David Nebenzahl wrote in
.com:

... for anything except hanging drywall.*

It's really irritating to see how just about every screw I see driven
into the various houses I work on seem to be those damned ubiquitous
drywall screws. Doesn't matter whether it's a shelf bracket, a piece
of trim or an electrical fixture. Sure, they're cheap and easy to
drive and everyone has bagsfull of them, but you know what? They ain't
the right fastener for about 75% of the things they're used for.

True.
I'm guilty 75% of the time


Thing is, they're made of hardened steel, which you'd think would make
them better. This does make them easier to drive into wood without
drilling a pilot hole first (gee whiz, who has time for *that*?). But
the problem is that means they're much more brittle than ordinary wood
(or sheet-metal) screws of the same size, which means they're much
more likely to fail under stress.

Oh yea. There are places I'd never use them. Exterior apps (unless
galv), floors, underlayments, truss/flooring sistering, anywhere natural
movement is probable to name a few.

(Anyone who's ever snapped off the head of
one of them because of overtightening knows this.)

So I'm going to start stocking up on a bunch of sizes of wood screws
and start using them. Next, I might tackle that problem: I read, some
time ago in /Fine Woodworking/, I think, that the best screws to use
in wood are actually ... sheet-metal screws, which have bigger threads
in relation to screw size that hold better in wood. Have to do some
research on that.


* Exceptions for other applications which this type of screw is made
for, such as fastening deck boards, etc.



That sad thing is how damn thin they have become. No wonder they snap so
easily. I pulled some 2"ers out of some 20 yr old countertops just a bit
back. I'd say a good 1/3rd or better beefier. And the necks just below
the head don't look like old manifold bolts.