On 8/22/2015 9:40 AM, Leon wrote:
On 8/21/2015 6:08 PM, wrote:
Karl, after we talked about different types of fasteners a while back,
I decided to give SPAX a try. You're right... I like them! They are
a graded fastener, the have a thinner body than the screws I was
using, and they are easier to drive.

However...

I like the Torx drive, but the driver they supply seems soft. The
screw heads don't seem too deep, so you have to be at 90 degrees to
have solid, no slip drive. I am used to the hundreds of thousands of
Phillips and square drive screws I have driven, and find the fact I
have to be right on top of the screw to drive it annoying as hell. In
a tight space with a long extension to reach, I can usually drive a
Phillips head about 15 degrees of so off parallel from the head, not
so with the SPAX screws and the supplied bit. Since I do a lot of
maintenance and repairs, this is pretty important to me.

It was highlighted last week when I had the kick off a long bath
vanity that was caulked/marble topped/mirrored into place and I
couldn't get to the carcass base runners any other way than laying on
my stomach and running my impact driver with a long extension with a
screw on it as far back as I could reach. When the screw would bite
and find its way into the wood, it would change the drive angle and
the bit would slip from the screw. After goofing with it (laying on
my stomach getting my arms torn up by the tack strip) for about 30
minutes I gave up and got my Phillips screws out and finished the job
quickly.

This isn't the first time I have had drive problems with the screws,
so I am wondering what the problem might be. When I am over the
screw, they drive very well and their aggressive threads make it
quick. I like they fact that hey are graded for use, and the others I
use aren't.

So is it the bit, the screws, or both? Or do I need to confine my use
of these to more perfect conditions?

Next, how water/moisture resistant are these screws? I am getting
ready to install a lot of grab bars in a house, and a few will be in
the house bathrooms. I dont' want to see the bars outside the
shower/bath rust, so I am wary. I would like to have a screw that I
didn't have to drill a pilot hole to install, but I would like to have
rust resistance even more.

Any thoughts would certainly be appreciated!

Robert



Robert this is why you probably are not getting a good grip on those
bits and screws. If the protrusion on the end of the bit does not fit
the hole in the bottom of the bit the splines are surely not going to
engage properly. I doubt that a normal Torx bit will work any better on
these screws, bur "maybe" they will For your application the head that
Spax uses is probably not going to work well.


http://fitberg.istore.pl/upload/phot...l/28513967.jpg


..

And just one more thing, I think. ;~)

Spax web site boasts, German Engineered, American Made
That might be the problem. LOL

In another thread, I mentioned that I learned that Mercedes built a
plant, in the US, to build cars specifically for China.

Looks like the Germans are using us to build knock offs. ;~(