Pilot hole vs clearance hole

[beeg]

I may be making this to simple, but the clearance hole doesn't have any holding power because it's the same size as the shank diameter.

[Hobbyman2]

Years ago I was taught not to drill the ,,,clearance ,,, hole all the way through , said leave a 1/8 to 1/4 inch or so ,,it will hold the screw in place while you align everything ,,,,wax the screw with bees wax`,dab some glue on the joint {{{{on any thing that wasn't coming apart}}}} ,,,,,then again back then we used flat head wood screws not dry wall screws , ,,,that was before the metric system !

I still do it that way today, not a big fan of drywall screws .

I would think with a bed frame you would do as suggested in the post by Dusty and the others above , unless yo are using brackets,,, and then all is needed is a small pilot hole and wax on the screws.

[JPG]

The screw HEAD is what holds the attached piece against the 'screwed into' part. The clearance hole is not intended to 'hold' anything other than to provide a free path for the screw shank(or threads if relevant).

I would not use dry wall screws or any other 'hardened' screw(they tend to break ) on a bed frame.

[wrmnfzy]

Thanks, I appreciate all the help. I should be starting my daughter's bed at the beginning of next week.

[benush26]

Sorry to come late to the party, but if you have yet to choose the type of screw, I’d like to recommend the fastenmaster. There are a few styles and they are pricey! , but will hold amazingly well. Fairly certain they are available at HD (I usually buy mine via Amazon since projects that need them have a decent lead time) and probably most national chain hardware stores. I’m not certain of the length of screw you are planning to use. Fastenmaster tend to be long, or at least the ones I’ve purchased.

Not certain this was any advise you wanted, considering the original posting, but hope it helps.

Be well,
Ben

[wrmnfzy]

Sorry to come late to the party, but if you have yet to choose the type of screw, I’d like to recommend the fastenmaster. There are a few styles and they are pricey! , but will hold amazingly well. Fairly certain they are available at HD (I usually buy mine via Amazon since projects that need them have a decent lead time) and probably most national chain hardware stores. I’m not certain of the length of screw you are planning to use. Fastenmaster tend to be long, or at least the ones I’ve purchased.

Not certain this was any advise you wanted, considering the original posting, but hope it helps.

Be well,
Ben

Thanks, a little pricey for this job, this is what I had purchased for the job.

[dusty]

"Construction Screws" - for use in any non-structural construction project.

I have difficulty interpreting the wording in the advertisement but I do believe these will do the trick very well. I also believe in your choice of heads. I use star drives a lot.

I use flathead, slotted screws only when doing a recovery construction that used them initially.

[wrmnfzy]

"Construction Screws" - for use in any non-structural construction project.

I have difficulty interpreting the wording in the advertisement but I do believe these will do the trick very well. I also believe in your choice of heads. I use star drives a lot.

I use flathead, slotted screws only when doing a recovery construction that used them initially.

Ditto, I won't tell you how long I stared at the wording before I got them. I kept trying to figure out if I wanted them or not.

[ARCretired]

I've had better luck with star drive (T20 or T25) deck type screws than drywall screws. I keep a collection of different lengths (from 1 1/4" up to 3") on hand. In soft wood it probably doesn't matter, but in hard wood I seem to break drywall screws sometimes. As far as pilot holes, I use close fit pilot holes when I want to locate something precisely with the shank of the screw or bolt and when clamping the pilot hole piece to the other piece (the one the screw threads engage in). As was said earlier, having the screw threads engage both parts will make it more difficult to mate them tightly together, unless you are using clamps as you install the screws. For high clamping force, I've used "engineering fasteners" like Spax, where the threads cut into and thru the "pilot" hole, but pass thru and the shank of the fastener will locate the piece on the pilot hole. Also those type of fasteners have a large flat head to distribute the clamping force, so the piece (if it is a softer wood) won't crush.

[newportcycle]

"Construction Screws" - for use in any non-structural construction project.

I have difficulty interpreting the wording in the advertisement but I do believe these will do the trick very well. I also believe in your choice of heads. I use star drives a lot.

I use flathead, slotted screws only when doing a recovery construction that used them initially.

Ditto, I won't tell you how long I stared at the wording before I got them. I kept trying to figure out if I wanted them or not.

Was that due to the statement "For use on any non-structural construction project"? Only means they MAY not meet cross sectional area or have been vendor tested and certified by manufacturer to be in compliance with building code requirements. I would not hesitate to use them for any project.