Fasteners

[Prashun Patel]

Which general purpose wood screws do you like best?

I've been happy with McFeely's for a couple years, but have heard accounts of decreased quality recently.

I have had bad experience with Spax screws. They cam out easy, and I've had them snap before. Perhaps that's just because I bought them at a Big Box store?

Anyway, I need to restock and am looking for suggestions.

[Doug Ladendorf]

Spax have worked for me so far but I'm interested in what others come up with.

[Todd Burch]

Assy self drilling, self countersinking, phillips drive. I get mine from Wurth / Louis and Company under the Wurth brand.

[David Weaver]

Pretty much anyone that has a neatly made square drive screw, I'm OK with. Back around 2006 when I first started, there was a huge difference between the mcfeely screws and the stuff I could get locally at rockler, or anywhere else for that matter. Plus, the mcfeely screws were domestic at the time, and based on that and their difference in quality, it was a pretty easy decision.

But, I seriously doubt even then, that it would've made a difference which screws I used.

The screws they have at rockler now, for as little as i use screws, are basically the same design as the mcfeelys now with the deep threads and they're cleanly swaged/formed.

Caveat this with rockler being literally 2 miles from my house, and convenient to buy screws. And caveat it also with me having a general distaste for retailers who switch origin of their products to a much cheaper place and don't change prices to reflect it (that's all of them, it must be way too hard to resist).

I never necessarily noted bad quality in any of the import mcfeely's screws, and the only ones I ever saw that were a let down were some of the stainless, and I'd think that'd be universal (they weren't as hard and they were easy to mung up the heads on when you'd never expect it to happy).

A much bigger problem for me than getting functional zinc plated screws is finding screws that look good enough to leave the heads exposed. As in, slotted brass screws, etc. When I first started woodworking, I wanted to build stuff fast, and like a brick ___house. Now I want to build things nice, and avoid all of the marketing gimmicks, like screws needing to dig super deep, or have goofy cutouts on them or "proprietary and superior" patterns for the bits to fit in them.

My ears are open for places that supply tasteful brass slotted screws, though.

[Keith Outten]

McFeely's used to be a Virginia Company and the quality of their fasteners was very high. Several years ago the company was sold, it seems that things changed when the company ownership changed hands. I used to purchase McFeely's square drive screws in bulk quantities. I am in need of restocking my inventory once again but I'm not sure who to purchase from today. The good news is that I don't need large quantities anymore but I prefer to stock a variety of square drive screws in my shop.
.

[pat warner]

Hi tensile socket head cap screws; yes, I tap wood.
More expensive than woodscrews, but a very small percentage of the total project expenses.

[David Weaver]

As a separate and aside thing, not only mcfeelys...

Just about any small business that I've ever dealt with goes downhill some when they're sold, unless they weren't very good to start with (I really liked the "old" mcfeely's). Even if it's a local business purchased by another local individual, the businesses are usually sold, and at least in the type of business I'm in, an after tax loan payment has to be made on the purchase of the prior business. If the business was bought outright, the implication of the same magnitude is still there, and it's another "mouth to be fed" in terms of expenses the newly bought business has to cover. It has to come from somewhere, and unless the business wasn't profitable, the loan or purchase price ususally isn't that small.

A case of this that I experienced not long ago was a mennonite lawn mower ship near my inlaws, it was sold from one to another and had previously been the kind of local shop where you got a break either if you asked or automatically if you were a repeat customer. For anyone who reguarly deals with mennonite or amish businesses, the prices are already usually below almost anything else you'll find, and if they're not, the owners are usually pretty comfortable and receptive to bargaining. The more you buy, the better the bargaining. I mention that, because it's sort of a cultural thing where I grew up, if you can't give a little off retail, especially for a loyal customer, then it's like a kick in the pants.

