Gripping power

[REDWOOD]

Hi All just wondering with all the different types of screws on the market what has the best gripping power. I use plaster board screws and they seem to hold very well.

 

[Tom Bick]

Dry wall screws are ok but a bit brittle and prone to snapping.

They also have a very sharp point that can be a pain as they prick your fingers when handling them but as they are black or very dark grey can look good when exposed.

Personally any of the standard gold screws work well and for the bit extra stainless steel although not as hard as the gold screws and the heads can be damaged more easily but there’ no substitute for ss.

They all grip well beyond what is asked of them.

 

[oliver90owner]

As Tom said, they all work well. Selection for size is one factor that is simply down to the user. For me there are far more important characteristics than 'gripping power' - and I don't really know what you are meaning either. Do you mean pulling out of the substrate or not breaking off the heads? Or maybe tightness, before the slots are chewed up?

Buy cheap, expect a lesser quality. Select the wrong scew, expect poorer fixing. Use cheap driver tips, expect early failure or screw damage.

Any screw should be better in this respect than nails.

 

[protheroe]

No problems with dry wall so far

 

[hedgerow pete]

coarse thread dry wall screws are perfect for knocking out bee hives, i have made thousands of them with those screws,

next choice is bog standard cheap steel screws, for volume and quality they are great

third on the list is brass, yes thats right old fashioned brass screws, been using them for outside works in the building trade for the last thousand years and apart from oak supers you should be ok

the last choice i would ever suggest to any one any where is stainless steel. they are a complete waste of time to almost all people. and before all the wood knibblers jump down my throat let me explain

stainless steel is a very very soft metal to use, most people not used to working with them will strip the driver head out of the screws before finishing its place, meaning that the screw is neither in nor out and unable to remove, posidrive and phillips head screws ARE DESIGNED TO CAM OUT AT CERTAIN TORQUES it is why they were invented, flat blade screws dont neither do square headed screws. almost all of the cheap stainless screws avalible are not a quality stainless, the screws i brought from a very famous supplier for a repair job at work one day and we used A2 and the A4 versions were both magnetic, which is a slight hic up when dealing inside a MRI room.

true stainless screws are to expensive to be used on a hive . what i do is use a good quality glue like castimite or resintite from tool station and a few dry walls, the glue alone is better than any thing else and the screws are there only to hold it all in place when the glue sets

 

[Brian Bush]

I always use screwfix gold screws. The double threads grip well even into end grain

 

[Chickenlicken]

I use drywall or decking screws and waterproof pva on all my hives. No problems yet.
Clint

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

In a memorable episode of "dinnerladies", Stan Meadowcroft, the handyman, is asked what he regrets most in life.

His reply speaks for so many of us, I think - and offers essential advice for our enquirer:

"I always regret that, for so many years, I failed to appreciate the full benefits of the cross-headed screwdriver."


Don't waste money on slot-headed screws.


Dusty.

 

[RoofTops]

I was a late developer to cross-head screws. The break through came when I actually used a new screwdriver with the proper sized business end on it for the screw.

If the screw and screwdriver match you can hold the screw out horizontally with the screwdriver in the head and the screwdriver will stay there.

If it doesn't something is the wrong size or worn.

 

[REDWOOD]

I remember well the old slotted screws when I bought my Victorian house and wanted to replace the doors and cleaning out all those slots of paint, now I just get a drill down the center of a crosshead screw to remove the head

 

[tawny]

I was helping construct some hives for my local association and all the feet were screwed on with brass slot head screws. This did allow me to follow the family trend of making sure all the screws ended up with the slots at the vertical.

 

[Dusty Rhodes]

I was helping construct some hives for my local association and all the feet were screwed on with brass slot head screws. This did allow me to follow the family trend of making sure all the screws ended up with the slots at the vertical.

Good for you!

I applaud the tidiness; it indicates a professional attitude.


Anyway, OCD is much under-rated.

Dusty.

 

[DanBee]

what i do is use a good quality glue like castimite or resintite from tool station and a few dry walls, the glue alone is better than any thing else and the screws are there only to hold it all in place when the glue sets

 

[piggy1]

Spax brand screws are our chippys preferred brand , we have used 10000 plus at work over the last 6 months and they are by far the best value .

 

[MODNOD]

Me i use an air nailer and glue for hive work, can't be messing with screws far to slow.

 

[tonybloke]

Don't waste money on slot-headed screws.


Dusty.

spoken like a true DIY'er!!

3" brass slot headed screws are still the best option for securing toilet pans to the floor, a little copperslip applied to the screw before insertion will allow them to be removed easily, even after 20 yrs of urine splashes ( which would have corroded any steel screws )

 

[Tom Bick]

spoken like a true DIY'er!!

3" brass slot headed screws are still the best option for securing toilet pans to the floor, a little copperslip applied to the screw before insertion will allow them to be removed easily, even after 20 yrs of urine splashes ( which would have corroded any steel screws )

Also will add when working on a Georgian or Victorian house and the client wants a sympathetic restoration nothing looks worse than cross headed screws on doors and window shutters ect

 

[REDWOOD]

Also will add when working on a Georgian or Victorian house and the client wants a sympathetic restoration nothing looks worse than cross headed screws on doors and window shutters ect

Do you still use a pump action screwdriver

 

[tonybloke]

Do you still use a pump action screwdriver

yes, it was originally purchased by my dad in the 60's, still using the 'good as new' original bits.

 

[victor meldrew]

Our coach builders maintained that a screw driver was for screw removal only! A hammer was the tool for setting them
VM