We have determined the finest options for wood projects by testing them on various wooden surfaces and under different pressure levels. The majority of TORX-drive woodworking fasteners are deck screws, but the drive style is gaining popularity for general-purpose construction and cabinet screws, too. Screws are also good for reinforcing parts assembled with traditional joinery — for example, pinning tenons in their mortises. However, it takes a longer time, and more effort is scrwes with this type. Material and Price Depending on the use of the wood, the material should be selected. Each has a relatively small head with a flat bottom that bears against the surface of the workpiece.

They are definitely harder to find in the U. Their square shape greatly reduces, almost eliminating cam-out and driver slipping. Here in the U. Star drive screws are becoming more and more common in the U. The star shape virtually eliminates cam-out and the driver almost never slips out. Plus they can accommodate a lot of torque. And when you buy a box, it usually comes with the driver tip you need. Like the drive types, there are all kinds of head shapes.

Luckily, there are really only two that common in woodworking. This is where the terminology can get a little confusing. For woodworking a flathead screw is the most common kind of screw to use.

It has a beveled head that seats neatly into the wood, making it flush with the surface. You can just power the screw into the wood to make it flush, but you will get better and cleaner results if you use a countersink bit to drill a pilot hole, or use a countersink to cut the bevels after you drill a pilot hole.

Panhead or roundheads can have shallow or deep domes. Wood screws are widely available in all home centers and hardware stores and are designed to join two pieces of wood together. They are threaded part of the way and then have a smooth shank at the top. This helps hold the screws in place. They are relatively inexpensive and come an all kinds of diameters and head shapes.

You will usually want to use the ones with the tapered heads. Unfortunately, in the U. Standard wood screw. A lot of woodworkers use drywall screws, mostly for shop projects and jigs. They are inexpensive, usually cheaper than wood screws and easy to find just about anywhere. They have thinner shanks than wood screws, usually about equal to a 6 screw and threads that run the entire length of the screw. Because of their thinness they are really brittle. Like wood screws, in the U.

Also, the heads have a bugle shape to reduce tearing the paper on drywall. Production or Multi-purpose screws are my absolute favorite types of screws. Common brands include Spax or GRK.

These screws are made with hardened steel and are incredibly strong. They have self-drilling points that eliminate the need for a pilot hole, but I would still pre-drill for critical pieces. Especially near the ends of boards to prevent splitting. Plus, when you buy a box, it comes with a driver bit. There is really only a single drawback to using these: they are expensive.

Maybe twice as much as regular wood screws. The amount of time and frustration these types of screws save is enormous. If you are building outdoor projects, use deck screws. They are made of hardened steel and have a corrosion resistant coating.

For even better corrosion resistance, especially on boats and in salty marine environments, you can use stainless steel screws. While they offer the best protection from the weather, they are not as strong as deck screws and are very expensive. Pocket screws are Best Screws For Wood Projects Menu self drilling and have a wide head that grabs the flat shoulder made by drilling pocket holes.

If you use regular wood screws with pocket holes, they may drive all the way through, or possibly split the wood. I use the Kreg pocket screws, but you might be able to substitute pan head screws. The Kreg screws have a square drive which makes them really easy to seat. Watch my pocket hole basics video to learn a lot more about pocket hole joinery. Machine screws have no points and are intended to use in holes that are already tapped or with a nut.

They are threaded along the entire shaft are sold in threads per inch. Usually, sheet metal screws are tiny with a sharp point intended for piercing and driving into sheet metal. Think of heating ducts for instance. They usually have pan heads and will probably work as a wood screw if you need a substitute. While there are a lot of choices available, there are only a few different types of screws a woodworker will ever need.

Know what kind you need for your project before going to the hardware store or home center. Just buy what you need. I always like to have these on hand. I value your privacy and will protect it. You can learn about how I handle information I collect by viewing my Privacy Policy. January 23, Types of screws and when to use them! The added surface area on the underside of the head prevents them from sinking too deeply, especially when driven with power drivers.

They excel wherever two parts are joined but must remain adjustable, such as attaching a drawer front to a drawer box. Wafer head and flanged head screws have large, flat coin-like heads. However, many woodworkers still do use Phillips head screws, which came into production in the s and became popular because their cross-slot recess automatically centers on the tip of the screwdriver. They do have a tendency to Best Screws For Wood Projects 01 cam out, especially when used with power drivers.

