An apparatus for selectively installing individual screws of a screw belt into a work surface, the apparatus including a rotational drive assembly; a housing borne by the rotational drive assembly, the housing including a screw engagement station; a driving assembly borne by the housing and engageable with the rotational drive assembly; a screw engagement assembly slideably borne by the housing and which is matingly engaged by the drive assembly and operable to urge individual screws into the screw engagement station; a releasable brake borne by the housing and which is operable to selectively secure the screw engagement assembly against motion in a predetermined direction; a positioning assembly borne by the housing and which is operable to releasably position an individual screw in substantially coaxial alignment relative to the rotational drive means whereby, during operation, the rotational drive means imparts motion to the driving assembly which drives the screw engagement assembly in a direction away from the screw engagement station, and wherein this same movement simultaneously causes a sequential advancement of the screw belt, and a severing of an individual screw from the screw belt, and wherein the releasable brake, when released, permits the screw engagement assembly to be moved in a direction toward the screw engagement station thereby engaging the screw which has been severed from the screw belt and advancing the screw into the screw engagement station where it is releasably received by the positioning assembly and subsequently engaged by the rotational drive means.