Hammering Wood screws Okay?

[Mtown]

I need to ask before doing this,

Is hammering a wood screw into the wood to connect joints a bad thing to do?

The smooth part of the screw is sticking out and my driller isnt able to drive the screw anymore.

I cant even take it out its too far in

[douggiestyle]

SWEET.

an egineer friend was telling me that when he went to africa the guys working there had no idea what a screw was and they where just pounding them in. i believe it was an airplane, and they where replacing the jet engine.

what else can you do? if you cant get it out and you dont feel like using an extractor. i guess i would pound it in. in fact i know i would, as long as it wouldnt cause any damage.

[PJSEA]

Try taking it out with a vise grip. If you put the vise grips on the edge you should be able to turn it out.
It's probably not a good idea to hammer it in. A screw works like a wedge. If you hammer it in you will more than likely strip out the hole somewhat and reduce the strength of the join or crack the wood.
If you're having trouble screwing it in you may want to consider pre drilling the hole, especially if it is hard wood. If your driver is cordless, your battery may need charging or replacement.

[Fat Man]

Also if it is so tight you can longer get it to go in any further attempt to drive it in with either a screw driver or a hanner will likely break the screw. depending on where it breaks that could cause new problems. I would do as PJSEA has suggested.

On an aside I did work with a guy who said the threads were for taking them out. :D

[flfirefighter13]

Every time Ive wacked one with a hammer it generally breaks the head off before it does much good, try a bigger screwdriver to get some leverage or next time counter sink the head a bit

[Blue Deuce]

Their very design precludes you from pounding them in. Use the vise grip suggestion. If you are intent on hammering them in make sure you have a similar size bit to drill it out after you break off the head.

[toastman]

Sorry fellas, have to differ with you here, they do drive in, but since he started the screw with a drill or driver, it will be a pain to get it to move with a hammer, but you can do it, just give it a wack, then get a big nail set and drive it in all the way, if the head breaks who cares, just drive in the body of the screw with a nail set. I have used 3" deck screws to build a set of steps, was in a hurry and my drill died, so I drove them in like nails....that was about 5 years ago....they are still holding fine

[drstupid]

i've spent many years building theatrical stages, renovating houses, writing software, and lately, putting together tanks.

the whole idea of hammering in wood screws is wonderful. go for it. use a brick.

i'm firmly of the opinion that there are exactly two tools you need for anything. duct tape and WD-40. if it's loose and you want it stuck, use duct tape. if it's stuck and you want it loose, use WD-40.

that about sums it up kids.

[Glove]

"The smooth part of the screw is sticking out and my driller isnt able to drive the screw anymore."

Never heard it called a driller before...

"the whole idea of hammering in wood screws is wonderful. go for it. use a brick."

Classic stuff!


You can tap the screw back with a hammer, sure. It might break, again who cares- just use your driller to stick another one right next to it, if possible add two.
You may even notice the new screw will draw the pieces together. This is wood the screw is in?

[RandyStacyE]

you can grind off what is sticking out.

[drstupid]

you think he's got a grinder if he's using a driller to hammer his screws in?

[BeanAnimal]

Just leave it stick out and use to to hold something dangly... like fuzzy dice. Your average person will think you meant it that way!

I would cut it off... or hammer it, depending on the mood. Sometimes those little mistakes turn into bigger mistakes and by the time you get upset and throw the driller and break something bigger... the hammer feels good to use, on the screw, or on anything that is not smart enough to get up and run.

Bean

[tkeracer619]

This thread rocks!

If at first you fail, get a bigger banger, if you fail again call your biggest friend to swing it.

[tkeracer619]

Hope nothing stoped the screw from going in further.

[Avast Marine]

Mtown, I'm having a hard time visualizing this. Picture Please.

[Cuervo]

If you don't have a hammer, a large wrench will also work. Use the flat side. Bricks are ok for hammering, but they tend to break on me.

[douggiestyle]

i guess its all dependent on the job.

doing 200 s/f of underlayment with a six inch pattern. you dont reach for vise grips.

[djyox]

A) pre drill your holes
B) Walmart, although offers some tools and hardware, maybe not the best place to go to for tools.
C) 10% rule, you must be 10% smarter than the tool you are using
D) Any tool can be the correct tool if used properly...

[coralnut99]

Ya know how it's always good to start your day with a good laugh? This thread should be enshrined!

My guess would be your battery needs to be charged too. That's why you can't back it out. My bet it is that the head doesn't even resemble a phillips head screw any longer. Your best bet for getting it out without it snapping is a good pair of vise-grips. If you can get it out intact, you've probably got 3/4 of the hole pre-drilled with threads. Try dipping the tip of the new screw in some paste wax, or even rubbing it on a candle before you try it again.

I think a mistletoe holder would be a great seasonal alternative to a fuzzy dice rack if you can't get it out.

[drstupid]

i second the picture request.

Motown, could you please swing by walmart, get some fuzzy dice, mistletoe, and a brick, and take a picture for us?

[MagnumReefer]

If you use a hammer on a screw in the forest...

...does anyone hear you when you bang your finger???

[flfirefighter13]

Drstupid, funny another stage carp would chime in, the only reason this thread caught my eye was I was TD for a show at a community college years back and had a new crew member build a platform, Hist dewalt battery was low and only screwed the screws in about 1" into the 2x4, he then commenced to beating the things with a hammer for 1/2 an hour before anyone filled him in that when the first wack breaks the screw, the additonal wacks do not extend the screw into anything. Needless to say the platform crumbled when he tried to move it. He never did make it as a carpenter...... But he did end up as a sound guy:)

[drstupid]

yeah i spend a few years helping a volunteer company with a gilbert & sullivan bent... we'd end up building really big complicated sets with a bunch of onstage volunteers for most of the crew. every third screw needed to have at least one end of it ground off!

Mtown, please don't take my joking the wrong way. i don't want to discourage you from building things... it's all part of the learning process. don't feel bad about buying a $35 grinder to tide you over until you learn how to use a driver. there's definitely a little finesse to the tool, especially when framing with larger screws. also, get yourself a pile of bits and change them often.

and you can just wack the side of that screw with a hammer and it'll snap the head right off. or a brick.

[SteveOhh]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8696606#post8696606 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by drstupid
i've spent many years building theatrical stages, renovating houses, writing software, and lately, putting together tanks.

the whole idea of hammering in wood screws is wonderful. go for it. use a brick.

i'm firmly of the opinion that there are exactly two tools you need for anything. duct tape and WD-40. if it's loose and you want it stuck, use duct tape. if it's stuck and you want it loose, use WD-40.

that about sums it up kids.

You left out the "paper clips"................those work great to hold things together when you don't want to use unsightly duct tape.............

Speaking of duct tape............about 20 years ago we were leaving the beach on our way home when my friends u-joint in his 1/2 ton Chevy van broke..............I used 100 yards of duct tape to connect the driveshaft to the rear u-joint............had to accelerate by just letting off the brake & couldn't get above 15 mph, but we got home.................Should have heard the guy cussing at the driveshaft shop though trying to get the duct tape off that had literally melted around the u-joint.............. :lol:

[Qwiv]

We hammer screws all the time on things that are not 100% critical. My guys have a saying that the threads are there to take it out, not put it in. Since you have aleady screwed it in, your probably stuck. Can you back it out and try again?

[rivdog]

Buy screws if u want to screw it, buy nails if u want to nail it. Best bet is to predrill and screw, or put some backbone on your drill. Snap the screw with a hammer, bend it into the wood, fill with puttyand redoe with predrilled holes. What kind of wood and screws are u using?

[toastman]

Ahhh crap just Screw it:hammer:

[toastman]

This one time at Band camp I had to bang a screw to get it in all the way, and man it wore me out, but I really think I got tired because my driller ran out of power, and the my hammer was too small to finish off the screw properly



*The above topic was not started by me, but I am enjoying putting the screws to it at the moment*

[perpetual98]

This thread is great. Made my day.




Fuzzy dice.....




Classic

[Mtown]

Thanks for all your replys

The screw basically cant be drilled because the "square shape hole" on the screw has been wore out an now it's too out of shape to allow a screw bit to fit, thus the driller isnt able to grip onto the screw when it rotates.

I'm sure I can't vise it out because the screw is like 3" long and 3/4 of it is allready driller in. Only the smooth part of the screw is still exposed.


Here is a pic for those who want it:

http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/1200/dsc02734wu7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[coralnut99]

I think you'll be surprised by the ability of a pair of vise grips to grab hold of that stripped head and allow you to back the screw out. Lord knows I've been there before!

I've seen stainless square drive screws, and they might be stainless. Be aware that stainless steel is very soft, and won't stand up to much torque. You have to pre-drill every hole to be safe.

Whatever screw you use, if you have access to a can of paste wax, or even a candle, the wax will make the screw very easy to drive. You'll get some wax squeeze out the top, but this looks like just an inner frame, so it won't raise any issues. hth

[drstupid]

where's the fuzzy dice? ;-)

those look like stainless steel screws, they're notorious for stripping. definitely pre-drill them. wacking the side of it with a brick will just bend it over.

try vise grips, not to pry it out, but to twist it out. just unscrew it using them to hold the screw. alternatively, if you have a dremel, grinder, or carpenters pliers, just cut the screw off. you've enough in there to hold the joint together. it's the threads that do the holding, not the head.

and go get some galv screws, stainless screws are a pain to work with, expensive and typically only used in a wet environment where rust stains will stain the wood. you're not framing this thing with cedar.

[Cuervo]

I'd like to point out that the reason this is so funny is that we've all been through it. ;)

I'm going to agree with backing it out with a pair of pliers or vicegrips and putting a new screw in there. If that doesn't work, cut it off. I think hammering it the rest of the way in would be my last choice.. because it's probably going to bend and then look like crap.

The other thing you might consider is that for the job, you could go with shorter screws.

[drstupid]

cuervo's right. next thread we'll show you how to stretch a board you've cut too short, sawzall out your leaky tank plumbing, and get saltwater out of an ice cap ballast.

[douggiestyle]

Hammer.

[Avast Marine]

Thanks for the picture :). Vise grips for sure...lefty loosy, righty tighty.

[perpetual98]

"Gosh, no matter how many times I cut this thing, it's STILL too short!"

:)

[flfirefighter13]

yeah that sure does look like stainless, Dont feel bad Ive been useing wood screws for well over 10 years and recently built a stand out of stainless square drive screws and had the same problem at least 3 times, the heads like to strip, pre drill and go slow while pushing on the drill to keep the bit set. I assure you vise grips will back this out, grab the head and unscrew. Have fun finishing the stand!

[Kmiec123]

If it ain't spit, it ain't love...Spit on that screw next time :)

[Vincerama2]

Nice pics! Grab that hammer and smack it in. Then predrill a new hole and put a new screw in. Some notes:


1) square head = Robertson (Plentiful in Canada, strangely underused in the States)

2) An impact driver is the most amazing thing you've ever used. Properly used, it will not strip a screw head and will drive a 3 inch lag bolt into a 4x4 WITHOUT a pilot hole. Amazing. Truly. (In the current vernacular, that would be "Impact Driller").

3) The theoretically proper way to use a wood screw is to predrill a hole in the TOP piece of wood that is about the size of the screw shaft, then predrill a pilot hole in the bottom piece that is 75 or 80% of the screw shaft diameter. In theory, the threaded part of the screw will bit into the bottom piece, leaving the smooth part in the top piece. This larger hole in the top piece will allow the wood to expand/shrink without putting stress on the screw. The reason for the smooth part is so that the threads won't actually force the wood apart as you screw it into the bottom piece (the threads will have grabbed the top piece, then when they reach the bottom piece, they will "screw out" the top piece). But whatever, most people just drill a pilot hole through both pieces. Some people use machine screws too.

4) There is a tool called a "screw driver" (or hand-powered-screw-driller) that allows you to continue driving screws even if your battery pack in your drill runs out! (OK, I'm just being snipey!).


Oh yeah, when you start smacking the screw in with a smacker (hammer) try not to end up with a bent over screw. If this happens, cut off the offending shaft with a hacksaw, rather than the much more tempting "I'll just smack that stupid thing in sideways flush to the wood".

V

[slumpysix]

1/8" drill bit works wonders... as we say put a little azzz behind it as you drillin' it or screwin' it :) wack that screw off with thy hammer and start again.....

[douggiestyle]

why is a hammer called a hammer and not a beefer or chickener?

[stugray]

I say...

Dust off and nuke the site from orbit.......it's the only way to be sure.

Stu

[BeanAnimal]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8702828#post8702828 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Vincerama2

1) square head = Robertson (Plentiful in Canada, strangely underused in the States) Maybe because they are not all that wonderfull of an invention...

2) An impact driver is the most amazing thing you've ever used. Properly used, it will not strip a screw head and will drive a 3 inch lag bolt into a 4x4 WITHOUT a pilot hole. Amazing. Truly. they do not work to well on anything but bolt head anchors and anchors with fairly thich shafts. Not a good idea for wood screws AT ALL :)

[perpetual98]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8703283#post8703283 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by stugray
I say...

Dust off and nuke the site from orbit.......it's the only way to be sure.

Stu



Afirmative...

http://www.martinwildig.com/pictures/newt_1.jpg

[SteveOhh]

I gotta get me one of these "drillers"........................Now if anybody wants to buy my 19.3 volt 1/2" Porter Cable cordless I picked up last week, I may be able to afford a driller.............

Who makes the "driller?"...................Playskool??? or Little Tykes??

[Glove]

I had a feeling there was somehting more to it.

SQUARE BIT SCREWS are WORTHLESS.

I hate em, I hate em, I hate em!

Do yourself a favor and go get some good ole phillips head type screws that are not coated, pre-drill your holes and see how the driller does then.

[douggiestyle]

you shouldnt be pre drilling holes to drive a 2 1/2" #8 screws into studs.

but if it does hit a knot or something you wack it off (no pun intended), and start over.

[toastman]

OK one more question, why on earth would you put a 3" screw into a 3/4" piece of wood that is going into another 3/4" piece of wood? I say my good chap, you are over engineering that there project, 2" screws would work just fine, and if you use 3 of them you wind of with 6" total and thats just about the average screw size:D

[drstupid]

too bad this kid doesn't own a paslode, can you imagine what this thread would be like by now?

i may pee myself.

hey stu, what's a spacecraft integration engineer do? it sounds like a lot more fun than my job.

[scaryperson27]

Do you have a rotary tool? Why not just cut it off?

[hllywd]

Did somebody say Paslode?!?!?!?:hmm5: :hmm4:

Seriously, this is funny shtuff...:D

[Vincerama2]

You guys hate Robertsons? OK, I admit that if you strip one, you basically end up with a perfectly round hole, but with the right tip, they seem to work just great (IME). Plus after your cheap screwdriver rounds over, you can use it as an ice pick or scratch awl! ;)

I like the impact driver for wood. I dunno, just my opinion, though I'm not a particularly clever woodworker, nor do I do any carpentry for a living. As a tinkering homeowner though, I really like it!

Also, every one should have a corded driller as well as a cordless driller. When the battery goes flat, it's a pain and sometimes you just need that extra power (for drilling, not driving).

V

[Avast Marine]

Actually I find you need more drillers than that. Currently I have:

2ea 14v no corded drillers (lighweight everyday use)
18v no corder driller (a bit heavy but nice torque)
3/8" crap electric driller (one I can use in the mud)
1/2" crap hammer driller (one that I can get concrete dust in the chuck)
1/2" nice hammer driller
3/8" screw gunner driller
1/2" mixer driller
3/8" high rpm driller for woodwork

and when all else fails, I have quite a collection of hammers as well :)

[djyox]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8704621#post8704621 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by hllywd
Did somebody say Paslode?!?!?!?:hmm5: :hmm4:

Seriously, this is funny shtuff...:D


hahaha! Thats what I was thinking!!! I love it!




But really, yes its only funny because we were all there at one point too, and I would also like to point out, that I believe we all were made fun of for not knowing as well...


However, anytime I need to return a tool after using it, I always play dumb, as long as its not a screw driver I return it by saying "Hey, this isn't a screwdriver, your guys lied to me, I want my money back.." most of the time it works like a charm, although if your returning a socket set they look at you kinda funny and its hard to not laugh...

[douggiestyle]

make sure you get that hammer balanced before you use it, dont want to bend that screw over by mistake.

my personal favorite tool is the metric adjustable wrench.

[coralnut99]

This may be the first "thread of the Year"!

[MinibowMatt]

First of all, what the heck is a driller? I really like the 10% rule above, and I think you broke that one.

If your using phillips head screws, and your "driller" stripped the head, it is because you are either using a screw tip too small, the drill is set too fast, and/or you didnt pre-drill/countersink.

If you are using a "drill" to put in flat head screws, your already on the wrong foot. Flat head screws were designed to be put in a pre-drilled hole and installed with a screwdriver, not a drill.

Back to the question of the OP,
In this situation, you really have only one correct solution, and that is to drill out the screw and use an easy out to remove it. Patch that hole up, as it is pretty much useless, and put a new screw nearby, with pre-drilled hole, and a countersink for the appropriately sized screw.

No, IMHO, you should NEVER hammer a screw in. 90% of the time, it will crack the wood. 5% of the time, it will break the screw head off. 3% of the screw hole will be sufficiently damaged enough to make the screw useless. and the last 2% they will work OK, but look crappy.


EDIT: I missed the pic before-- Square head SS screws are worthless, as said, too soft. A steel Square drive with the right speed/feed on the "driller" will certainly outperform any phillips head.
You need to vise grip that sucker and back it out.

