63
votes
Accepted
How to avoid stripping screw heads?
What am I doing wrong?
If you're stripping the heads, Phillips head screws probably aren't the right kind for the job. They cam out under excessive torque [1]. And once they do, the bit becomes a ...
- 6,068
51
votes
Accepted
What kind of screw is this from a bar stool?
The type of drive (hex socket, here) does not matter too much. What matters is:
That this is a machine screw, not a wood screw. (Machine screws generally have blunt ends and fine threads; wood screws ...
- 4,044
49
votes
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How to keep screws in a hollow door
I would not mount the latch to the door skin. Even if you can attach it well, chances are you'll pull the skin off the door over time. It's not designed to withstand that sort of stress.
Instead, use ...
- 129k
49
votes
How do I unscrew this screw to disassemble a dresser?
That is not a screw that comes out.
It is a twist lock mechanism.
Turn it to the left as far it goes and pull boards apart.
It has a bolt from the side onto which it holds.
It looks like something ...
- 16.9k
45
votes
How to avoid stripping screw heads?
You may be having one or more of the problems as follows:
You are using the wrong size driver bit for the screw type. Make sure the bit fits perfectly in the slot of the screw.
You may be trying to ...
- 64.1k
43
votes
How to fit a screw into a drilled big hole on wall?
For this you can use wall drilling anchors as shown in the images below. They are also known as wall plugs or rawl plugs. You can get them from any hardware shop.
- 531
41
votes
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What is a NON-self-tapping screw? What does self-tapping mean, really?
To "tap" in this context means to cut threads into a hole. For this topic, we can think of three basic things a screw can do - drill its own hole, tap its own threads, or just force its way into the ...
- 27.7k
40
votes
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How to remove very stuck stripped screws?
Locking pliers, which is the generic term for a class of product often called by the name of one registered trademark (Vise Grips® - no particular endorsement implied, but some of the cheaper knock-...
- 201k
39
votes
What is a NON-self-tapping screw? What does self-tapping mean, really?
Partly you're being confused between "wood screw", and "machine screw" aka bolt. Wood screws self-thread by nature. Bolts are not meant to self-thread at all (unless they are).
When you fit a screw, ...
33
votes
Accepted
What do the numbers in screw sizes M3, M4 etc. mean?
There are a few more numbers for a complete description. It's pretty much a world-wide system described by several ISO standards, but there are occasional oddities (slight differences between ISO and ...
- 201k
33
votes
How to keep screws in a hollow door
In the Netherlands (and other parts of Europe) we use a 'patentbout' for this situation.
The holes are through the entire door and line up with the shields.
- 431
32
votes
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Technique for driving hinge screws to minimize misalignment
As you are a perfectionist for installing hinge screws perfectly it turns out that there is a product made just for this purpose. It is a self centering pilot drill that aims the pilot drill bit right ...
- 64.1k
32
votes
What screwdriver I should use for this screw head?
It appears that the hex sides of that screw head have been rounded off due to the use of an ill-fitting hex wrench. A metric and an SAE hex wrench will both fit in there, but the use of the wrong one, ...
- 43.1k
32
votes
What do the numbers in screw sizes M3, M4 etc. mean?
Mn for a number n means that the diameter of the screw, projected onto the transverse plane, is n milimeters - including the threading.
The "M" stands for "Metric" (as opposed to ...
- 2,657
31
votes
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Wood glue versus epoxy for doweling stripped screw holes
Wood glue, hands down. Wood glue is designed to penetrate the wood for a tighter bond. Properly done, wood glue is stronger than the surrounding wood. I have chairs I've wood glued and clamped and ...
- 24.1k
29
votes
Will removing shelving screws from studs damage the studs?
As long as they are normal screws and you unscrew them they won't compromise the studs or their integrity. If you rip the screws out (with a hammer for example) that could compromise the studs.
If ...
- 705
29
votes
How do I unscrew this screw to disassemble a dresser?
These are called cams. There's two parts to them.
The first part is the cam screw (example)
The second part (the one visible in your picture) is sometimes called a cam head, lock or connector (...
- 24.1k
28
votes
How to avoid stripping screw heads?
What am I doing wrong?
Using a drill to drive screws. I used to have the same problem as you, until I switched to using an Impact driver instead.
Drills are designed for drilling holes. They deliver ...
- 1,878
28
votes
Does it cause problems to overtighten connections on receptacles/switches?
Recent (last 10 or 20 years, maybe a bit more) code says to use torque wrenches/screwdrivers for all connections now.
You found some problems with going too tight. In addition, you also squeeze the ...
- 22.8k
27
votes
What screwdriver I should use for this screw head?
I mostly agree with FreeMan, but I think this was originally a Torx (six-pointed star) drive. The corners look deeper than I'd expect from an Allen drive.
I would get a set of Torx bits and look for ...
- 129k
26
votes
Choosing the right machine screw for a threaded hole in a computer monitor mount
You already discovered the answer for your monitor. I'll leave a general answer for others with a similar question.
The Video Electronics Standards Association has a set of standards for mounting ...
- 6,068
26
votes
What is a NON-self-tapping screw? What does self-tapping mean, really?
Pretty much any machine screw --
- 2,083
26
votes
Accepted
Why can't I drive a 12'' screw into 6x6 landscape timber?
If the pieces of wood you are drilling are not tightly pinned/clamped to each other, and are able to move around relative to each other while drilling, that is going to cause the screw to bind up and ...
26
votes
Accepted
How to remove screws deep in a mailbox that has a stripped head
Probably need to "think outside the box" a bit.
Will the existing mailbox be disposed after it is removed? Then don't worry about removing it delicately. Pick up a claw hammer, tin snips, a ...
- 27.9k
25
votes
How to avoid stripping screw heads?
It could be that the driver you are using is not a Phillips but a Pozidriv or the screws are Pozidriv and the driver is a Phillips.
See https://www.finehomebuilding.com/2015/09/16/what-is-the-...
- 20.9k
25
votes
Accepted
What's the term for a hole with a screw thread?
That is simply called a threaded insert. It is either first placed into the mold, then plastic injected, or pressed in after the plastic handle is injected. Google images for "threaded ...
- 266
25
votes
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How to prevent removal of cross-cut bolts for security?
You could add another locking nut on the bolt inside the shed -
You wont be damaging the rust protection of the bolt and it is an easy addition if the bolts are long enough.
Here's some useful ...
- 1,413
25
votes
How to remove screws deep in a mailbox that has a stripped head
After removing other 3 screws, try twisting the whole mailbox counterclockwise while pulling up - it might loosen the screw.
You can also use the old fashion method:
Take a blade from metal saw, wrap ...
- 535
24
votes
Accepted
Finding the right size of nut for a bolt
Judging by the pitch and diameter you've measured, what you probably have is an American UNC 6-32 screw.
There are many conversion charts on the interwebs, but if you refer to this one in particular ...
- 6,263
24
votes
How to fit a screw into a drilled big hole on wall?
If there is no wood at all behind this spot anywhere, a plain wall anchor may rip out over time - curtain rails hold curtains which can be heavy, and can flap around in the wind creating vibration ...
- 10k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible