Screws

smessick · 08-13-2007, 08:49 PM

I have recently twisted a couple of screws I got at Lowes in two and would appreciate any thoughts anyone would care to share about who makes or sells the better screws. I have had a now dwindling supply of indestructible black wood screws I got from a furniture maker many years ago and, short of travelling to maybe High Point to try to find the industrial woodworkers supply house that once was there, I don't know who to trust.

Any thoughts? Thanks.

Stan Messick
smessick@skybest.com

FredP · 08-13-2007, 08:54 PM

mcfeeleys.com cant find the link but search for this. good screws and delivered to your door.

fred p

SteveColes · 08-13-2007, 09:51 PM

Originally Posted by FredP

mcfeeleys.com cant find the link but search for this. good screws and delivered to your door.

fred p

I agree. Here

Splinter · 08-13-2007, 10:46 PM

I agree also. I have used them for a few years now. Great service and good products. Especially like the square drive screws.

NCPete · 08-14-2007, 08:02 AM

yup, McFeely's is good. I have recently broken several screws while fixing a broken bed rail, and I was just screwing through poplar into plywood with properly sized pilots and countersinks.

--- but, I am not going to use the good ones I have in the shop for work, until work starts paying me for materials.

smessick · 08-14-2007, 08:08 AM

Thanks, folks. Having just spent the last 30 minutes or so becoming unbewildered I have located and bookmarked the screws I need, as well as the square drivers. I will engage in some income distribution later today.

Stan Messick

NCPete · 08-14-2007, 08:38 AM

yup, square drive is good.

pcooper · 08-14-2007, 08:43 AM

I also buy from McFeely's, never had a problem at all with those screws. I also buy the driver bits from them as they seem to last a LOT longer than BORG bits.

tdhetrick · 08-14-2007, 08:59 AM

I don't know the name of the screws, but I bought them from Klingspors and they have been very good. I can drive them into oak all day long with out a pilot. I think they are very similar to the McFeely's, but wuth out the shipping cost. Also square drive.

Todd

Mark Anderson · 08-14-2007, 09:15 AM

i like to use brass screws witch are just soft to begin with. i keep a large candle lit and just dip the tip into the puddle of hot wax, works like a charm the was will harden before it will drip onto the wood.

DavidF · 08-14-2007, 10:25 AM

Originally Posted by Mark Anderson

i like to use brass screws witch are just soft to begin with. i keep a large candle lit and just dip the tip into the puddle of hot wax, works like a charm the was will harden before it will drip onto the wood.

I always drive a steel screw in first when using brass screws AND use the wax; been caught too many times in the passed with a broken brass screw

I second the McFeelys reccomendations

pcooper · 08-14-2007, 10:28 AM

I bought screws at Klingspor that were Kreg, goes with the Kreg jig. They are good screws too, but I like to buy in bulk from McFeely which makes the overall cost with shipping about the same or a little less than Kreg.

McRabbet · 08-14-2007, 12:15 PM

I buy all of my screws from Custom Service Hardware in Wisconsin at excellent prices and rapid delivery. They have a large number of varieties, lengths and types and I believe their prices are lower than McFeeley's. Just my .02

DIYGUY · 08-14-2007, 12:38 PM

I recently relaid my deck with new PT deck boards. Decided I would use SwanSecure SS 2 1/4" screws. Darn they are expensive! I worked it out that they cost around 20 cents apiece - and I could not have sourced them much cheaper.

Anyway, they are square drive and I thought that was the way to go - but noooo .....

They use a #2 bit and annoyingly often enough the bit would cam out when trying to drive in the screw, boogering up the head so it was useless. Then I would have to back out the screw with pliers and start over - can you say PITA? I pre-drilled the holes as well. If that weren't problem enough, more often than I cared for, the head would snap off when trying to pull down a deck board a tad tighter or even just trying to sink the bugle head flush with the surface. SO ... I don't recommend square drive, I don't like SwanSecure (Taiwanese) products and I have my fingers crossed on how "stainless" the screws will turn out to be in the long run.

Just my 2 cents ...

WoodWrangler · 08-14-2007, 01:04 PM

Gonna have to vote for McFeely's (www.mcfeelys.com) also. The Klingspor's ones are good too -- never had a problem with them either.

What I can't figure out ... why doesn't Woodcraft carry quality screws in a wide variety of sizes? Sure, they carry few... but not nearly enough. Seems like a huge miss on their part.

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