Nails or screws

[tony]

Hi , I am reasonably inexperienced compared to the people on here & I'd like some advice. A friend has asked me to make a small garden gate , I have some spare t & g boards & I will put a couple of rails & brace on it . I believe the correct way is to screw the outside boards & then to (clench) ? nail the inner ones . I know it's only a small project but nailing it by hand is time consuming and wondered if I there is an easier option. What would happen if I screwed all of the boards . Thanks, Tony

 

[Essex Barn Workshop]

Great excuse to buy a nail gun! I think Lidl have a cordless bare unit one tomorrow for £19.99
I do have some lidl clamps etc, please don't see this post as a recommendation for that particular tool, I've never seen it or used it!
https://www.lidl.co.uk/en/p/diy/parkside-12v-cordless-nailer-or-stapler-bare-unit/p37751?ar=2

 

[artie]

It will be a lot stronger.

 

[artie]

Great excuse to buy a nail gun! I think Lidl have a cordless bare unit one tomorrow for £19.99
I do have some lidl clamps etc, please don't see this post as a recommendation for that particular tool, I've never seen it or used it!
https://www.lidl.co.uk/en/p/diy/parkside-12v-cordless-nailer-or-stapler-bare-unit/p37751?ar=2

Sorry for being negative but, seriously unless the gate is made of paper.

 

[Essex Barn Workshop]

Yes, personally I'd screw it all together, can't see that'd cause any problems?

 

[tony]

Not being very experienced , I believed it was all to do with movement

 

[Geoff_S]

I made a T&G gate and made the mistake of screwing the boards. Every winter I end up with a concave gate!

I asked a similar question to you about why this might be happening. Apparently it was because I had screwed the T&G boards. I should have nailed them because nails allow movement when expansion/ contraction occurs. I should have also not butted the boards up tight, I should have allowed a little gap between each board to allow for any movement.

All learnt here on this forum

 

[tony]

I made a T&G gate and made the mistake of screwing the boards. Every winter I end up with a concave gate!

I asked a similar question to you about why this might be happening. Apparently it was because I had screwed the T&G boards. I should have nailed them because nails allow movement when expansion/ contraction occurs. I should have also not butted the boards up tight, I should have allowed a little gap between each board to allow for any movement.

All learnt here on this forum

Thanks Geoff

 

[Doug71]

Screwed should be okay as long as you leave at least a couple of mill gap between each board to allow for expansion, some would recommend only one screw in each board. If the gate is going to be painted or stained put some on the tongues before you put the gate together.

 

[Jameshow]

I'd never screw t and g cladding.

I've had screws pop thier heads off with the expansion of the wood.

If the wood is dry you need to leave a millimetre or so of space. If it's wet treated cladding you don't need too.

Cheers James

 

[TheTiddles]

I made a T&G gate and made the mistake of screwing the boards. Every winter I end up with a concave gate!

I asked a similar question to you about why this might be happening. Apparently it was because I had screwed the T&G boards. I should have nailed them because nails allow movement when expansion/ contraction occurs. I should have also not butted the boards up tight, I should have allowed a little gap between each board to allow for any movement.

All learnt here on this forum

I think it’s where and how you screwed the T&G, not the screws themselves. Other than the mechanism of action they result in the same thing. Nails are just cheaper because they’re simpler. Maybe slightly more secure but most burglars are not nice enough the undo the screws and line them up for you to put back in, all except one case on my parents shed where one did

Aidan

 

[TheUnicorn]

my instinct is to say to use nails as they would be malleable and would cope better with movement compared to somewhat brittle screws. I'd get good spacing of the boards, and as doug suggested, paint the t and g before assembly to maximise the protection

 

[OldWood]

It's funny how you go through life and then some one like Unicorn makes a statement - nails are maileable, screws aren't - that is so obvious but I'd never thought of before.

One point - where you do use screws, use stainless steel (brass OK but not so strong).

 

[Doug71]

It's funny how you go through life and then some one like Unicorn makes a statement - nails are maileable, screws aren't - that is so obvious but I'd never thought of before.

As I understand in earthquake prone areas when building houses etc things are nailed together because the nails can give a bit while screws just shear and then things fall apart.

 

[artie]

It's funny how you go through life and then some one like Unicorn makes a statement - nails are maileable, screws aren't

I thought I was about to learn a new word lol

 

[TheTiddles]

It's funny how you go through life and then some one like Unicorn makes a statement - nails are maileable, screws aren't - that is so obvious but I'd never thought of before.

One point - where you do use screws, use stainless steel (brass OK but not so strong).

I really don’t think this is right, nails are generally made of steel, screws are generally made of steel, I’m not seeing how the two are going to behave differently other than a second moment of area difference the length that can flex is so small even that would be negligible.

however if you put two screws across the width of a board outdoors and one nail in the middle of another I’d expect the former to split and the second not, but the type of fastener would not be the driving factor

Aidan

 

[TheUnicorn]

I really don’t think this is right, nails are generally made of steel, screws are generally made of steel, I’m not seeing how the two are going to behave differently other than a second moment of area difference the length that can flex is so small even that would be negligible.

however if you put two screws across the width of a board outdoors and one nail in the middle of another I’d expect the former to split and the second not, but the type of fastener would not be the driving factor

Aidan

if you put a handful of screws and a handful of nails of a similar size, into some wood and knock them all sideways with some hammer blows, a lot more of the screws will have snapped than the nails. If you had left the wood and nails outside in the elements for a year, the difference will be exaggerated.

 

[TheUnicorn]

popular mechanics says so too, although confusingly it then says that screws hold up better to movement.

"When deciding between nails and screws, keep in mind that nails are less brittle, so they provide greater shear strength. They may bend under pressure, but they seldom snap.

Screws, on the other hand, may not be as forgiving, but their threaded shafts hold better in wood and draw boards together much more tightly and they have greater tensile strength. Screws also do a better job of holding tight during wood’s natural expansion and contraction."

https://www.popularmechanics.com/ho...other hand,they have greater tensile strength.

 

[LBCarpentry]

Hi , I am reasonably inexperienced compared to the people on here & I'd like some advice. A friend has asked me to make a small garden gate , I have some spare t & g boards & I will put a couple of rails & brace on it . I believe the correct way is to screw the outside boards & then to (clench) ? nail the inner ones . I know it's only a small project but nailing it by hand is time consuming and wondered if I there is an easier option. What would happen if I screwed all of the boards . Thanks, Tony

Never screw........
When a nail will do..

 

[TheUnicorn]

Never screw........
When a nail will do..

I have to say 90% of the time I'd opt for a screw, I just feel it gives me more control

on this occasion I'd go for a nail, however I think the spacing of the T and G is maybe more important