model T was produced in 1908. By 1920 the founders of Snap on were establishing the company. Their unique product feature was a "snap on" socket that was built like a tight socket wrench. It married the convenience of the nterchangeable socket. It was not the first for any feature. It just joined a set of desirable characteristics into a single set

The first set was a series of 5 handles and 10 sockets. With these the user could make 50 tool combinations. Today this does not seem so profound but at the time, it seems that it was. A mechanic could carry 15 tools around, where 50 tools would be too much. Thus the sales were explosive and the company born on this concept.

The first sets are unmarked. There were 300 of them. These were made by hand and delivered to customers who preordered them. The popularity was immediate and the company grew quickly. It these first years they were rebuffed by distributors (centered in Chicago) and Snap on bypassed the traditional sales channels, forming their own. The Snap on truck so common today is the direct result of the rejection by the established dealers and traders at the time. It became the signature mark of the company.

A word about square headed nuts and bolts. These heads are easier to make by hand. They were used extensively in all early automobiles, including the Model T. As mass production advanced the hex head nuts and bolts dominated mechanical production. The square sockets commonly seen and rarely used date back to the turn of the century. Besides early cars, many industrial and farm machinery continued to use these. They were is common usage 

square heads and sockets were the easiest to make in the era when hand filing was the typical method of manufacture. With the proliferation of modern manufacturing methods, hex heads and sockets as square ones. The hex heads became easier to standardize and faster to use in assembly work. Square heads were still standards and in common use through 1949. These are still used in wood applications (like fence hardware)

There were a number of standard sizes. These include:
A)    1/8 inch - appeared in 1978 and is currently available  and is a micro set of 5 parts
B)     ¼ inch (Snap on) - appeared at the end of World War II and replaces the 9/32 inch drive, it is currently available
C)    9/32 inch drive which seems to have started in the 1925 and was the standard until the end of WWII. These are called “Midget”
D)    3/8 inch drive - today's standard, but not as popular as the ½ inch drive in the pre war days. It was introduced in 1928. The brand name is “Ferret”
E)     ½ inch drive which I think is the size of the original 1920s set and a standard. The name is “Master”, as in the master set or Master handle.
F)     5/8 inch drive - Introduced is 1923 and run till the 1930s. These are called the “Heavy Duty” Sets
G)    ¾ inch drive - Introduced in 1931 and still produced today. These are also called "Heavy Duty" creating confusion
H) 7/8 inch drive - Introduced in 1924 and quickly phased out in favor of the ¾ inch drive.  These are called “Giant” sets
I)    1 inch drive which exists today. It is used for heavy trucks and
busses
J)       1 ½ inch drive, this is a huge size for huge machines.