Screws?

[David Stone]

I haven't done any woodworking in a while, and I'm curious what the preferred type/brand of wood screw is nowadays for cabinets.  
I was looking at the McFeely's site, and they have so many more types of screw than I remember.
I was hoping there might be a consensus here.
And -- Do I want 1 1/4" or 1 1/2"?

Thanks in advance.

Stone

[hcbph]

Personally I prefer Robertson drive (square) for the drive end.  The body of the screws depend on the usage, typically I like particle board screws for a majority of the situations I come up against, but it varies depending on the situation.  As far as length, I probably use 1.25" lengtyh most but others come in from 1" to 1.5"
The reason I like particle board screws is because they aren't brittle, have a decent size shank on them and nice depth thread.  They are course thread, so in situations where you need fine thread they won't work.
My opinions.

[Roly]

Personally I prefer Robertson drive (square) for the drive end.  The body of the screws depend on the usage, typically I like particle board screws for a majority of the situations I come up against, but it varies depending on the situation.  As far as length, I probably use 1.25" lengtyh most but others come in from 1" to 1.5"
The reason I like particle board screws is because they aren't brittle, have a decent size shank on them and nice depth thread.  They are course thread, so in situations where you need fine thread they won't work.
My opinions.

For most cabinet work I use 1 1/4" because if you are screwing two 3/4" boards together a 1 1/2" screw will either come through or breakout the back.   There are all types of screws for various purposes.  Drywall screws are great for drywall but break very easy.  All the different head styles are for various uses.   I like the square drive for normal sizes and the spline drive for heavy uses.  Roly

[fredhargis]

What they said. I use #8-1 1/4 square drive.

[ShopStud]

I haven't done any woodworking in a while, and I'm curious what the preferred type/brand of wood screw is nowadays for cabinets.  
I was looking at the McFeely's site, and they have so many more types of screw than I remember.
I was hoping there might be a consensus here.
And -- Do I want 1 1/4" or 1 1/2"?

Thanks in advance.

Stone

Holy Mother of God, you've opened a Pandora's box here !!  There are a lot of opinions on what screws to use, and I can only share what I do and what works for me in a cost effective manner.

Before we get into screws, we need to understand the characteristics of the material used to manufacture them.

Drywall screws - these are amazingly easy to use, versatile, cheap as chips (relatively speaking) and very easily available, come in a variety of different lengths and work well for a lot of rough work and where the load is not heavy.  They are easy to drive in.  However, they are quite brittle, with the heads tending to snap off if too much torque is applied (be careful while using with impact driver) and don't do well when subjected to a lot of shear force.  Great for light temporary work and to make stuff like workshop jigs (where you will likely glue the joints) and some crude furniture.  These screws can also rust when exposed to high humidity.  Not for good quality furniture or for something you expect to last a long time (unless you putty and paint over it.  I love them and use them often, but be well aware of their limitations.

Traditional wood screws - These are much stronger, are not made of steel that is as brittle, they have countersunk heads and come with either a slotted head or Philips head.  Avoid slotted head.  If you don't have a good driver bit and don't press down hard enough while driving them in, you can strip the head and land yourself in some trouble.  Hence, I am not very keen on using these, especially when long screws and a lot of torque is involved.  You can get these almost anywhere and they are not too expensive.

Production Screws - These are with square drive and come in different sizes and with different coatings.  They are generally the more expensive, can handle a fair bit of torque and don't snap easily.  If I'm going to need screws longer than 2", I will consider the use of ones with a square drive.  The heads don't strip easily, the bit does not come out the screw easily while driving, and so you are unlikely to mar the wood surface due to a bit that slips out while it is being driven.  Far better than a Phillips head screw

Star Head Screws - These are the Cadillac of screws.  Absolutely the best and can't be beat, any which way you look at it.  Unbelievable hold on the bit while driving, typically can handle tons of torque without snapping and has excellent shear strength.  Great for decks and other structural work where you don't want things to move once you have screwed them in. Expensive as bloody hell !  I've bought mine from Home Depot (GRK Fasteners): https://www.homedepot.com/p/GRK-Fastener.../203533438

Screw Lengths - This will depend on what you are joining.  If you are working in 3/4" ply, you want to use 1-1/4" to 1-1/2" at least, to make sure the joint is good.  You really want to carry both sizes.

