On Thu, 21 Oct 2004 11:50:42 -0400, (Arch) wrote:



Are there differences in the quality of drywall screws, imports, price
etc? What is the metal they are made of? Does it vary in composition,
strength, quality, etc?

For faceplate use, Is there any difference in using drywall screws made
for driving into metal, wood or sheetrock?

Does it matter whether screws are self tapping and crush the wood or are
driven into holes the size of the screw's core?

Does the sharp taper of drywall screws render them less efficient and
more dangerous than screws with a straighter shank?

Do the coarse sharp threads of drywall screws register the workpiece
against the faceplate more firmly than wood screws?

If a screw's shank isn't fractured when driven home, why would _one of
several in a circle around the faceplate be wrung off during rotation?

If I need to change from drywall screws to 'better' steel etc. because
of larger, heavier or unbalanced blanks, why don't I just use them on
all my blanks?

Finally thank goodness, would coating them with talcum powder make it
easier to drive them into the wood and also prevent those ugly rust
marks? Or would this impose a liability risk due to the epidemic death
toll from baby powder? It could be a subect for yet another ?? CDC
grant. A billion here and a billion there could add up to real money,
maybe even enough to make some safe flu vaccine.

Bloody hell! Probably less than one in ten thousand inquiring rcw minds
really want to know.
there are indeed various qualities of drywall screws. Home Depot
carries 2-3 brands, and I made the mistake of buying the cheapest.
They were lousy...often broke, especially if I had to remove one and
re-drive it. Some had bad threads and some were molded together.

I went back and got something called "Deckmate" with combination
square and Phillips drive, with a coating for ease of driving and
resistance to weather. (There are even stainless steel screws, if you
need total resistance to rust)

Screws, like almost every product, have levels of quality, and
depending on how many you use and for what purposes, it is good to try
various brands and make notes.

For faceplate use, I 'usually' use the largest sheet-metal screw that
will go thru the hole..(#10 or #12) so I can control slipping
(centering) better, but with care, any good screw can do the job.