Buying Guide for Wood Screws
Wood screws, also known as wood dowel screws, are lightweight metal screws that are used in furniture making and other woodworking. The wood screws are used to hold the material together and provide a reliable, smooth surface as well as a decorative look to your furniture.
A Wood Screw has a keyway that turns the screwdriver. Most commonly, this is a cross-section of a screw, where the cylindrical part of the screw has been cut up the middle, which allows you to penetrate more of the material. It is this more effective penetration, which makes the wood screw so useful, as it allows for more accurate assemblies since the screw can more easily penetrate the material without fear of splitting it, slipping, or loosening the screw.
Benefits of Wood Screws
Torque
Due to the way threads bury themselves in wood, they can actually be used instead of clamps. Threads bite into the wood, creating torque between the head of the screw and the two pieces of wood being joined together. If the wood has a warp, or gap that won't come together, screws will pull the wood together with force. If glue is added to the two pieces of wood before the screw is applied, a permanent bond will form, with the screw acting as a permanent clamp.
Removal
One overlooked benefit of screws---they are removable. In restoring, repairing, or if you realise that you have made a mistake, and need to take a step backward, the fact that you can remove a screw is priceless. For dismantling a deck, furniture or any woodworking project, if it has screws, they can be removed.
Easy to Use
Wood screws are easy to apply. They have a very sharp tip that initiates and penetrates the wood easily. You can pinpoint their location and with most building applications, you can use a wood screw without drilling a pilot hole. If you do need to drill a pilot hole in hardwood applications, you can pre-drill and put a screw in from any angle, upside down, sideways, or in places that are very tight and inaccessible. Wood screws are also faster than nails.
Inexpensive and Versatile
Wood screws are relatively inexpensive. For one reason, you don't need as many screws as nails for the same application. You can get specialised screws for particleboard, hard or soft wood, in any length. Wood screws are available in hardened steel varieties in different colours such as antique brass, and you can also buy them treated for outdoor use to repel rust.
Factors to Consider Before Buying of Wood Screws
Consider the Size
When it comes to wood screws, you can get them in a variety of configurations. There are screws available with diameters ranging from 0, to 24. Sizes 4 through 12 are the most useful for bench work. Six, eight, and ten are probably used the most often among those sizes. One size does not fit all, so you need to consider the factors that will affect your decision before you buy.
Manufacturing Process
The steel for these common items starts out as wire on a spool. Through a cold manufacturing process, the steel wire feeds into a pre-programmed machine which cuts the head into a precise shape using a die.
Consider the Recess Design
The Phillips recess is one of the most popular throughout woodworking thanks to its grip potential when driving the screw into the wood. The downside? The Phillips recess often results in damaging the shape due to high torque. This is also known as “cam-out.” The square drive is very popular throughout woodworking because it reduces cam-out and requires less pressure during application.
Consider the Material
Finishes are often applied to screws which have a direct impact on the item’s strength, brittleness, and toughness (yes, these are three distinct technical qualities). There are many types of material available like copper, zinc, etc.
Conclusion
Many wood workers do not realize that the result of a wood screw is important for the quality of the end product as well as the strength of the wood as a finished project. There are many different types of wood screws. Some have very little threads, others have a lot of them, and others have a mix of both. The process of woodworking is a combination of a number of different operations, which is the reason behind the different types of screws.
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