Questions tagged [screws]

Fasteners with a helical thread along the outside. Uses a twisting motion to install or remove.

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1/2 and 3/4 plywood cabinet - what size screws?

I built a cabinet (from a big box store plywood). I used 1/2" for tops and bottoms and 3/4" for the sides. This 16"dx22"hx30"w deep cabinet will be inset into the wall and ...
Wynne's user avatar
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How to remove a stripped screw thread from a wooden stool leg

I have a wooden stool. One of the legs has a stripped screw thread. I want to replace it with another screw, but I'm not sure how to remove the original one.
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2 answers
334 views

Easy inexpensive repair for a particle board hole and a loose screw

I would like suggestions for a table repair, please. I think the material is particle board. The table was exposed to rain briefly. The laminated table top was probably not properly glued when it was ...
H2ONaCl's user avatar
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What is the difference between self-drilling and self-tapping screws?

These terms in some instances seem to be conflated, or have very similar definitions. For instance, here's a quote from ScrewFix's website on their 'self-tapping and driving screws page' (emphasis ...
Stephen Harris's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
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How to join two parallel sheets of wood together

I have a desk which looks like this: I have decided to take some steps to fix it. This includes creating a way to manage the dozens of wires that form part of the work from home setup. I am going to ...
quantum231's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
110 views

Screw together possible soft and hard wood types with pilot holes and finding the right drillbits

This is my first DIY project with wood and I'm already over my expected/set budget and timeframe so I want to ensure I don't make as many more mistakes before finishing the project, but whatever ...
snicksnackpaddywhack91's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
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Hardwood or Softwood screw threads for Baltic Birch plywood?

Would Baltic Birch fall into the "Softwood and Plywood" (coarse thread) or "Hardwood" (fine thread) category when it comes to screw threads? The application is putting threaded ...
Max's user avatar
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Screw Placement for Wall Hung Top Cabinet

I have to fix a top cabinet with no floor support to the wall. What is the difference if I were to place the screws which hold the cabinet to the wall at the 4 corners inside the cabinet (diagram 1) ...
Mike's user avatar
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3 answers
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Reuse screw holes in wood [oak]

I have a finished oak board, and I'm buying metal legs so it can be used as an end table. The legs will be secured with screws. If later we want to replace the legs, and the holes end up in the same ...
igorjrr's user avatar
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6 votes
1 answer
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What caused these screws to loosen so much (and how to prevent it)?

I built some basic picnic table benches five or so years ago, using what I thought were the proper components - outdoor weather-resistant paint and premium deck screws. I'm surprised at the extent to ...
AKA's user avatar
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2 votes
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Handrail coming away from wall

I have a pig-ear handrail (I believe that’s what you call it) coming loose from the wall, and I'm looking for some advice on how to make it secure again. I'm unsure if a secure repair is possible. It ...
Dazgrego's user avatar
7 votes
3 answers
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Wood grain direction vs. strength

I'm cutting some shelf supports, and am curious which grain direction is optimal for holding a screw + load. (Of course this is negligible in the given context, but I'd like to know for reference) I'm ...
dpren's user avatar
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3 votes
3 answers
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How to connect three pieces with screws?

I'm designing a small greenhouse 60x40cm 60cm high. Since I'm not even an amateur woodworker, I won't dare use anything but screws to connect the pieces. Are pocket screws ok to connect pilar and two ...
lsborg's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
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Woodworking screw guide?

I forget the proper name for them (please do remind me), but I have some bits that will make a hole in a piece of wood such that a screw head will be beneath the surface when tightened. And then you ...
BVernon's user avatar
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What diameter pilot hole do I drill to place a 1/2" lag screw?

I want to secure a dock ladder to a wooden dock with 4 lag screws. The wooden dock surface is 2"thick wood.
Ed Kwan's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
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Screws back into a splitting pole

The pole in this image holds up a regular mail box. You can see where the 4 screw holes are. This pole is cemented into the ground and has been untreated for over 10 years. This is in Phoenix Arizona ...
Guy's user avatar
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Trying to identify and open a screw housing/ sheath/ thing surrounding it

I’m pulling apart a cabinet to do some work on it and have come across this screw housing (for want of a better word). Does anyone know what it is or, more to the point, how I get it undone? Does the ...
bcl's user avatar
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Clearance hole for partially threaded screws

I have heard some people say that one doesn't have to drill a clearance hole if the screws are partially threaded when joining two boards. The argument being that the shank just won't grip into the ...
Strawberry's user avatar
1 vote
3 answers
316 views

How to connect these iron strips to an MDF board?