Ditch those SS screws, get yourself some standard 3" Drywall screws and a real drill with speed and torque settings and you wont have this problem again.

[staticx]

Oh my god i am going to die. Okay lets recap here. "my driller wont drill no more" "get a brick and hammer the screw in" "duck tape it together" . Oh wow I mean for real a BRICK. What is wrong with some of you people they are screws for a reason you SCREW them in. Pre drill your holes, that means take your handy dandy that there driller and put that there neat driller bit on it and then make that there a neat hole before you put in that there screw. One word DELIVERINCE

[douggiestyle]

dont ever let me hire some of you guys to build my deck. if you pre drill those holes youll be here all summer.

dry wall screws suck for anything other than dry wall. they break way to easy. coated deck screws that is the way to go

[drstupid]

doug, you should've watched me deck my front porch with ipe. that stuff's so dense it's incredible. predrill (and countersink) every hole and you *have* to use square head stainless screws, the phillips can't handle the torque you need at the end. probably every 8th screw would strip anyways and had to get backed out with good ol' vice grips and tossed. every third hole, when you'd take the drill bit out, it would be so hot and the sawdust so fine, as soon as the oxygen hit it Bam! ithe sawdust would explode off the bit with a little puff of smoke. seriously.

sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. the deck is bombproof, the wood will last at least 30 years, and it looks like a living room floor. building a stand out of 2x4's, i'd just be using 3" galv (or coated deck) screws and calling it a day.

and i'm still waiting for a picture of the fuzzy dice here. c'mon mtown, bring a little christmas cheer to our otherwise dreary lives!

[MinibowMatt]

If your breaking drywall screws, in 2x4's, than somethings going wrong.. too much torque, too much speed, too much pressure? With a good drill (dewalt14-18V XRP) you should be able to get a drywall screw in no problem.
And your right, you dont *need* to pre drill 2x's, but if you cant control your driller right, you ought to.

[Vincerama2]

The drillers I have known...

- 9.6 V Makita cordless. I have it because some thief stole my motorcycle many years ago. When the cops found it (with the guy sitting ON it!!) I got the bike back which now sported some crappy saddlebags... in which was this driller and some device he used to drill out locks. I also had to pay the towing company for towing and "storage". Who's the real thief here? (answer: towing company)

- corded Skil driller. Bah, it was cheap and it works.

- Harbour Freight driller press. El Cheapo Grande BUT it's great for consistent precise hobby drilling. (I screw up handheld driller holes!)

- corded DeWalt Smack n' Driller (hammer drill). My house has a stucco exterior. When I moved in, I tried to drill a hole for my dryer vent and must have dulled 6 different sized (normal) drill bits. Last Xmas, I got this driller (and some masonry bits) and it drills stucco/concrete like butter. Seriously, the right tool for the right job ...


Incidentally, for cheap hobbiests I have to mention that Harbour Freight (yes, yes, I know) has cordless drillers on sale for $10. At that price you can stuff a lot of stockings! (they are great for household drilling/driving duties!)


Oh yeah, I've always had one eye on those "screw guns". Are they nothing more than a drill/driver with a something on the chuck to hold drywall/deck screws? Or is there some extra utility to them?
My deck was apparently made with nails and their heads keep popping up. I figure that I can either use the nail holes as pilots, or just add screws to keep wood tight, or just supplement with screws and leave the nails in. Would a screw gun be any better than a cordless driller?

V

[BeanAnimal]

A "screw gun" has a trigger lock and a recessed bit. You set the depth, lock it on and load a screw into the end... shove it against the wall and ZIP! Toss another screw in the end, shove it against the wall and ZIP! The only use for them is putting up drywall... You can try to use the old nail holes... but drywall screws should not break through the paper. A proper setting on the driller will indent the paper and slightly recess the head. If they pull through the top layer of paper, they are holding NOTHING!

Bean

[Pbrown3701]

vincerama - there is no room on this thread for serious questions. Please... :)

[drstupid]

when hanging drywall, i generally use 2" screws and just hammer them in with a brick. that gives me confidence that i'm at least 10% smarter than my tools.

[douggiestyle]

not so much busting drywall screws drillering them, although it does happen. gotta move fast right?

i just dont think they are very strong from a load bearing point of view. trying to pull in a warped board "an that". even worse are the galvanized.

yeah drstupid ive seen some tough wood. some of that tropical stuff is a real bear. use a "nailer" with that stuff

[drstupid]

next MACNA maybe we'll give a demonstration of why red clay bricks are more suitable for nailering dry wall screws than the yellow brick common in the Pittsburgh area.

