Choosing Faceplate Screws

[Glen Blanchard]

I know that sheetrock screws should never be used to support a faceplate and I have often seen sheet metal screws recommended for this purpose. I have some #12 square drive McFeely screws that I'd like to use. They will each extend 3/4" into the glue block and there are a total of 8 holes in the faceplate. #12 is a pretty beefy screw, but I don't want to sacrifice safety. Will these work or do I need to make a Home Depot run to get some sheet metal screws?

[Geoff Whaling]

Glen the obvious question is - what are you attaching to the face plate with the screws? i.e. how big is the blank? How big is the face plate relative to the turning blank? How long is the blank i.e. a platter or bowl or a HF? Green or wet? Face grain or end grain?

The answers will have an influence on the decision of what type & how many screws to use. 3/4" embedment may well be OK for a reasonable size platter but would not be anywhere near satisfactory into end grain for a HF, but as you say you are using a glue block they are probably OK, though I am not familiar with that brand of screw or what they are made from. I would be cautious as they appear to be the same as "sheet rock" screws.

[Roger Chandler]

I use #14 sheet metal screws most of the time. The length usually is either 1.5" or if a bigger piece, I use 2" length. #12 screws should work for smaller to medium sized blanks. McFeeleys is a good brand, but I prefer sheet metal screws. I find that Phillips heads will strip out, so square drive or hex head are better.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

I know that sheetrock screws should never be used to support a faceplate and I have often seen sheet metal screws recommended for this purpose. I have some #12 square drive McFeely screws that I'd like to use. They will each extend 3/4" into the glue block and there are a total of 8 holes in the faceplate. #12 is a pretty beefy screw, but I don't want to sacrifice safety. Will these work or do I need to make a Home Depot run to get some sheet metal screws?

These are the screws I use, they are Robertson straight shaft #10 screws, 1” long holding a 24” blank, going barely 3/4 “ through, and one extra screw for location if I for any reason have to take the faceplate off and reinstall it, I can use these many times over before needing new ones.

Faceplate and screws 24%22 blank.jpg

[Brice Rogers]

Glen, these should work fine assuming that you aren't trying to turn something very large that is horrible out of balance. A number 12 screw is fairly beefy.

I did notice that the description said that it was heat treated. I know that drywall screws are also heat treated which tends to make them a little brittle.

I am wondering what the failure mechanism is for drywall or heat treated screws.

[Jeffrey J Smith]

I've been using the same set of both #12 (1-1/4") and #14 (2") square drive stainless steel sheet metal screws for many years. I work a lot with very wet woods - the stainless doesn't seem to degrade over time. Bought them at a marine hardware store about 12 years ago. Doubt that I'll need to replace them in my lifetime and they've held everything I've put them in just fine. I do tend to fill up all the screw holes in whichever faceplate I'm using.

[Dale Winburn]

The best screws I've found are the blue concrete/masonary screws. They are very hard and the teeth are serrated. I use 1/4" size, you can get most any length with phillips head or hex head.

[Glen Blanchard]

Yeah, I guess some additional details would help those answering my question. The faceplate is 3 1/2" in diameter. My plan is to secure the faceplate to a glue block that is 5 3/4" in diameter. This is the manner in which I intended to support a segmented bowl measuring 5 3/4" in depth X 8" in diameter. I'll be following this thread but based on the responses I plan on making a run to Home Depot to get some sheet metal screws.

[Michael Mills]

I've used McFeely square drive screws for almost everything for the past 7-10 years and have never had a failure. A #12 should be plenty strong.
I do use #12 sheet metal just because I find it easier to use a hex drive socket than the smaller square drive for faceplate installation/removal.
Tip If you have a real hardware store rather than a hardware boutique you can buy eight each of various lengths, install the set of eight on strips of foam, and just grab the length you need rather than sorting through a bunch of loose ones each time.

[Dennis Ford]

I think many people worry excessively about screws for a faceplate. I agree that screws designed for concrete are very strong and durable, many of my friends use them. I use #10 X 1" sheet metal screws with faceplates that are 3/8"+ thick (1/2" - 5/8" deep in wood). Sheet metal screws are not particularly strong or hard but they are stronger than the wood and that is good enough.

Obviously longer screws are needed for end-grain and for really large chunks of soft or spalted wood to prevent the screw from pulling out.

[Justin Stephen]

I was in a Woodcraft many years ago buying...heck if I can remember...and remembered that I needed a good set of screws for faceplates since, at the time, I was using deck screws or something like that. I also wanted something that was square drive. I looked around and grabbed a box of Kreg pocket hole screws. I have been using that same box of screws for at least four years now. I would venture to guess that 75% of them have never been used at all, just keep grabbing the ones on top and tossing them back in where I found them. To my knowledge, I have never had to toss more than one or two of them out and I have never had anything remotely like a screw failure.

[Mike Peace]

From my PM3520B manual: "Face plates are drilled for No. 12 screws. (Phillips and square drive screws will hold up better than slotted screws. Sheet metal screws are case hardened with deeper and sharper threads than wood screws."

I think you will be fine.

[Prashun Patel]

I would caution against any of the generic big box store screws. I have driven the heads off the wood screws easily and that makes me doubt all of that quality.

Spax screws hold up well for me. IMHO the biggest strength is gained by going wide and using more screws, not deep. screws are brittle by nature. The trick is to maximize the friction between the face plate and the wood. So use more screws or a wider face plate for that.

Also to the extent possible, use a live center . Especially when bringing that blank into round.

It is also good to use screw widths that are close to the hole size in your face plate.

[John K Jordan]

Chris Ramsey, who turns cowboy hats for a living from big chunks of wood, said he uses sheet metal screws, one in every hole in the faceplate, and supports the work as long as possible with the tailstock.

Lisi Oland (from JCC) turns bowls so big it takes a tractor and hoist to get the blank, several hundred lbs, onto her lathe. She told me she uses sheet metal screws or lag screws, depending. Her place was full of incredible and huge bowls.

This might be fun to watch. She cores with a chain saw.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PMEJ7rirso

JKJ

[Thomas Canfield]

I take it these comments are directed to cross grain and not endgrain attachment and not a lot of overhang. I had some problems with 1-1/4" engagement of 8 #12 sheet metal screws using a 6" Oneway faceplate on 18" long endgrain hollow form even with steady rest, and ended up getting some 1/4" x 2" long washer hex head screws to get a better hold. Endgrain definitely requires more thread engagement, either diameter or length, or even both.