I am making shelves for shoes using MDF boards. The place where I want to mount them is between two wooden pillars of the staircase, so I thought about having the planks a little larger than the space ...
FarO's user avatar
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3 votes
2 answers
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Nails plus glue into endgrain vs screws plus glue vs dado (for shelf)

I'm building a hutch/book shelf for a small desk (2'x4'). Width of hutch is 48", depth 9.25", height about 18". Wood is nominal 1" thick "appearance boards" from a big ...
rrauenza's user avatar
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2 answers
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Can I screw in my cable tray into this desk?

So, I've had this desk for a few years now, and I just bought a cable tray that needs to be screwed in. It would go under the desk Desk: https://www.wayfair.ca/furniture/pdp/upper-square-kosmas-...
Georges Sabbagh's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
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Aligning screw head slots

Looking at the hinges on my piano I can see that all the screw slots are aligned horizontally. If I was to screw a piano hinge onto anything the slots would be all over the place. So what is the ...
Keith Miller's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
145 views

How to salvage a poorly designed project?

I've been working on a fairly involved project as a Christmas gift for a friend for the past few weeks. I'm building a Dungeon Master's screen for use in Dungeons & Dragons games. I'm having a ...
Darin Beaudreau's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
331 views

Are there industrial standards for wood screws?

Piggy backing on this question about wood screws, are there any industrial standards to define quality in wood screws? When I purchase machine screws I usually look for which standards are adhered to. ...
tir38's user avatar
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Screws that are larger than wood itself [closed]

I have a piece of wood that's about 3cm thick and I'd like to put some screws with hooks on it but I just can't find small screws. Can I
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5 votes
2 answers
15k views

Extract snapped screw buried in wood (not just stripped head)

One side of our solid oak bed has detached from the leg, as the 4 hardened steel screws on part of the bracket have snapped clean off, leaving the rest of the screw buried in the wood, about 0.5-1.0mm ...
dsample's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
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What Screw Should I Use For Fasten a 3/8th Steel Flat To A 4x4?

I have a project where I will be screwing some 11" strips of 3/8th flat steel (this one right here https://www.lowes.com/pd/Steelworks-4-ft-x-2-in-Hot-Rolled-Weldable-Steel-Slotted-Metal-Flat-Bar/...
JoseDeCommas's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
1k views

Best way to hide counter sunk screws

How can I best hide these screw heads? Wood filler probably will crack...
Andrei Rînea's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
3k views

advice for glue-and-screw butt joint

I am an amateur, building a set of kid’s beds. I have prepared side rails, headboard and footboard; I am ready to attach everything. I intend simple end-to-face butt joints with glue and screws. I ...
Aryeh Leib Taurog's user avatar
7 votes
3 answers
4k views

Endgrain screw withdrawal force

The engineering toolbox has a screw withdrawal strength calculator but it assumes the screws are perpendicular to the grain. I could not find a calculator for screws installed parallel to the grain, ...
Jason C's user avatar
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2 votes
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Triple bunk bed design safety and difficulty

pdf link to plan I am planning to build this triple bunk this weekend. I plan to add “cleats” (not sure if this is the correct word) in the form of 2inx4in’s between the sections, on the inner side ...
Deanna's user avatar
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What kind and size screws should I use to fix a 5.5cm thick oak table?

I am building a solid oak table made our of 4 boards which will have some limited space (1-2mm) in between them and I will be fixing each of these on 3 metal longitudinal bars (2*3 screws for each ...
sorin's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
3k views

Any reason to add screws if I only want to use glue?