Last time I went in there, it was after the sale had occurred, and when I asked about a gas hedge trimmer (that I definitely wanted and wanted to buy that day), I asked "what can you do on price?" since everything on the wall was full retail, and the policy had changed to absolutely no discounts with the new owner. Sticker only, regardless of past customer history. They were still helpful, but they absolutely wouldn't budget on price, and they were a little more direct than you'd expect about it (probably because I was the thousandth person who asked the question and then seemed surprised). I told them I'd shop around, went down the road to another family owned business, they gave me a moderate break on price for the asking and I bought.

I'd imagine that a lot of the pressure to get full retail for everything in the store was because the new owner felt like they needed to make more money than the prior owner based on the cost of buying the business.

There is a lot of consolidation in internet store fronts these days, and obviously not just in tools. Japan woodworking stuff is addressed now out of parkersburg, WV, presume that didn't come to woodcraft free. In the world of shaving, there are some part time retailers (ebay types, etc, that deal in moderate volume) and there are some larger store front that appear to be separate businesses, but there is common ownership among a lot of them. I guess the easiest way if you're a larger business, to get into a different segment or get a customer list, is just to buy a smaller or specialty business, leave the pictures on the catalog the same and push for a little more out of the customers.

Those of us who grew up patronizing local businesses and with a background where bargaining, reasoning and justification (i.e., the seller was always good at explaining why you were paying what you were paying) was part of the whole deal, probably find most of the changes a lot less favorable than some others.

[Jeff Duncan]

I buy most of my screws through Hafele and use a LOT of different types/sizes etc. I haven't ever had any problems with SPAX screws though? Then again I only use them for sheet materials which is what they're designed for. I'm guessing if your snapping them your using them in hardwoods? For solid woods I use a stouter self drilling steel screw.

good luck,
JeffD

[glenn bradley]

I use McFeely's and have since before the Lab Safety Supply presence. I buy in fairly small quantities so I have gone through sets of screws form before and after. I have never had one fail, even the smaller size fasteners. The prices are reasonable and the shipping is a buck.

This doesn't stop me from buying fasteners from Rockler and others when on sale. Kreg's screws have worked well for me but, are more expensive than others. Sommerfeld sets go on sale at Peachtree and other locations but again, this would not work for a production shop that orders thousands at a time.

[Ruperto Mendiones]

I just bought some 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2" brass #2 flathead screws from McMaster.

re David's essay: Lands End has taken the discount to a whole new level. Catalog prices sky high with 20-40 % discount days offered to select internet customers-thus bringing the price to old-style everyday prices.

[Julie Moriarty]

Just about any small business that I've ever dealt with goes downhill some when they're sold...

It's even true with large businesses. When an American built company establishes itself as a producer of quality products, they are ripe for takeover. The corporate wheeler dealers are all about profits. Quality of the product means little to them. They only care about the cost to produce and selling the product for maximum profit. They rely on the company's old reputation to make their killing.

I remember when I was an apprentice, back in the mid 70's, guys on the job talking about buying American. Pretty much all the construction trade unions felt that was important and woe be to you if you drove up to the jobsite in a foreign made vehicle! Some guys even did a clothes label check on you! Even back then, guys saw jobs going overseas.

About 15 years later, my local put out a list of vehicles built in America (Japanese brands were on that list) that were made with something like 50% or more American made parts. The list wasn't long and many were shocked to see how many American car manufacturers built cars in other countries and shipped them here for sale.

Today we see billionaires made by selling foreign-made products in the U.S. Greed has become more important than supporting this country. And China now practically owns us.

[Dave Nanke]

After spending years being continually frustrated with screws snapping in half, I recently bought quite a selection of unplated steel square drive screws from McFeely's. I love them. They are so much better than anything I can get at the local big box or hardware store.

[Erik Loza]

Used Spax for quite a few different projects and never had an issue.

Erik Loza
Minimax USA

[Alan Lightstone]

Still using McFeely's. Still work just fine for me.

[John Coloccia]

I've been using Woodcraft's HighPoint screws for a while, and they work very well for me. I bought an assortment some time ago and just keep it filled. Spax looks interesting, though. I'll be looking into that.