Simple Woodwork How to Buy and Use Woodworking Screws

When it comes to choosing the right screws for wood there are a whole range of different colors and finishes. Choose from stainless steel, the dull finish of plain mild steel, aluminum, or even brass coated, or solid brass screws. There are also a number of specially finished screws to choose from. If you are using black wood, you might prefer to use black screws with a Japan finish, or electro plated, zinc or chrome may be what you are looking for. The point here is that even a screw takes careful choosing to get that perfect finish to your woodwork project. Most woodworkers and carpenters have their own favorites and keep plenty of them in stock.

The size of a screw is also often called the gauge and it is the diameter of the screw shank. The actual shank of a screw is the bit just before the screw threads start and the easiest way to measure the length of a screw is to take the distance from the side of the head to the point at the bottom. A gauge number refers to the head size of the screw. So a half inch number eight screw has the same head size as a two inch number eight screw.

If you buy your screws in small packs you will pay much more for them and packets of a hundred, or five hundred are likely to be the best deal.

When fixing two pieces of wood make two holes. One of these can be made in the bottom piece of wood with a bradawl and this will keep the screw lined up. Make a second hole with the correct sized drill bit to take the shank of the screw in the top piece of wood.

If using soft wood only a narrow pilot hole will suffice because the wood will open up

easily when the screw is driven in, but hard wood requires pre-drilling.

If you buy a packet of plastic plugs there is often a screw gauge inside the pack and this is handy to keep as you will then be able to check the gauge of a screw easily. If screws are hard to screw into wood a little candle wax on the threads often makes it easier and can make the job simpler if you have lots of screws to fix in place.

Take care when using brass screws because they can be brittle and may break. This is not a problem in soft wood, but the best way to prevent it in hard wood is to screw in a similar sized steel screw, remove it and screw the brass one into the same hole.