[BeanAnimal]

IF you guys come to MACNA, your are more than welcome to check out my lair!

Bring beer.

Bean

[douggiestyle]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8707705#post8707705 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by BeanAnimal
IF you guys come to MACNA, your are more than welcome to check out my lair!

Bring beer.

Bean

ditto here but i warn you, i have three kids under 7. but ill supply the beer.


i would think the yellow break is much harder so, less prone to cracking.

[drstupid]

darn tootin' we're bringing the beer! i haven't touched iron city since my college days.

[douggiestyle]

ic, that stuff is garbage.

want real good pittsburgh beer its gotta be penn brewery on the north side. october fest there is a blast. they sell the beer in plastic milk jugs. you actually dont need to buy any beer just have a cup and it will never be empty.

one good thing about pittsburgh/ic brewery is that they were the first brewer and bottler of sam adams.

and they brewed a generic beer brand. white can that said "BEER"

[drstupid]

like from repo man! that's great.

i like the penn brewery's christmas ale, it's nice. the brewery's neat too, it's actually a very authentic modern german beer hall.

i miss the 'burgh, bloomfield bridge tavern, panther hollow inn, primanti bros, the o's.... MACNA's in for a treat!

[hllywd]

You know Bean I really don't like using screw guns, too slow. I do like my Duraspin but the batteries keep cracking when I try to set the screws using the methods described here. What should I do?:D

Tim:cool:

[perpetual98]

What you need to do is jam your screwdriverer into the screw and then start tightening it or loosening it with this tool:











http://static.flickr.com/41/92738125_b1afc238b3.jpg

[hllywd]

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Tim:cool:

[drstupid]

c'mon perpetual, everyone knows that thing's for replacing light bulbs.

let's not mislead our youth, someday they'll be nurturing us through our dotage.

[scott324]

Definite thread of the year. You guys are rough on the uninformed, but sure as hell made me laugh.

[perpetual98]

http://www.cartoonstock.com/lowres/abr0538l.jpg

http://www.offthemarkcartoons.com/cartoons/2003-05-05.gif

[BeanAnimal]

I used to help my ex-roommate who owned a contstruction business... I owned my own roofing nailer.

Anway anybody who has put on a roof or two knows that not all of the nails sink the whole way. A roofer carried a hammer and pounds any unsunk nails the rest of the way home. My buddy just turns the roofing nailer over and uses the top of it. He buys a new nailer about every 2 years and says "hey I got my money out of it". I have used mine on several roofs and loaned it out for at least 5 others (did I mention I got it used at the pawn shop).

To some folks ANYTHING is a hammer and ANYTHING is hammerable.

Then again I spent close to 15 years in the coal mines... where if all else fails use a hammer. If that fails, use a bigger hammer. If nothing else, if you can't get it fixed, after the hammer, nobody else will either.

Bean

[mistermikev]

just my 2cents. if you have a dremel or file. make a flat heat slot in the screw head and use that to unscrew it. If it's sticking out I must assume you can get to it. Sounds like you should have predrilled the thing with a countersink. have i got it?

[BeanAnimal]

mistermikev... that is what visegrips were invented for :)

[drstupid]

i'm assuming mtown has either gotten his screw out by now or decided that stamp collectors are a much nicer group of hobbyists to hang out with.

here's a novel idea: throw out the $2 worth of wood pictured and start all over, carefully applying the sage advice offered by our humble crew.

[Avast Marine]

Bean, Ive put up thousands of linear feet of fence boards using the old screw gunner driller. Duraspinners are junk IMHO, no way wo can hang rock as quick as with a screw gunner and a mouth full of screws. I'm with you on the roofing nailer, my framing nailer gets it's share of abuse to the back side. Once you get the feel of it you can let the recoil kick the gun in the air, and with the flip of your wrist bring the gun back down and drive it flush. I am liking the brick idea the more I read about it. What do you guys think would be the best adhesive to glue a brick to the back of my nail gunner so this could be used to it's full potential?

[Pbrown3701]

use the square bit on the driller to keep your drill lined up on the screw - and then use your hammer to hit the back of the driller. That way, the driller wont fall off the screw why your hammering.

