"Existential Angst" wrote in message
...
Awl --

Yeah, I know, a sheetmetal screw.....

But are there designs esp. good for semi-heavy loads attached to 16 ga
metal frames? At least I think they are 16 ga....

The problem I have with traditional sheet metal screws is that the ratio
of the major to the minor diameter seems kind of small, ie, there doesn't
seem to be enough thread "behind" the sheet metal.

Is the idea for the thread to grab the 16 ga material in the minor
diameter and sort of wedge it, or to thread/cut into the material?
Apropos of the latter, are chassis screws viable? Still made?

Are sheetrock screws a no-no? I like coarse SR screws, bec they seem to
have a large root/major diam ratio.

Sources for the "right kind" of fastener for this app?

All inneresting responses, but the nature of this attachment requires simple
screwing, no fancy stuff.
I'm pretty sure I'll be OK strength/shear-wise with regular sheet metal
screws, just want to make sure they don't loosen with
shaking/loading/unloading.

If worse gets worser, I was thinking of using a silicone seal/loctite type
ditty with the screws.

I guess I can make the rounds of Thomasnet.com, but goddamm, I hate talking
to salespeople, and I'll proly wind up with 5,000 samples I'll have to
organize, since I can't bear to throw **** away....

How does a coarse sheetrock screw "rate" as a sheet metal screw? In
principle, they ARE sheetmetal screws, at least when used with metal
framing.

Innerestingly, according to a thread a while ago (comparing fine thread to
coarse thread SR screws), the fine thread are what are used w/ metal studs,
whereas I would have predicted the opposite.
--
EA


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EA