QUOTE: Have you ever had a screw snap, strip, or split a perfect piece of wood? It turns out not all screws are created equal, and choosing the right one is the key to better woodworking. In this definitive guide, we break down the hidden anatomy of a screw to solve the most common frustrations that plague beginners and pros alike.

This is a message that has not penetrated the thick skulls of a lot of tradies with their cordless screwdrivers. I recently spent several months doing major structural repairs on my Shearing Shed built 1952, from largely rough sawn hardwood. In order to put screws in that, there was an air drill, wholly devoted to pre drilling. Otherwise it would split and some even had to be countersunk.

This of course takes longer & the rush, rush, electrician that did some electrical work and will not get any further work here; Was told to pre-drill the hardwood to install a light before using, what turned out to be #14 gauge screws. Naturally the job had to be done yesterday; I now have a stud starting eight feet above the floor, (roof apex 24 feet) split for over a foot.

Its for this reason a flood light was mounted on a wall by me, to the family's chagrin (over 70 & extension ladders). The weather board needed plating as its over 100 and tinder dry hardwood. So to avoid the board from being split, by an electrician, I made all the (Aluminium) hardware required to mount it.

One drill screw, or nail not pre-drilled will split that heritage board from on end to the other. Plates were bolted with SS ones.

It's not hard to drill pilot holes and the screws actually grip better with them than without. In that video, the user is shown doing the stop-start routine on screws - this is bad too, as the torsional forces on the shank will rip the heads straight off. Screws should be sent home in one drive, where possible.

Here's one that will get heads shaking in wonder - today's apprentices who tighted cables into the back of GPOs with a battery drill. Yes, I am not making this up, I've seen it several times over the years, and when possible I educate these boofheads on the need to tighten the connection, not over-tighten it.

Yeh! also seen plumbers destroying things with cordless drills/ screwdrivers. Ober torque can split boards, tear out plastic, and generally break things along with ripping out the screws centre & making it impossible to get it out.

It is possible to damage the driver bits, some of which are crap anyway. With quite a lot, if they tried thinking, it would be a new experience.

today's apprentices who tightened cables into the back of GPOs with a battery drill

Unbelievable, and kind of analogous to 'rattle guns' used on wheel lug nuts. They were supposed to be used for removing the nuts, not tightening them.

I always go around my cars that have had wheels removed during services and loosen and retigten them with the tools available in the car - after all, that is the tools that I or my wife will use in the case of a tyre failure. Quite often it is necessary to add a tubular jack handle or spark plug tube spanner to the wheel spanner to get the nut off.
I've schooled the ladies in the family to the likely need to use the tube spanner added to the wheel spanner, and to stand on it if necessary. But don't use the tube spanner when tightening.

Recently helped adding latticework to 60 year old hardwood log cabin cladding. Another education job. Required predrilling for the screws. Best to have two drills for the job, one for the drill and one for the screw. And set the torque when driving - very easy to strip the wood if over tightened.