[BeanAnimal]

ahh dandy... yes I should have qualifed that to be any repetative task where screw need to driven to the same depth in the same density material :)

said roommate would use a multimeter to pound nails if it was the closet "tool". Anytime he borrowed a tool od mine he would exclaim "wow when did you get this, it looks like it has never been used". I would reply... "that... ohh I have had it for years, used it hundreds of times" Whenever he returned the tool he borrowed, it looked like it had been the only available hammer to a tribe of angry contractors that ran out of hammers and had to lay 400 square of roofing shingles with it... no matter what kind of TOOL it began life as, it gave that up and became a hammer when my roomy got ahold of it. They guy could destroy an anvil and lead pipe if given the chance.

Bean

[drstupid]

duct tape of course, dandy. duct tape.

that way when your brick splits, you can put another one on easily.

[Barto]

This is hysterical...
I needed the laugh, thank you
I hope the thread starter is taking all this with a grain of salt.

Vice grips, remove screw.
To heck with square drive, to heck with phillips drive
Get some torx drive deck screws, get the proper size tip to attach to your driller, put your batterier in your chargerer and when it's all chargered up, give it a go.
If your drillerer won't driverer one all the way, then do some predrillering

Be careful, if too many people hear the laughter, this thread might get moved to the lounge

[MinibowMatt]

^^^
:)

[staticx]

Just checking on the new input. I liked how his screw turned into a drywall screw ?????????? Still trying to figure that out. I think that reefers are the most brutal people ever to get advice from. I think he should get a small chain steering wheel to go with the dice. And maybe some dingo balls. Hey how about a rope light. Should turn this thread into a sticky.

[douggiestyle]

well staticx its a matter of why drillering the stainless screw may caused such a problem and i think it was shared that the ss screw is a bit soft. not all ss screws are soft but i suppose, as ive never used a ss wood screw, that posters are correct in their summise. so that is why drywall screws where suggested. personally i do not like using drywall screws for anything other than drywall and other simple tasks such as creating a place to hang my fuzy dice. so i would suggest something around a #10 size coated steel screw.

DRSTUPID they have a self drillering deck screw made for composite material.

[Avast Marine]

I think those in the construction trade in general tend to be pretty wise arses....not necissarally reefers. I like the Rope light idea BTW.

[drstupid]

hey doug,

ipe's a brazilian redwood, a lot like mahogany. extremely dense. someone mentioned building a deck, i'd suggest you look for a local ipe supplier. they've used it to replace all the boardwalks in atlantic city, new jersey, and consider it a 30 year wood untreated in that application.

it's pretty wood too, untreated it'll grey. i hit mine every year or two with a product called messmer's, it's basically a thinned out tung oil that can penetrate the dense wood, with a little stain in it and a good dose of UV protector. makes it look like a brand new living room floor every time you do it.

just so i don't go too far off topic ;-) this stuff would be great for aquarium cabinetry. pretty, water resistant, strong... of course, it's so dense that it's very difficult to work, but that's where you need to be 110% smarter than your tools.

[drstupid]

and static, there's a philly reefer with 70's shag carpeting covering both his stands. if we're lucky he'll post a picture. you hear me, bob?

[toastman]

Ahh so it was a case that the stainless steel screw was too soft for driller, why didnt someone say that was the problem earlier. Heres how you prevent soft screws in the future, first thing first is you have to make sure you buy good hard screws, you can find them usually 2 for 1 when its really late at night, and they are wanting to close the screw store. The you have to make sure that the driller you are going to use is properly sized for the screw that you are going to be screwing, too small, and well it will get stripped and the screw will just be waisted , too large and the tip wont fit in, so properly size your screw and driller, if you need more information on that, do a Google search on "Driller to Screw sizing" you may have to refine the search a bit to really find the kind of information that you need on this sensitive subject. After you have properly sized your driller to the screw, you really can coat it with a lubricant, it really helps to get it to go into really hard wood, if you keep steady pressure on the driller, the screw should turn over plenty of times to make the driller finish its job and you shouldnt have to hammer the screw home if you did the driller right.

[douggiestyle]

drstupid.... when you said ipe i assumed it to be some type of new composite wood. never heard it called ipe, and im in the flooring business. oh well always learning.


toastman...i always say, you need to put some butt behind the driller other wise your screw might not make it all the way in, and dont slow halfway if you want to finish the job.

dandy... i remember my first construction job (i was 13) i kept bending the nails. so one of the guys picks up my hammer and looks at it and says "hears your problem this is a left handed hammer, and your right handed" so i get home and tell my mom i need to go back to the store and get a right handed hammer. they where brutal to me, have me move stacks of wood to one side of the house only to have me move it all back. they found out that i was much better at destroying things, so i became the demo guy.

later in life i worked with this one guy who was so green when we told him he needed to take his estwing hammer back to the store and have it balanced, he did, boy was he mad the next day. that of course made it even funnier.

