Mat and Suzy wrote:
I'm at the beginning of a mammoth fencing project.... A simple wooden fence
using 6'x6" dog ear panels and pressure treated posts and 2x4s. So far I
used galvanized joist nails to join the 2x4s to the posts (using fence
brackets) but have screwed the dog ear panels to the 2x4s (using triple
coated deck screws that were going very cheap at Menards). My question is,
are screws as good a solution as nails for the panels? The wood is pretty
soft, and the screws do not tighten up too much before they start to turn.
That said, they feel pretty solid. But the nails displace a lot more wood
going in, and seem to create a tough joint (I had to take a couple
out...they were in pretty good).

I guess if nails are best, I will have to spring for a nail gun. Seeing as
my materials budget is around $4k I suppose I can justify that if I have to.
But only if screws will not be good enough in the long run.

All ideas and advice gratefully received.

Screws hold better. It sounds like you're stripping out the screws by
over-torquing them. Are you sure the clutch setting on your driver is
correctly set?

For a project that big, you might want to buy an autofeed screwgun. It
would save you a sh...errr...lots of time. You can sell it on eBay
when you're done and you'll get most of your money back.

R