See attached document for details on screw specifications and also drilling speeds.

[Tapper]

Holy Mother of God, you've opened a Pandora's box here !!  There are a lot of opinions on what screws to use, and I can only share what I do and what works for me in a cost effective manner.

Before we get into screws, we need to understand the characteristics of the material used to manufacture them.

Drywall screws - these are amazingly easy to use, versatile, cheap as chips (relatively speaking) and very easily available, come in a variety of different lengths and work well for a lot of rough work and where the load is not heavy.  They are easy to drive in.  However, they are quite brittle, with the heads tending to snap off if too much torque is applied (be careful while using with impact driver) and don't do well when subjected to a lot of shear force.  Great for light temporary work and to make stuff like workshop jigs (where you will likely glue the joints) and some crude furniture.  These screws can also rust when exposed to high humidity.  Not for good quality furniture or for something you expect to last a long time (unless you putty and paint over it.  I love them and use them often, but be well aware of their limitations.

Traditional wood screws - These are much stronger, are not made of steel that is as brittle, they have countersunk heads and come with either a slotted head or Philips head.  Avoid slotted head.  If you don't have a good driver bit and don't press down hard enough while driving them in, you can strip the head and land yourself in some trouble.  Hence, I am not very keen on using these, especially when long screws and a lot of torque is involved.  You can get these almost anywhere and they are not too expensive.

Production Screws - These are with square drive and come in different sizes and with different coatings.  They are generally the more expensive, can handle a fair bit of torque and don't snap easily.  If I'm going to need screws longer than 2", I will consider the use of ones with a square drive.  The heads don't strip easily, the bit does not come out the screw easily while driving, and so you are unlikely to mar the wood surface due to a bit that slips out while it is being driven.  Far better than a Phillips head screw

Star Head Screws - These are the Cadillac of screws.  Absolutely the best and can't be beat, any which way you look at it.  Unbelievable hold on the bit while driving, typically can handle tons of torque without snapping and has excellent shear strength.  Great for decks and other structural work where you don't want things to move once you have screwed them in. Expensive as bloody hell !  I've bought mine from Home Depot (GRK Fasteners): https://www.homedepot.com/p/GRK-Fastener.../203533438

Screw Lengths - This will depend on what you are joining.  If you are working in 3/4" ply, you want to use 1-1/4" to 1-1/2" at least, to make sure the joint is good.  You really want to carry both sizes.

See attached document for details on screw specifications and also drilling speeds.

Torx - They are worth the extra cost IMO. They also typically come with a tip in the box for your favorite drill driver, which is nice. Length depends on the job. I find myself with lots of 1 5/8" screws and use them often.

Doug

[EdL]

Drywall screws are not allowed in my shop. One should need a permit to buy them.

Most misused fastener ever made.

They have ONE purpose, drywall.

NOT fastening kitchen cabinets together, NOT fastening electrical boxes to studs.....etc.

Ed

[AHill]

Drywall screws are not allowed in my shop. One should need a permit to buy them.

Most misused fastener ever made.

They have ONE purpose, drywall.

NOT fastening kitchen cabinets together, NOT fastening electrical boxes to studs.....etc.

Ed

Totally agree!

There's a reason they are called DRYWALL screws.  And there's a reason when you go to your big box home improvement store that there's a section in the hardware aisle labeled "wood screws."  Screws intended for use in wood are stronger than drywall screws, and their threads are designed to penetrate and hold in wood, not drywall.

https://www.mcfeelys.com/screw_size_comparisons
https://www.rockler.com/learn/wood-screw-buying-guide

[Cabinet Monkey]

Are you looking for cabinets assembly screws or cabinet installation screws ?

Or both ?

[MstrCarpenter]

I know there are pros and cons to each of the different drive heads, but I am seriously getting tired of searching for the right tip and then sometimes having to grind it so it fits tightly. Can we all just get on the same page? There's a company that makes construction fasteners. Same box and lettering, slightly different heads. One's a torx the other looks like a torx but has 8 points. I don't have 8 point star tips. I have 6 and 4 (square). Now they're making a torx with a small pin on the bottom.

It's gotten to the point that if someone brings me #5 of screws that aren't #2 phillips, they better have a half-dozen tips to fit.

"Hey, you got the tip so I can take this staging down?"
"Yea, but it's 1/4" round, 1" long. You really want me to throw it up to you?"