But a little-known fact is that Henry Phillips designed his screws to do this on purpose! To help speed up automobile production, the cam out helped prevent workers from over-tightening Phillips head screws with early power drivers, which lacked torque-limiting adjustability. Although there are dozens of modern drive styles found on screw fasteners hex, polydrive, spanner head, etc. The majority of TORX-drive woodworking fasteners are deck screws, but the drive style is gaining popularity for general-purpose construction and cabinet screws, too.

Robertson drivers come in six sizes, but 1 green , 2 red and 3 black drivers are used for Best Screws For Wood Projects 32 wood screws from size 3 to size Both Robertson and TORX drives have two qualities that make them a great choice for woodworkers who use power drivers: stick fit and resistance to cam out. Stick fit is the ability of the driver bit and drive recess to form a temporary connection.

Once you set a square or star drive screw on the tip of a drive bit, you can drive it without having to hold onto the screw. This not only frees up your extra hand, but it allows you to drive screws into all kinds of hard-to-reach places. TORX and Robertson drives both feature deep recesses into which the head of the driver fits snugly. The recess has near-vertical sidewalls, which means very little need for down pressure on the driver to keep it engaged.

This not only significantly reduces the chance of cam out, but also reduces driver wear and damage. Pozisquare aka combo drive is a hybrid that combines a 2 Phillips and a 2 square drive in a single screw head recess.

You can use either a Phillips or Robertson bit to drive them, but a special Pozisquare combo bit gives you better stick fit and cam out resistance. A three-tiered hexagonal head recess offers 18 points of contact for a super stick fit with virtually no cam out.

In lieu of using their special driver, Outlaw screws can be driven with a regular hex driver. Screws can provide a nice decorative detail on a project: imagine a row of shiny brass screws punctuating the edge of a walnut cabinet or a mahogany jewelry box.

The simplest way to make flat head screws disappear is to set them into counterbored holes topped with flush-trimmed wood plugs that match the workpiece. You can drill pilot holes and counterbores in separate steps, or use a special bit that performs both tasks at once. You can see a variety in the photo below. Decorative wood plugs glue into counterbored holes and can lend a nice detail while keeping screws hidden.

Craftsman-style hole plugs available from www. For modern style woodwork, try metal hole caps, available in various metallic finishes. I really like the look of black anodized aluminum plugs on a blond wood surface. Inexpensive and quick to install, FastCap plastic screw cap covers have small tabs that snap into the head recesses of square drive, flat head screws.

White caps are perfect for camouflaging screws in melamine cabinets, and you can remove the caps if you need to disassemble the piece in the future. They must pierce the surface of wood, then pull the screw in, without causing the wood to split or splinter.

In contrast, production, construction and deck screws have very sharp points and threads that are larger in diameter than the shank of the screw itself.

This enables them to penetrate most materials without the need for a pilot hole, which adds up to a huge time savings when installing them! This needle-sharp point penetrates even the hardest materials — and your fingers, so be careful when handling them! A self-tapping flute just behind the point cuts a hole through the surface while channeling debris up the shank of the screw.

This helps to pull the screw in while reducing outward pressure that can cause splits and bulges. Conventional wisdom has always been that screws with fine threads are best for hardwoods — oak, cherry, maple, birch, etc. In some specialized screw threads, a section of knurled shoulder thread, just above the regular thread of the screw, enlarges the hole slightly as the screw is driven, allowing the screw shank to turn more easily while helping to increase the clamping force between joined parts.

Here are some of the newer thread designs and their intended advantages:. QuickCutter thread Quickscrews production screws : Deep threads and an extra-long flute above the point.

Lead spiral thread Quickscrews Funnel head screws : A spiral thread just above the tip pulls the screw into the wood quickly. Cross-cut thread Power Pro outdoor wood screws : A dual thread design with a standard outer thread and an inner thread that helps reduce friction at the root of the screw. Creates a multipurpose screw that offers good holding power and less strip-out in all woods and sheet goods. Reverse thread section Starborn Cap-Tor xd deck screws : A section of reversed thread just under the head of the deck screw helps prevent dimpling and mushrooming raised area around the screw head.

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