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Thread: what type of screws do you keep in stock?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    576

    what type of screws do you keep in stock?

    what kind of screws do you usually buy ?do you even consider Drywall screws?I must admit,I used to use them a lot( for various projects like quick/crude shop benches,shelves,utility boxes,etc) but after breaking a few in 2x4s I got in the habit of pre drilling pilot holes for them until ran out of all the drywall screws I had in stock,now I am looking for an alternative to drywall screws.

    I was at HD and picked up a few small boxes of Construction screws(1.25,1.5",2",3"),they are gold color with "saw tooth threads" Robertson heads,it says on the label: "high performance"!I guess anything will perform better than the drywall screws I had.
    I have a good selection of Kreg pocket hole screws ,stainless steel screws,Tapcon screws etc. but for general use,I find them too expensive to use.
    What screws do you buy a lot of ? type,length?do you buy them specifically designed for the projects you are working on?like flooring screws ,deck screws, or is there such a thing as a "general purpose" screws?

  2. #2
    McFeely's square drive screws are the only ones I use for woodworking. I don't think I've broke more than two in twenty years. Great stuff and they come in all sizes and lengths.

    http://www.mcfeelys.com/

    Red
    RED

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    Phoenix AZ Area
    Posts
    2,505
    I dumped all the drywall screws and I now have GRK R4 screws in a ton of sizes and lengths. they are Torx head and I have sizes from #4 thats 3/8" long to "12 that's 4" long. Maybe 25 - 30 sizes. Super handy to have what you need. I've never broken a GRK. I also really recommend McFeelys. They sell primarily square drive or Robertson head. I like that the square drive hold on the head of the bit when starting, but they can slip when the bit wears a bit. You can literally drive thousands of screws with one Torx bit. I just did a 2nd floor renovation and drove over 3000 T25 head screws with one bit. It's worn now and I tossed it but wow.

  4. #4
    I've been using Sharx stainless steel screws since I built my first sailboat. I like them and have good results. I usually keep #6, #8 and #12 on hand and buy at least 100 if not 500 when I order.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Southwestern CT
    Posts
    1,392
    I've migrated to torx head and generally the GRK. I also have drawer hardware screws in several lengths. The oddball stuff I stock is a broad range of Reed & Prince Frearson Head Bronze wood screws for boats.

  6. #6
    I like McFeeley's products but I normally don't typically plan ahead enough to have them on-hand. I keep drywall screws in 1.25, 1 5/8, 2, 2.5 and 3 inch lengths on-hand. Ideally I have normal black ones (coarse) and the weather resistant types. But usually I am missing some weather resistant ones - I use them less. Some have special drivers but most are #2 Phillips. I usually drive them with my little Ryobi impact driver and don't have strip out problems. Occasionally I break one but it's rare. I also bought a bunch of pocket screws a couple years ago when Sears had them at a really good price. So I have most sizes and in both coarse and fine threads (I use the fine in face frames of hardwood).

    I'm aware that drywall screws are not the greatest for load bearing because they are somewhat brittle. For me, they are normally a clamp. Glue is the long term fastener.

  7. #7
    McFeeley's +1

    I'm pretty partial to square drive.

    Its best to stick with one type of drive so you're not constantly switching bits.

    Not a big fan of Spax screws. They have lousy bit to head adhesion (the fall off the bit even with a magnet).

    In a pinch I actually use the standard wood screws from HD (Crown)

    Get you a good tapered countersink (Fuller)

    Mattias Wandell did a pretty interesting comparison on dry wall screw strength.
    Last edited by Robert Engel; 04-21-2015 at 12:53 PM.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    576
    I have seen those GRK screws but for some reason I always walk by them,probably because I would rather stick to what I have tried and used in the past,I have never used these GRK screws but it looks like that's what I'm going to try next.

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by Randy Red Bemont View Post
    McFeely's square drive screws are the only ones I use for woodworking. I don't think I've broke more than two in twenty years. Great stuff and they come in all sizes and lengths.

    http://www.mcfeelys.com/

    Red
    1+, that is all I use now also..

    I have some Stanley boxes and keep a lot of different sizes, when I see I am getting low I just order another box.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Northeast TN
    Posts
    217
    Started using Highpoint a couple years back. Down to my last few dozen of anything else, and wouldn't consider anything other than the Highpoints now. Strong, drive well, no broken screws, and cost is reasonable. Have an assortment of everything from #6 up through #10 in lengths form 1/2" to three inches. Seems to fit most applications I encounter in general woodworking. (IIRC there are threads on other forums discussing McFeely's and Highpoint--who invented what, etc. I forget the conclusion--both the same manufacturer? But they both seem to work really well.)

  11. #11
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    576
    Ordering from mcfeelys.com would not be possible (I'm in Ontario, Canada) but I'm sure I can find the same quality here at a higher price.

  12. #12
    In fact, I bought a couple Highpoint screws on clearance from Rockler and I find them to snap easily. I was disgusted that Rockler would sell something like this. I now know why the Highpoints were on clearance. The McFeelys quality has not yet deteriorated similarly.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    576
    Isn't there a comparable quality as mc feely's that I could find at Home Depot?I'm sure neither companies manufacture the screws they sell.how about the construction screws made by H.paulin that HD sells, would they be comparable?

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Lake Gaston, Henrico, NC
    Posts
    8,973
    The Deckmate star drive screws sold are Home Depot are great for anything the sizes are right for. Those and an impact driver are great for building almost anything. Lowes has a decent selection of GRK screws sold individually. TORX drive is always first choice for me. "star drive" is the same as torx.

  15. #15
    Boy, I feel like a debbie downer. But the Deckmate star drive screws overdrive so easily it's pathetic. Four or five years ago they had great combo drive ones that were brilliantly weather resistant, tough, and held well. Never had one snap. Then they went to the star drive model. I bought 2 boxes in 1 5/8" and 1 1/4" and virtually ALL of them strip the hole with the slightest bit of over torquing.

    Caveat emptor on those.

    Oh yeah, and I've had Spax screws snap too.

    I've been screwed by many screws, so forgive my bad attitude here.

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