Who Uses Production Screws or Traditional Wood Screws?

[Geoffrey Frey]

If I am using MDF I will use a drywall screw (predrill). I've never had an issue with breaking them unless I really try and force the issue. In otherwords, it is more than likely my fault for a poor joint to begin with, or just pulling the trigger full bore and throwing caution to the wind.
For most other construction I use plain old Robertson (square drive) deck screws. I can get them locally in anything from 1" all the way to 3.5" lengths. I've never had an issue with these either

[Brody Goodwine]

Always amazed at terms people use to describe things. Production Screws?

Rick, sounds like you could use a refresher on screws. Here ya go, this link defines them pretty well.

http://www.mcfeelys.com/docs/screwposter.pdf

[ian maybury]

Another here that given the choice will always use a posidrive or similar pattern head on a parallel threaded hardened screw - that is set up to use a power driver. Except on stuff like hinges or lock plates with matching fittings where the appearance matters. Not a big fan of the reduced diameter plain shank 'clamping' type as they add complication in that the shank has to be the right length to suit the job.

Quite how traditional wood screws ended up with a tapered thread I've no idea - even thinking about it for a moment suggests it's got to behave a bit oddly so far as tightening is concerned. Maybe it's a relic of the use of hand awls and the like which tended to make a tapered hole.. Slot heads are understandable, but why bother when so much better is available?

I spent enough years as a kid wrestling with traditional screws and nails (typically recycled from old furniture etc)...

There's quite a variety of screws locally available, especially mail order from the big guys in the UK http://www.screwfix.com/c/screws-nai...rews/cat840066 - but realistically once it's something like the above (and unless there's something special about the application) they all tend to be pretty good. Some designs seem to have moved into pseudo tech territory - turbo this and that and the like...

Locally it tends to come down to what you get as the shops don't always bother with the sort of fine differences we might seek to apply. Which tends to be Spax or similar...

[Ole Anderson]

I find myself using a lot of Kreg self tapping washer head screws for assembly when countersinking isn't necesary. Use them on lots of shop jigs too. Self tapping in all sorts of hard and soft wood. Have never broken one or stripped out the square drive head. I like the brown lubed ones better than the plated ones.

[Jacob Reverb]

I was also unfamiliar with the term "production screw" until I looked at the McFeely's reference Brody posted.

I see in the McFeely's description that so-called production screws have "hardened steel shanks." Does that mean that they have low shock/impact resistance and break easily like drywall screws? (The biggest reason why I don't use drywall screws for WW.)

[Peter Quinn]

Looking through a few supply catalogues at work, none of them use the term "production screws" for fasteners. I see "assembly screws" noted by most sellers. Perhaps McFeallys had seen fit to create their own lexicon? In the end it's less important what you call them or where you buy them, it's more important that they perform. My understanding is that most cheap screws, like sheet rock screws, are hardened, that's it. So they are very brittle but cheap. Just the thing for holding drywall to green soft wood, not so good for much else. And most traditional wood screws I've found are soft as mush, so they can't take much torque, better for hand adjustment then power driver. The production or assembly screws are all hardened, then annealed, so they are strong but not brittle. Add an auger point, some self sinking heads, perhaps a hi low twin thread, or sedated fins like spax, you've got quite a screw by any name. Deck screws happen to have all these features plus weather resistance. Which pushes their cost a bit higher. Fine for occasional use, production sho