Wood screws......

[Spectric]

Hi all

I use either Reisser cutters or Timco velocity both are really good but in tight situations the Reissers tend to not cam out as much. Tried Screwfixes range of screws and I just do not like them, heads wring off and spliting wood without pilot holes.

 

[sammy.se]

Are flathead screws really now only used in fine furniture making?

No, no. Of course not. Flat head screws are essential for making your screwdriver slip out and scratch an otherwise unblemished hinge, plate or veneer, and they also serve to round ever so slightly that the sides of the slot become raised and razor sharp, lacerating your fingertips and clothing.
Essential.

 

[Chris70]

Spax from Screwfix, every time. Expensive, but worth every penny! As they say, quality doesn't come cheap.

 

[clogs]

the other thing with Pozi or Torx is that u can get the screw mounted and ready to use on the driver....
and with ur third hand grab it and get the screw in.....
me dad always said we should have been born an extra pair of hands......
but they'd be still not enough.....hahah.....
I only ever buy slotted screw for the job and I cant remember the last time i did so....sad perhaps......
anything I make that's decent I dont want any screws showing...all are pluged and covered.....

 

[johnnyb]

from a economical point of view. fancy screws are really pricey. spax are usually the dearest of the dear. most of our screws are free from a gutter and fascia man in boxes of 500(this suggests they are really cheap). 30 40 50 mm by 4mm. they are thin and work fine. also fancy screws tend to not work in countersunk fittings as they have things to self counter sink.silver twinfasts are even cheaper but dont quite work as well I reckon. inch no7 are only available in silvers (for hinges)

 

[Droogs]

I tend to only buy Torx headed screws but if I can find them then Robertson. Have had to buy "tamper resistant" head screws for some art gallery stuff I did, big pain in the backside though as I kept putting the wrong bit in the holder. And you lose the special bit all the time

 

[Eshmiel]

I tend to only buy Torx headed screws but if I can find them then Robertson. Have had to buy "tamper resistant" head screws for some art gallery stuff I did, big pain in the backside though as I kept putting the wrong bit in the holder. And you lose the special bit all the time

The shed contains a small blue box with over 100 bits in it, supposedly for every type of screw known to humankind, as well as some alien ones. Well, they might be as I've never seen the screw heads that some of these bits would fit. They were about £1 3s 7d some time ago. When I get to be completely olephart, I will scour car boot sales and similar for such screws, until I have the whole set that these bits will fit. (No I won't).

Eshmiel

 

[SCMG001]

Torx do not cam out. The engagement with the bit is far more positive. And the screw can be positioned on the bit for use in hard to reach applications. Also very useful in robotic assembly for that reason.

Just picking up on this and considering using Spax Wirox, just wondering what size would be idel with using to fix and join 2 pieces of 4x2?

 

[BHwoodworking]

@SCMG001
5x80's

 

[eribaMotters]

Firstly I never use an impact driver for screws. On general building refurb/diy work I use plasterboard screws. If on show or decent stuff I've now started use Reisser.

Colin

 

[TheUnicorn]

I like torx, but as I've got a stock of pozis I inherited from my father I rarely buy them. I definately feel like torx are a better grip bit-to-screw and perform better with an impact driver. I quite like the look of a torx head on a finished piece, certainly preferable over a philips or pozi on show

When looking at american youtube stuff they seem to use a lot of robertson head screws, yet they are an absolute novelty over here, not quite sure why that is.

 

[scholar]

I have moved to buying Spax, and more recently their Wirox, for most things. They are more expensive, but I have not had any problems with them.

I prefer Torx and am trying to use up all my Pozi stock, (which will never happen).

my main problem with Spax is finding all the sizes and variants in one place (and cheap!). Their range is vast, but few places stock the in-between sizes (35mm/3.5mm/45mm/4.5mm etc). Also I prefer screws that are not fully threaded, but these are the ones most widely stocked.

Cheers

 

[Ozi]

I'm a real fan of Bullet, use about 2000 a year in various sizes. Avoid Spax unless fixing softer types of cheese

 

[Droogs]

I find plasterboard screws way to brittle to use especially if any hardwood is involed, even with a pilot hole

 

[Dee J]

Power driven multi start self drilling self countersinking screws at low prices, combined with the ubiquity of drill-drivers (impact or not) have transformed softwood and manufactured board joinery. The most marginal structures can be thrown together really quickly by relatively unskilled people - and in the main - hold together well enough for long enough. This has coincided with the rise of disposable kitchens, wardrobes and garden decks. Slotted screws are now exclusive to visible locations on higher price items with pretentions of quality.

 

[TheUnicorn]

interested if anyone has used spectre screws, as per Spectre Screws | Screws & Fixings | Toolstation.com
they look quite good, but that doesn't mean they are of course

 

[Amateur]

I love torx head screws, but I find myself buying Pozi drive for a) convenience and b) price.
I just bought 1400 Turbogold woodscrews from Screwfix for £21, variety of sizes, so that will keep me going for a while.

For any heavy duty fixings (e.g. 120mm+ screws), I try and get torx head screws so that my impact driver can do it's thing and drive it home nice and tight without rounding off the heads.

how can you LOVE a screw??????
but yet again???

 

[Richard_C]

The shed contains a small blue box with over 100 bits in it, supposedly for every type of screw known to humankind, as well as some alien ones. Well, they might be as I've never seen the screw heads that some of these bits would fit.

I've got a box like that. Hardly ever used but when it is used they pay for themselves in seconds. A lot of those odd shapes will be for things designers use to make it difficult to unscrew. Things like kettle bases and transformer boxes. The main place you might see them is on fittings in public spaces, handrails, notice board boxes, and on public transport to stop idle youths playing about and taking things apart. Look around when you are next on a station or in an airport, assuming we ever get back to anything like that.

Armed with your box of bits and a cordless impact driver, you could probably dismantle a whole row of seats on a bus between stops and take the "stop" push buttons off the stantions .

Meanwhile, and back to topic, I like Reisser. Rarely need a pilot or a countersink, and screws are a very small part of my general expenses so not too worried about paying for speed, reliability and convenience.

 

[owen]

Just picking up on this and considering using Spax Wirox, just wondering what size would be idel with using to fix and join 2 pieces of 4x2?

5x100 on 4x2
5x80s on 3x2

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I find plasterboard screws way to brittle to use especially if any hardwood is involed, even with a pilot hole

Yes. They're too much of a hassle when they shear off.