Building some bunk beds that will be pretty permanent and my plan was just to glue everything to make it nice and sturdy. If I'm gluing is there any reason to use screws at all, trying to make it look ...
Ryan Detzel's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
15k views

Pocket holes vs screwed butt joint

I took a woodworking course recently in which we learned the screwed butt joint technique. While it's not the prettiest, it is very fast and relatively easy to get right. It appears the pocket-hole ...
Daniel's user avatar
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1 answer
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Affixing masonite to plywood by example

I'm making a simple woodworking table (nothing fancy but want it to be sturdy + flat) and I'm looking for the best way to affix a 1/4" thick sheet of masonite/hardboard to a 3/4" sheet of plywood. My ...
hotmeatballsoup's user avatar
4 votes
3 answers
1k views

Stronger attachment method for B&D Workmate top

I'm refurbishing my 70s vintage Black & Decker Workmate. It’s seen a lot of abuse, but the only thing that ever broke, besides working corners of the plywood vise jaws (which I'm replacing) were ...
Regarp's user avatar
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4 votes
2 answers
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How to screw beer tap into wood without cracking

I am making a live edge shelf, similar to this, with my cousin. It will be about 3 feet long, 8 inches deep, and 1 inch thick. I want to attach beer taps too it about every 5-6 inches, but I am ...
theblindprophet's user avatar
1 vote
3 answers
9k views

What screw is best with treated lumber?

I have some projects coming up for the garden and I want to use some screws with the raised beds. I recently was told certain screws get 'eaten' by the chemical used for treating the lumber. If this ...
Ljk2000's user avatar
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6 votes
3 answers
5k views

Making a Wooden Vise (or wooden screw thread)

I want to build a moravian workbench. I am trying to decide between a wooden screw from Lake Erie or trying to cut my own thread with a tap and die set. Does anyone have any experience with cutting ...
MatthewR's user avatar
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1 vote
2 answers
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Guess How much Weight the table can hold

i am new to wood working and just made my first wood table. I was trying to calculate how much weight will it hold on its top but i cannot reach any conclusion. So if any of you have any experience ...
Rohitred's user avatar
2 votes
3 answers
1k views

Are "brass" wood screws liable to be fake, or am I just using them too roughly?

I bought some "brass" wood screws yesterday at a local hardware store and they were bending and breaking off in the hole. I compared them to some brass screws I had ordered from Fastenal, a commercial ...
Treow Wyrhta's user avatar
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3 votes
3 answers
187 views

Drop-in threaded hole for screw?

I've got a work bench I built, and the top is 3/4" MDF. I have a lightweight drill press that I'd like to be able to fix to the top as needed. My thought was to somehow have a couple of threaded ...
Shpigford's user avatar
  • 133
7 votes
3 answers
24k views

How to permanently bond metal screws into wood?

My sister recently gave my daughter a toy train set. It's sturdy enough —the axels are thick and strong— but they have screw-in brass eyes and hooks to join the carriages together. These only take 5 ...
Oli's user avatar
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4 votes
3 answers
12k views

How Can I Attach a Chain to an Eye Hook?

I'm looking to replicate this configuration of a thin chain and eye hook. It looks to me that all that is required to replicate this after getting a new chain and hook is to cut the bottom link of ...
Sarah Szabo's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
754 views

End grain mitre joints for outside

I'm making bird houses and I have been screwing the joints together. I have been drilling a pilot hole (2mm bit) and using 3mm X 30mm screws. I hung one in my garden and noticed that a couple of ...
Brough's user avatar
  • 21
1 vote
1 answer
231 views

Why do screws usually work well without clearance holes?

Why do screws so often work even without a clearance hole? It seems like in theory, the screw should always push the joint apart (bridging). But in my experience, screws more often seem to tighten the ...
piojo's user avatar
  • 191
4 votes
2 answers
1k views

Screw clearance hole question

Why must there be a clearance hole and pilot hole joining two pieces of material together? Why can't you drill a straight hole into them?
ShunJian's user avatar
6 votes
4 answers
14k views

Why does an impact driver have some 'wobble'?

I noticed how any impact I use has a little 'wobble' in the bit. Really noticeable in a long Philips or a spade bit. I own a Ryobi, but I have used Rigid, Bosch, and Dewalt. Every one with the same ...
Ljk2000's user avatar
  • 3,098
1 vote
1 answer
275 views

Cam Bolt and Screw hole drilling

With reference to my previous question regarding Cam Bolt and Screws, certainly I realised that I have to drill the screws and the bolts too. So, I need a little info about drilling the holes ...
mustangDC's user avatar
  • 275
2 votes
1 answer
475 views

Toenail or Toescrew a beam to a sill?

This project calls for toenailing the beams to the sills (see diagram). Would a screw work or is a nail better at these locations?
anonymousBuffalo's user avatar