Wood Screws

[Ed in Tampa]

Buying things made in China sets me off]edit: I could knot find any on the Makita site, but I found this 3 piece set at Woodcraft: [/I]http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=5519
These do knot cut the shoulder, just the threads and a countersink.

Tim
I think the problem with the set you had the link for from Sears is not the fact it is made at Sears but the actual design. There three pieces the holder you chuck in the drill. The carrier that holds the driver and drill bits. The holder is the weak link in my opinion. The driver is aluminum as is the carrier. The fit because it must slip in and out is not totally precise. Therefore the carrier can move in the driver slightly. Apply a little too much torgue and the carrier will wedge in the driver. When this happens you can lose a lot of time trying to get the carrier out of the driver socket.

I think a better method to accomplish the same thing is made by Insty and Snappy. I think there is a third where that has a sleeve that covers the driver. Woodcraft sells the Snappy line and I have been tempted to try them. I was hoping someone would say I got them and they are fantastic or save your money they are junk.

[shydragon]

The Sears set that Tim showed is the set I have. I absolutley love it. I've had it a number of years now, and I've never had a problem with it.

[foxtrapper]

I would like feedback on what wood screws do you commonly use?
Drywall or deck screws

Where do you get them?
Lowes or HomeDepot usually

And do you always predrill?
Yes, almost always. Particularly the piece being fastened.

If so what bit do you use?
In the piece being fastened, a bit of the same diameter as the screw, so it slips through easily. In the piece being fastened to, a hole no larger than the shank inside the threads of the screw.

Countersinking for pretty or extremely large screws.

Which head do you like best? Slotted, phillips, square, torx, something else.
Phillips generally. It's non-specialized and with a good screwgun bit, it doesn't slip (bosch bit, Vermont America, etc).

[JPG]

I would like feedback on what wood screws do you commonly use?
Drywall or deck screws

Where do you get them?
Lowes or HomeDepot usually

And do you always predrill?
Yes, almost always. Particularly the piece being fastened.

If so what bit do you use?
In the piece being fastened, a bit of the same diameter as the screw, so it slips through easily. In the piece being fastened to, a hole no larger than the shank inside the threads of the screw.

Countersinking for pretty or extremely large screws.

Which head do you like best? Slotted, phillips, square, torx, something else.
Phillips generally. It's non-specialized and with a good screwgun bit, it doesn't slip (bosch bit, Vermont America, etc).

Any one else notice the absence of FHWS as we know them?:(

[robinson46176]

drl's tip to use grinding compound is a good one. You can also use soap or beeswax on the screw. This eases the torque needed and doesn't affect holding ability.

I often use a few drops of what ever wood glue I am using to lube screws I am driving. I especially like lubing with glue in applications where extra strength may be needed like the hinges on a heavy door.
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When I was growing up there was always a ball of beeswax in the screw drawer.
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I also grew up slobbering on almost all long nails I drove and still do a lot. You get used to the rusty taste.

[dusty]

Any one else notice the absence of FHWS as we know them?:(

If you had not said the "absence" of FHWS I might have concurred. The regular old slotted FHWS is still available not just every where you might find wood screws.

But for us old folks that have not yet changed our ways these old fashioned FHWS are still available.

I don't know if ACE is available everywhere but ACE has them (as previously stated in post #17, this thread). They are just more expensive there than I would like.

Maybe these are only made in the USA and that is why the other outlets (borgs and the like) don't have them. Buy USA.

[charlese]

Thank Goodness I have not run into the same quality screws as Ed in Tampa! Although I have found some screws in a box will not have the same diameter head as the rest. (always smaller). Maybe I'm actually using the same screws, and just don't know it yet!:(

[horologist]

When restoring antiques you need slotted screws. Getting small screws (size 4 or less) is becoming hard to do in the local hardware stores. I ended up ordering an assortment of sizes down to size 0 from:

http://www.boltdepot.com/Default.aspx

Their screws are made in various locations world wide including China and quality of the Chinese screws will vary. I had one bag that about half the heads had no slot, the ones with slots were way off center. The folks at Bolt Depot were very good about resolving any problems.

Troy

P.S. If anyone has a good source for #4 steel oval head wood screws preferably without zinc plating I would be interested.

[a1gutterman]

Tim
I think the problem with the set you had the link for from Sears is not the fact it is made at Sears but the actual design. There three pieces the holder you chuck in the drill. The carrier that holds the driver and drill bits. The holder is the weak link in my opinion. The driver is aluminum as is the carrier. The fit because it must slip in and out is not totally precise. Therefore the carrier can move in the driver slightly. Apply a little too much torgue and the carrier will wedge in the driver. When this happens you can lose a lot of time trying to get the carrier out of the driver socket.

I think a better method to accomplish the same thing is made by Insty and Snappy. I think there is a third where that has a sleeve that covers the driver. Woodcraft sells the Snappy line and I have been tempted to try them. I was hoping someone would say I got them and they are fantastic or save your money they are junk.

Hi Ed,
I spent a little time on the internet looking for the ones that cut all three; the threaded part, the shoulder and the countersink. The set that I own (Sears) does all three, but I have had it for some time. I was knot able to locate ANY (non Sears) on the web that did. ALL of the (non-Sears) ones that I could find used tapered drill bits and a countersink only, to match those construction screws (look like drywall screws) that you do knot like. Maybe, like a lot of other things, these have gone by the wayside. The Sears one did look like it cuts all three operations at the same time, and it looks like a regular twist bit too.

[JPG]

If you had not said the "absence" of FHWS I might have concurred. The regular old slotted FHWS is still available not just every where you might find wood screws.

But for us old folks that have not yet changed our ways these old fashioned FHWS are still available.

I don't know if ACE is available everywhere but ACE has them (as previously stated in post #17, this thread). They are just more expensive there than I would like.

Maybe these are only made in the USA and that is why the other outlets (borgs and the like) don't have them. Buy USA.

I was referring to foxtrapper's post. He did NOT mention FHWS at all!