Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

I've assembled a good selection of wood working tools, a nail gun (for the bargain price of a fiver) and a wide range of clamps. I've got door catches, timber, a donor caravan and hinges... but now I've got to get the final bits before the build starts.

Glue is the major purchase for the next week, but the week after I want to buy the best screws for the job... what do you guys view as the best screws overall to use?

I've always used drywall or decking screws in the past, mainly because they are cheap, sharp and are readily available in the most basic of DIY shops, and I realise its a very basic question to ask, but I'd prefer to rely on the experience base here of what to buy rather than wasting money on the wrong thing.

Cheers, Dewi

I went to our local Wickes, selected around 20 quids worth of zinc plated number 8 screws in 1" ,1 1/4", 1 1/2" and 2". I then looked on the bottom shelf and found a bucket containing the same amounts of said screws for £6.99.

Guess which I used being a Yorkshire man

The best screws I have found are Phillips II availible at Lowes. They are gaurenteed against breakage and rust! I have built 3 campers with them and have not broken one, and believe me, I break everything!!

It depends on what the screws are asked to do. I use decking screws when I am gluing and screwing pieces of wood together. The glue does the real bonding, while the decking screws do a good job of pulling the panels tightly together. In that application, I typically sink the screw-heads into the surface, and patch over it with bondo before painting so the screw-head can't be seen.

If the screws are going to be exposed to the elements, and will be doing all the work of keeping a panel in place, I use stainless steel wood screws. They are strong, and don't rust.

For trim pieces, I will usually glue and tack in place with an air powered brad nailer or narrow crown stapler. There again the glue does the real work, and the brad or staple just holds things in place while the glue dries.

CD

caseydog wrote:It depends on what the screws are asked to do. I use decking screws when I am gluing and screwing pieces of wood together. The glue does the real bonding, while the decking screws do a good job of pulling the panels tightly together. In that application, I typically sink the screw-heads into the surface, and patch over it with bondo before painting so the screw-head can't be seen.

If the screws are going to be exposed to the elements, and will be doing all the work of keeping a panel in place, I use stainless steel wood screws. They are strong, and don't rust.

For trim pieces, I will usually glue and tack in place with an air powered brad nailer or narrow crown stapler. There again the glue does the real work, and the brad or staple just holds things in place while the glue dries.

CD

Do you still use pocket hole jig and screws for spars?
or brads and glue? or counter sink bit screws and glue ?

Nothing like an excellent screw........

Wood Screws - Flat Head - Square Drive - When only the best will do, use marine grade silicon bronze.

Steve_Cox wrote:Nothing like an excellent screw

I concur


I used deck screws and glue when joining 2 pieces of wood. If they were on the exterior, the heads were sunk and covered with an epoxy filler. The trim pieces and diamond plate were attached with #8 1" SS screws. I used deck screws and glue for my roof spars because they sat on a lip I had left in the side walls. But I used my pocket hole jig for the spars on my hatch because there was no lip and I could not screw from the outside. Like the C-Dog said, it all depends...

Dan & Julie CO wrote:

caseydog wrote:It depends on what the screws are asked to do. I use decking screws when I am gluing and screwing pieces of wood together. The glue does the real bonding, while the decking screws do a good job of pulling the panels tightly together. In that application, I typically sink the screw-heads into the surface, and patch over it with bondo before painting so the screw-head can't be seen.

If the screws are going to be exposed to the elements, and will be doing all the work of keeping a panel in place, I use stainless steel wood screws. They are strong, and don't rust.

For trim pieces, I will usually glue and tack in place with an air powered brad nailer or narrow crown stapler. There again the glue does the real work, and the brad or staple just holds things in place while the glue dries.

CD

Do you still use pocket hole jig and screws for spars?
or brads and glue? or counter sink bit screws and glue ?

I glued the roof spars in, and screwed them through my side wall from the outside -- my side walls are 3/4 birch plywood. The screw heads are countersunk, and will be covered.

If I needed to go from the inside, I would glue and pocket screw on the top side, and let the roof hide the screws -- I plan to leave my spars exposed. If you enclose the spars, it doesn't mater it you put the pockets on the top or bottom.

Here is a picture of my hatch spars attached with pocket screws. The spars are not exposed so I didn't care where the holes were.

planovet wrote:Here is a picture of my hatch spars attached with pocket screws. The spars are not exposed so I didn't care where the holes were.

That’s nice and saves you from having to putty all them holes from the outside.

Here's a supplier with stainless steel screws for a reasonable price.

http://www.manasquanfasteners.com

I used biscuits for my bulkheads, but glued and screwed my spars in from the outside, countersinking the head. I plan on using these SS screws for my aluminum. They have a round head and square drive, so I think they'll look a little more like a rivet and less like a standard screw.



Brad

Dewi,

Buy the screws you like, they will work just fine. I liked the pocket screws for more then just pockets, About anything will work. Its your budget

John

I kinda chimed in on this tread asking questions thank you helping and for the help along the way

One little warning about pocket screws, they will rust if they get wet. I used some in the galley and where water might get to the m used deck screws in the holes. Worked fine. I used deck screws on almost everything cause I bought so many............

I am about to install my T-Moulding and door jamb trim I got from Grant so it is dead soft and the t moulding is not predrilled and the door jamb trim is, but not counter sunk.

So I am wondering should I use panhead screws and would the height of there interfere with the door closing? This is the door jamb/galley wall cap and a #8 panhead screw but I would use a #6:


Or would I use counter sunk screws and expect the aluminum to give when the screw bottoms out so it will be flush??? Obviously the flush look is much sweeter. This is a #6 SS screw


Hard to believe something so small is so monumental: