All is relative. Grade bolt, pilot hole, lengh of wrench handle, strength of operator, number of beers, etc. Frankly, I was surprised to hear of such a thing as a 1/4" lag bolt.
nb
New to Usenet, huh?
If I need any quantity of hardware I drive right past Lowes and go 5 miles further to the good old hardware store. I'm not so sure the low grade stuff is any better, but it's surely less expensive! And if I buy the grade 5 or 8 stuff, I know it's also a lot less expensive. Just last week I was buying some 1/2" x 4" bolts and mentioned to the cashier (who is also one of the brothers that own the store) how I passed Lowes to get there. They were $1.18 and he knocked off the 18 cents to make them $1 each. Later stopped at Lowes for something else and checked their bolt prices. The same 1/2" x 4" bolt at Lowes, $2.34.
That also varies from store to store (they don't always own the buildings or the land). When I lived in VT I rarely went into the WallyWorld because the lot was crazy. HD shared the same lot but that end wasn't as busy so was less of a human obstacle course. Stores in NE OH had no such problems, nor do the ones here in AL.
Any true craftsman examines the use that the fastener or part will be subjected to, then adjusts the quality or grade of the part. It is common practice in automotive where in some applications, a harder stronger grade of fastener is required.
There is not a thing wrong with the soft steel flimsy stuff they sell at HD. The fault lies in the fact that you used it incorrectly. 1/4" lag bolts have a very low twist off pressure. But now you know that. How is this going to affect your future purchases? How is this going to affect whether or not you drill a pilot hole?
This is YOUR fault, and no one else's. Home Depot sells a lot of crap, but if you know that going in, you don't put a cheater pipe on it during install.
Steve
The stainless fasteners link seems to have good prices.
If your cylinder heads are subject to shock loading then you have bigger problems than broken head bolts.
LOL, I think you hit the nail on the head!
And why not angle parking, straight in parking does not save any more space as you need wider lanes.
Grainger but McFeeleys has had an expanded product line for quite a some time, long before the buy out.
That seems odd.
For optimum strength in softwood, you want the pilot hole to be about
0.7 times the diameter of the root diameter of the screw. (0.9x in hardwood--or more particularly for wood with a specific gravity greater than 0.6) The clearance hole should be big enough that the threads don't engage, of course.The above is from:
I have a Fastenal very close to me. Is that a good place to buy screws, walk in? I was under the impression that they were more like a jobber service.
Speaking of which and talking about out side exposure, I have McFeeley non coated screws out in my front yard that I used along rail road ties to string Christmas light about 18 years ago. All are facing head up so water collects in the square drives. All are still in good condition.
I hope you're kidding, but I suspect you're not.
Well I will have to disagree but not totally. There is an old hardware store in Nacogdoches TX, oldest town in Texas. The hardware store has wooden floors that roll and dip and squeek. They have old oak display counters and cabinets and if they dont have it, it probably can't be had, so to speak. They have the cheap stuff too.
Locally we have a hardware store that has been in business for almost 60 years and still family owned and run. It is centrally located between 2 HD's and a Lowe's. They beat their competition's price on same thing items and they some where along the way became either an ACE or Tru-Value. They have great stuff, great service, and stuff they steer "me" away from the crap that they also have.
" Real" hardware stores have crap too.
Perhaps a "real" hardware store has employees that know their product.
I responded to Doug on a similar note. The old country hardware stores can be good if the owners know how to run a business compeditively. I have a hardware store near me that is thriving, with 3 big box stores within 10 minutes drive, and they beat the big box prices.
The 27th Edition lists the root diameter of a 1/4" lag bolt as .173".
The next natural drill size is .187, or 3/16".
Regards,
Tom Watson
So who is to "blame"? Walmart or the consumers who demanded a cheaper knife?
Who is to blame, the store that lost it's business is to blame. Blaming others has never been a good excuse for why a business fails. Again I mention, near me an old hardware store with lots of big competition, they beat the competition prices and service, and they are constantly expanding. Competing does not just mean cheaper. Service goes a long way and if the store does not provide a compeditive alternative attraction they will go under.
Should have been using a grade 8 bolt.
I measured a 1/4", just one, and its root measured .186-.187 top to bottom. I don't imagine lags are a precision item, tho.
And one of the links someone posted gives the pilot as 3/16 in softwood,
7/32 in hard! It also mentioned grease or vegeteable oil as a lube, but cautioned against soap. 1/4 lags are fragile, tho. I'd use 5/16 on anything semi-substantial.
For optimum strength in solid wood you actually want to drill the pilot hole smaller than the root diameter. Specifically between 0.7 and 0.9 times the root diameter, depending on the density of the wood in question--softwood gets a smaller hole.
Chris
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