Wood Screws

[Diggin It]

I can strip any screw head, any time, anywhere. Slot, Phillips, Square, Torx or any other name you want to call them, I can strip them out. Haven't met one yet I couldn't.

What's the one that looks like a Phillips but isn't? Angles are slightly different and a Phillips won't go in all the way.

Then there's another; typical Phillips 'X' pattern with another smaller 'X' pattern that makes it look like a star.

 

[RBLapham]

Yes X type heads can have different angles and depths like Posi drive and Reed & Prince (common in cars)
The star looking one - please state row and position from the left, not sure which one you are asking about.
Also I think this was before the square heads were made. If you enlarge the picture the heads are easier to see. Ctl + on IE or Chrome

 

[check]

Robertson screws (not "Robinson") were invented in Milton, Ontario in 1908.
I like them, but they are not commonly found in the USA.

LOL - brain fart! The local general store up at the cottage is called Robinson’s - ever heard of the availability heuristic?

Another fun one is calling my daughter by my wife’s name - drives her crazy. Oh, well, at at least it hasn’t deteriorated to the point of calling either of them by the dog’s name!

I have always thought it rather strange that a big modern country like the US has not adopted the Robertson screw, as the square hole is so much more effective when trying to drive a screw in a tough situation. And the Torx is better yet, but way too expensive still.

 

[Ford850]

I switched to Robertson years ago, but as SS screws became popular I found them to be soft and easily stripped screw heads in difficult materials. I think that's what most people figured out, since Torx has nearly replaced Robertson style in all quality screws in the box stores. I used all Torx SS screws in a deck last year and it's amazing how much better that style is compared to Phillips or Robertson.
Years ago I would struggle with the old tapered wood screws. They were horrible I thought. Then I found plans to build a maple woodworking bench. The plans called for solid maple with large solid brass wood screws as fasteners. I followed the plans and learned about pre-drilling the proper sized holes for both the threads and the upper shanks, and how that varied by screw size. I also lubed the screws with bees wax. I'm still amazed, thinking back on how I assembled that bench, never messing up a screw head and having every one suck the wood together like I had never seen. I learned a lot and still use those old style wood screws occasionally, now that I know the methods.

 

[check]

I keep a large assortment of the torx type screws, except for my trim finish screws which are square head. The torx are a great improvement over the slotted and phillips screw heads. They're almost always my "go to" screw for just about anything.
I've got coated or treated screws for outdoor word, had to replace some fence boards I put up years ago and the torx screws all back out with no problems.

Backing out seems to be where the Torx really shine. I wish I had used them on my temp boathouse cross-supports. I used Robertson screws, and they were great going in, but a lot of them stripped the head years later when I was trying to remove them. Sawzall time!

 

[ovrszd]

I haven't seen a 'torx' head screw down here... which isn't to say that they aren't available.

The common heavy duty screw head around here are 'hex' or 'Allen'. Light duty is 'Philips'.

We, on the other hand, have many varieties. I hate that. Only good thing is the container usually has a bit inside.

Only place you see hex head is if applying panel tin such as a pole barn.

Can't remember the last time I saw an Allen head screw.

 

[Diggin It]

Backing out seems to be where the Torx really shine.

That's where I had the most trouble with them in a deck screw version. The heads filled up with junk and got packed in by foot traffic and weather. Nearly impossible to clean out enough to get a driver seated.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Backing out seems to be where the Torx really shine. I wish I had used them on my temp boathouse cross-supports. I used Robertson screws, and they were great going in, but a lot of them stripped the head years later when I was trying to remove them. Sawzall time!

If the material I am removing them from can be sacrificed, I've found that chiseling around the head to expose it, and attaching a pair of vice grips works pretty well.

 

[herm0016]

I use torx for everything I can. A few extra dollars in screws can really make my day much better when working on a project, it may even save me money in the long run when i don't pitch the screw gun off the ladder in frustration.

 

[downsizingnow48]

I threw away all my phillips head wood screws a few years ago and replaced with square drive in sizes from 1" to 3". Except for actual drywall screws 1 - 5/8".

Throwing away anything at all is hard for me, but that really improved things around here. The torx drive works better than square drive but I am not ready to change again.