[BeanAnimal]

Ipe is what we will be using on the deck in the spring. Brazillian hardwood. To hard for insects to chew into, it does not rot and it is as tough as steel. It will also eat your $150 saw blade for lunch. It has to be pre drilled and/or you must use blind decking clips to hold it in place.

It really costs no more than composte woods and looks 1000 times better. No need to stain or seal...

DOH... I just read stupids post... He already covered all that stuff and I am to lazy to backspace :)

[BeanAnimal]

Doug there are several species of brazilian and central american hardwoods. Most have similar characteristics. Think of it like domestic Red Oak, White Oak, Cherry, Hickory, etc. All hard but all slightly different. The IPE is often called Brazilian Walnut. Someplace I have a wood chart that shows all of them and their hardness, compressive strength, shear strength, deflection, etc.

Bean

[perpetual98]

2 minute penalty for everyone in this thread who actually made a useful post!

http://www.swapmeetdave.com/Humor/Workshop/C-Nail-Screw.gif

[douggiestyle]

yeah got all those charts but they are for wood flooring and none that i have nmention ipe. brazillian walnut yes. and ive done a couple of the tropical walnut in jobs, nasty stuff, as is all tropical woods. each market seems to name tropical woods to there liking. what ever name they think will sell better. kinda like rape seed oil.

what happened to mtown. maybe i should send him a pm. curious on how his project is coming.

i need to mention....
this one job a guy comes in with this monster framing hammer, some 30oz waffel head, axe sized thing. the guy claims that he can drive a 16 penny nail with one smack using his new toy. like stepping on a ketchup pack, thats what happened to his thumb. and we're all like oooooh, and then we just start laughing at the guy. life is cruel.

[Avast Marine]

Her you go Doug.....it's in Janka so you can read it :p

Link for flooring guy. (http://www.sizes.com/units/janka.htm)

[BeanAnimal]

I carry one of those 32 waffle head framers on my mine belt.... It has fixed plenty of pieces of equipment... and a few fingers. 12 years I have had that hammer... it is the best framing hammer (sears) balance wise that I have ever owned.

IPE is fairly new to the market... it is not a buzzword but I have not seen it in flooring circles either. Mostly decking and outdoor applications.

[douggiestyle]

thats a nice chart. they even have tree of heaven in there. i dont know what you would ever use it for but cool none the less.
ive have lots of those charts. they only have the stuff i sell though, and a lot of the names are not on that list. such as tiger wood, amendoim, tuari and etc. still thanks. that lignum vitae is about the hardest. should use a plasma cutter instead of a saw.

[drstupid]

if you're ever in the german part of switzerland, there's a great bar game you'll find in a lot of small town pubs. a large diameter log about 4' tall is propped on its side. every in the game gets a 16 penny nail they tap in just enough to stand on its own. a (typically monsterous framing) hammer gets passed around. everyone takes a swing at their nail then passes it on. the last guy (or fraulein) to get their nail in all the way buys a round for everyone who played.

this gets really amusing after about an hour.

[KH971]

I buy enough nails that Senco supplies me nails guns,staplers, and roofing nailers for free for my guys to use. I have threatened to fire them and actually have for abusing the tools. Senco sends a repair guy once a week to repair guns. It is unbelieveable what people will do when it is not their tools!! When the hammer handles break, my seviceman welds 1/4 inch wall pipe to the hammer heads, and tells them to break that!!LOL!! I love it. I took out all the sledgehammers and replaced them with a 2foot piece of railroad rail with flat plates welded on the ends and put handles on the rails like a door slammer the SWAT team uses!!!

[Greg manton]

you guys are all misstaken the screws are not to soft they just have not ben preped using the burner(torch) this will harden then so no predrilling is required. and you could use thr burner to cut the offending screw off, be sure to sheild wood. a good way to sheild wood is to driller a small hole in pot then place over ofening screw then using but end of burner wack that screw.:D

[toastman]

I really think we have put the screws to this post

[drstupid]

you know, he should really try smaller screws. everyone can use a little screw.

[SteveOhh]

Screw this post................. :lol:

[drstupid]

sometimes you can find screws with little heads. and everyone knows you can use a screw...

...you're right, that's enough.

[BeanAnimal]

Yeah please lets not get this moved to the lounge guys...

[douggiestyle]

anyone hear from mtown? i never did send a pm.

[Avast Marine]

I'm sure he's out shopping for Christmas cards for all of us.