Screw Lube (no dirty thoughts please)

[mallymal]

I once watched a gang of guys strip out a stage set in a conference venue we were waiting to set up in. The whole thing was screwed together with TORX style screws... they were zipping about the place with power drivers, barely looking waht they were doing! Yet those screws & bits just matched perfectly without any worn out heads or bits.

So a totally diffewrent application, but if they're good enough for the pros on a job like that...

And if you want to lube, like the others I totally agree on simple old fashioned remedies like candle wax or beeswax... but I'd avoid bar soap, that's too soft, comes off on your hands etc.

[Larwyn]

I once watched a gang of guys strip out a stage set in a conference venue we were waiting to set up in. The whole thing was screwed together with TORX style screws... they were zipping about the place with power drivers, barely looking waht they were doing! Yet those screws & bits just matched perfectly without any worn out heads or bits.

So a totally diffewrent application, but if they're good enough for the pros on a job like that...

And if you want to lube, like the others I totally agree on simple old fashioned remedies like candle wax or beeswax... but I'd avoid bar soap, that's too soft, comes off on your hands etc.

Yep and getting all that soap on your hands could result in unnecessary cleanliness, wouldn't want that happening to me...............

[madprinter]

Just spit on it , of course I used to get my mouth washed out with soap regularly. Seriously, I'd have to say the "Squarehead screws and predrilling are the way to go. Good luck.

[GPW]

We've used beeswax for many years ... if you have a lot of screwing to do then you can heat a pan of wax and coat all the threads of the screws at once, saves time and gives great results...
PS don't wax the heads...just the threads...

[Shadow Catcher]

Pre drill using a drill bit that matches your screw profile exactly including the countersink. I love the torx screws, as the problem with philips is that the driver will tend to cam out (the reason the torx was invented). The square head has sharp corners a stress riser that can lead to cracking. But seriously if you pre drill most any thing will work.

[Arne]

sometimes I use candle wax.....

[rowerwet]

Phillips work ok as long as you have those bits with the little teeth near the point, I use bosch bits from Lowes. A good amount of push is also needed to keep from stripping out the heads on stubborn screws, and like someone said earlier, try one of those impact drive drills they do make a difference.
I am an airplane mechanic, airplanes are held together with thousands of phillips screws, the phillips screw was invented by a man who was trying to start an airplane company, he wanted a fastener that would cam out at a pre-set torque instead of snapping off the fastener. (what one of my customers told me, he researched all the different types of fasteners, the only one he couldn't find was the Allen head)

[drewbtaylor]

I would avoid spraying the box with lubricant as you really only want to hit the threads. Any silicone or otherwise in the heads will cause the phillips bit to cam out of the recess.

I prefer Robertson (square drive) and source all my fasteners from McFeeley http://www.mcfeelys.com/ as they have a better engineered fastener drywall screws just aren't desinged for many of our uses.

The pilot hole is critical to a sucessful mechanical fastener. spend time to properly set countersinks, use a tapered drill and 2 separate drills make life a lot easier.

[Snide61]

I've been told by a home builder that all they use is the square headed bits in their phillips screws. Just gotta find one that fits into your phillips. I've tried it and it makes life a lot simpler for small projects, although I've not used it on any large-scale projects yet.

[TENNJIM]

I know that no jokes were requested, and I have been watching this thread for a long time. But seriously, has anyone tried K-Y Jelly, yet?


Jim B / Utah