Ron those cheesy screws have been around for very long time. I remembering buying the same low quality ones in the plastic packages back in the mid
70's. Regardless of where they are from, they are normally inferior in quality. Had the one back in the 70's been better quality there may not have been an opening for the Chinese ones.OK... Let me try to say this again.
Well, I got tired of using #6 and #7 screws and having them break on every piece. With furniture you should be using at least a #8 screw unless dealing with some thin of delicate wood. You will probably get tired of them sooner or later or one days see the difference... ;~)
Home Brewer wrote: Group: rec.woodworking Date: Mon, Feb 9, 2004, 9:23pm (EST-1) From: snipped-for-privacy@earthlink.net (HomeBrewer) I just bought 2 packages of #8 x 2" wood screws at Lowes. 5 in each pack and it cost $.88. I predrilled and counter sunk the holes in an oak step stool I'm making and 5 out of the 10 screws twisted apart. Are these things that bad? If so what brand of wood screws should I get and where? That is totally unacceptable in my book. It's not like I can't afford the change, but it just really pissed me off tonight.
I've, now this is not shit, got some finishing nails that I believe to be annealed aluminum. They're nearly as big around as an 8 but less than an inch long and painted a tan color. I'm not really sure where they came from but they have an amazing low holding power and will bend when driven in to soft pine if not done carefully. I've kept them because they have some small utility for hanging light items.
On Tue, 10 Feb 2004 19:52:10 -0500, "KYHighlander" brought forth from the murky depths:
That's easy. Just dump them out and set your open palm down on the pile. Pick it up and you have half a dozen stuck there ready to install. (What was that I was saying about many small sacrifices for the WW gods earlier today?)
Jeffo:
You are right, Rybczynski's book One Good Turn is a great read!
I should offer a bit of clarification regarding the commonly held micsonception that there is a difference between the Robertson recess and the Square Drive Recess. The Industrial Fastener Institute, of which P.L. Robertson is a member, issued a standard for the Square Drive Recess based upon the Robertson patent (long expired BTW - issued in 1906). If a manufacturer makes screws according to the IFI standard, they are making a Roberston Recess screw, even though they can't call it that becausre Robertson is trademarked.Any driver bit made according to the standard will be compatible.
The problem with most screws that have recess fit issues is that the manufacturer has let the recess punch wear to the point that it no longer forms a conforming recess. That is more likely in screws made by "low cost" producers, wherever thay may be located. I don't know all of the screw manufacturers by any means, but I do know enough of them to say that I am not aware of any, nor can I imagine any, that would deliberately produce a non-conforming recess, by design. There is simply no reason to do so. Robertson is not a licensed recess. However, P.L. Robertson does tend to monitor recess configuration more closely than others, and we have found far fewer problems with the screws they make for us. Incidently, we have an expensive set of inspection gauge that we use to QC the recess of each production lot of screws we receive. That is one way we are able to make sure that our screws will all work perfectly with a standard Robertson driver bit, whether Robertson made them for us or someone else.
Jim Ray, President McFeely's Square Drive Screws
Nope, same standard sizes. Most of the screws I've bought from McFeely's are #2 Robertson. Some of the smaller ones are #1. Since McFeely's sells #3 drivers, I assume that some of their screws are #3 also, but I haven't bought any that large yet.
-- Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)
How come we choose from just two people to run for president and 50 for Miss America?
Actually I haven't used very many recently. I try to stick to glue and small nails. I hate holes and filling them.
Not doubting at all. Torn T-shirts from a little piece of metal makes for a good "what not to do" story.
Ohhhh... sorry... that was a cliché...The torn t-shirt was a story... sorta... the t-shirt is torn but not from a screw... just worn out.. LOL
Actually McFeeley's sells #0 also. I had a special need for a tiny screw head a few years back. The drive end was about 1/16" square.
Generally speaking, and in varying degrees:
Soap is hydroscopic.
Wax is hydrophobic.
don't "set" your hand on the pile... whack it down hard. the blood makes a good lubricant....
Thanks for the heads up Jim! Lots of good information there, something tells me you know what you're talking about.
It's starting to make sense... for a little while Jeffo
interesting
Yes, usually a #5 and smaller screw, I use them plenty for hinges. At that size the square drive seems to loose its main benefit - they cam out easier than the larger drivers, but not bad enough to look for options. Looking at McFeely's site I'm tempted to order they're colour coded bits, first place I've seen them. Nice to see that the tradition has made the leap to driver bits
Cheers, Jeffo
Leon, You're right, I just checked some screws I bought in boxes 10-15 years ago and some were made in China, but the quality of the screws I have seem to be better and they didn't strip out as easily or were as poorly finished as the ones I just bought. It might be the middle man and their profit margin determining the quality.
remembering
ah. See I can imagine a torn T-shirt. School was one place you always saw stuff happen. Like the kid who got his short sleeve caught in the lathe! Oh well.
Is that the screws they put the space shuttle together with? Bad joke, I'm sorry.
You get used to that. What I never got used to was reaching into my pouch and getting the point of one under a fingernail. Still makes me wince 20+ years later.
Tim Douglass
There was a tech article by Lee Valley that talked about how #8 screws aren't always #8 screws. One big difference is if they are rolled or cut threaded. Another I'm sure is who the maker is. They claim - and probably know - that using charts isn't much good anymore since there is such a wide variance in actual size vrs. claimed size. Just like
3/4" (23/32") plywood, 2x4 (1 3/4" x 3 1/2) studs, and anyth>> I would guess that your predrilled holes may have been undersized. > >HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.