I've searched the google archive for an answer to this question before posting but unfortunately to no avail. So ...
I've just secured a bookcase to the wall with two screws. The screw on the left just keeps on turning when flush to the wood whereas the screw on the right has become tight. I've often wondered:
Would be grateful for any help.
Thanks.
Because the thread is stripped.
Yes, the fixing won't be able to take as much load before failing.
If the screw is into a wall plug, then you need to pack the wallplug, say with a smaller wallplug, or with a match, to ive the screw something to grip.
Ummm doh, cos the thread it's screwing into is stripped.
It'll still take a vertical load but will pull straight out with a horizontal one. Remove it, put another rawlplug in with some matchsticks for packing if necessary and refit it all.
Dave Baker - Puma Race Engines
Hi
Sometimes if u don't get the screw going into the centre of the rawplug, then it goes down the side of it...between the rawplug and the wall. It will then spin and even enlarging the hole. You will just have to pack it or use a larger, fatter raw plug. You may even have to re-position the hole and fixing.
A general tip:
Its a bit of a hassle this way but i always find that u get a perfect alignment of screws to plugs.
Regards
Nigel
Because the hole is too big (either the drill wobbled, or you are in soft mortar that fell out). If the problem is slight, just shove wrap some toilet paper round the rawl plug, or shove some PVA down there to glue the rawlplug in place so it doesn't spin.
If the fixing is expected to take a lot of load, redrill in a different location so you get brick/blockwork, rather than mortar.
Christian.
Ah right ok, dumb question, what do you mean stripped? And do you mean the wall plug is stripped?
Useful those match sticks eh.
Another possibility if you don't want to have to remove your bookcase from the wall to get at the rawlplug is to use a different type of screw. A lot of modern screws (particularly those billed as chipboard screws or recommended for use closer to the edge) have a thinner shank than the standard traditional woodscrew and I find these don't work so well in rawlplugs unless the hole for the rawlplug is drilled slightly undersize.
Martin
As you drive the screw into the plug it cuts a thread on the inside of the plug at the same time as forcing the diameter of the plug to swell. This should result in the plug being firmly jammed into the hole in the wall, and the screw being well located into the plug.
In your case either the screw has been overtightened resulting in the thread it cut in the inside of the plug being damaged hence allowing the screw to turn in the plug even when it should be tight, or, the hole in the wall is oversized and the whole plug is turning.
Very ;-) gently tap a few in with a small hammer, and when it refuses to take another match, try screwing into it again.
"Christian McArdle" wrote in news:40977801$0$25319$ snipped-for-privacy@reading.news.pipex.net:
Had a similar problem with a cupboard - four screws in each corner to hold it up. Two bottom ones went in fine but the top left one started spinning. Took the cupboard down, banged in a chunky plug (couldn't see the original plug - assuming there was one), and put the cupboard back up. Then the bottom left screw started spinning... I think the cupboard was on and off the wall about half a dozen times. Something very wrong with the wall - the plaster seemed to be very deep and crumbly. It's up but I dunno for how long :D Not my cupboard though - I was helping a mate. The funny thing is that the only reason we took the cupboard down was to make the job of wallpapering easier... Would have been quicker to paper round it :D
I getcha, thanks very much.
I'm not sure I want to empty the bookcase and remove it again. I'm going to try the following:
remove the screw stuff matches down through the hole and into the plug rescrew
see if that does the trick.
It usually does.
Regards, NT
replying to Sneezy, JBob wrote: That's a good one.
replying to JBob, rde42 wrote: It's probably fallen off the wall in the 14 years since he wrote that.
HINT: look at the date.
Maybe he has a screw loose
NT
Yes and please, if you are replying via that terrible web site, you have to quote the original message yourself as the majority of readers of this news group use offline text readers and will not just click any dodgy link to read the message being replied to, that is your responsibility to quote it if the web site is too lazy to be bothered. Brian
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