Talk to me about torque!

[whitevanwoman]

Success :banana:

I was using a pozi head instead of a philips so changed that, unscrewed them a touch, set torque on 1, when it stopped turning, increased torque to 2, used short bursts, with lots of weight behind, increased torque to 3, and hey presto, it worked a treat.

Thanks for all the tips, it's been very useful, it's often the little tips like those which only come from experience which make all the difference.

Catch you later, off to finish the rest now.

 

[Teutone]

That's exactly what's happening

Well, you know what to do :dance:

Only downside of drilling the hole larger in the ply is the time involved and the ability to drill the pilot hole "off-centre" to relation of the ply.

What I usually do:

-- Pre-drill Plywood with pilot hole size
-- Fit Ply wood panel with a few screws only
-- Drill all pilot holes
-- Remove Ply wood panel and drill holes a bit larger for screw clerance
-- Fit Plywood with all screws

BEWARE: if you need to "shape" the plywood along a curved surface you are better off IGNORING what I wrote and just fit screw by screw from one edge or you may end up with
a "wavy" ply panel.

Usually in cases like yours it's brute force which achieves the desired result. Press hard enough and just get the damn thing in.

You could drill the Pilot Hole through Ply and metal, lift the Ply a little bit off and insert a small metal strip (covering up the pilot hole in the metal behind the ply) before you drill the larger hole in the ply for the screw.

A lot of fuss for just fitting some plywood into a van, isn't it?

 

[sparrks]

Success :banana:

I was using a pozi head instead of a philips so changed that, unscrewed them a touch, set torque on 1, when it stopped turning, increased torque to 2, used short bursts, with lots of weight behind, increased torque to 3, and hey presto, it worked a treat.

Thanks for all the tips, it's been very useful, it's often the little tips like those which only come from experience which make all the difference.

Catch you later, off to finish the rest now.

:banana:

 

[Firefox]

Tried that, it worked with some of them but not these stubborn ones.

Glad it's now working better anyway!

The purists here are going to hate this suggestion, but this is another use for mole grips. Clamping them on the screw head you can get quite a bit of leverage to clear a jammed screw for a turn or so. It may be easier to take the screw out and drill a slightly bigger hole though! But the mole grips do have their uses for stubborn screws and bolts in some situations.

 

[sparrks]

Glad it's now working better anyway!

The purists here are going to hate this suggestion, but this is another use for mole grips. Clamping them on the screw head you can get quite a bit of leverage to clear a jammed screw for a turn or so. It may be easier to take the screw out and drill a slightly bigger hole though! But the mole grips do have their uses for stubborn screws and bolts in some situations.

Mole grips are one of the most usefull tools you can add to a tool kit - very few people seem to have them now days.

 

[whitevanwoman]

Mole grips are one of the most usefull tools you can add to a tool kit - very few people seem to have them now days.

Firefox has been saying the same thing ever since I first met him, so much so that he even bought me my very own pair of mole grips :lol-053:

the only problem is they're black, not pink like most of the rest of my tools

pink tools are very useful, it stops men from nicking them :lol-053:

 

[sparrks]

Firefox has been saying the same thing ever since I first met him, so much so that he even bought me my very own pair of mole grips :lol-053:

the only problem is they're black, not pink like most of the rest of my tools

pink tools are very useful, it stops men from nicking them :lol-053:

If you overtighten them and they slip you'll remember not to to do it again.

 

[rockape]

What torque setting (1 - 16) should I set my new 18v drill driver on for screwing through ply and metal into predrilled holes?

I think I've got all the other settings correct, low speed, rotary action etc, but the screwdriver bit is just spinning in the screw head and the screw isn't moving.. The pilot hole is a touch too small but the next size drill bit is too big. A couple of the screws have gone in no problem, but a couple simply won't budge.

I don't think this new machine is nearly as good at drilling as my old B&D hammer drill, I've ended up using that to drill the pilot holes but I can see how the new one will make life much easier as a driver, once I've got all the settings correct.

Aaaaah, my kind of woman,, got your own toolkit. Try a little oil on the tip of the screw if you think that the pilot hole is a little small

 

[rockape]

For most screws up to 4 inch/100 mm its best to use a PZ 2 tip. If all fails use a cordless hammer.

 

[whitevanwoman]

Aaaaah, my kind of woman,, got your own toolkit. Try a little oil on the tip of the screw if you think that the pilot hole is a little small

Brute force, determination and a few tips from other forum members won the day

You wouldn't want my tool kit, it's pink. A pink proper tool bag and various pink tools, some of them are a bit cruddy but some are ok.

And since I got it, none of my tools have gone missing - when I had builders in doing some work a couple of years ago, they were impressed with it but made sure that they didn't go off with any pink tools at the end of the job, unlike when I had someone in to do some plumbing and I discovered afterwards that a decent yellow and black ratchet screwdriver and a large plumbing wrench had disappeared :mad2:

 

[hextal]

If you overtighten them and they slip you'll remember not to to do it again.

Yep. Tighten till it breaks then back it off half turn:lol-049: or as my old man used to refer to it b****rd tight.

 

[whitevanwoman]

Someone else suggested self-drilling screws and I wish I'd taken their advice but they didn't have any in Wickes, only self-tappers. But next time I see some I will get some as I'm sure they'll come in handy at some point.

 

[kimbowbill]

Great thread, i have found it very helpful, as for the mole grips, i always have them, they are very useful, who needs a bloke when you have a pair of mole grips, i've got a massive pair :lol-061: and a tiny pair, for 99p wouldn't be without them

 

[n brown]

Easydrive® Self Drill BZP Drywall 25mm Pk1000 | Screwfix.com they have a philips head

 

[ricc]

that screwfix link says the plasterboard screws are for wooden studding.....think they must employ monkeys to write the catalogues.....if its got the cutting bit on the point its for metal studwork. the hex head roofing screws are better for going into thicker metalwork cos the hex head is a better drive to handle more torque.
im going to try the drywall screws with an impact driver. when i line mine cos the screws is cheaper and ive already got the driver...but local toolstation were out of stock yesterday.

 

[n brown]

that screwfix link says the plasterboard screws are for wooden studding.....think they must employ monkeys to write the catalogues.....if its got the cutting bit on the point its for metal studwork. the hex head roofing screws are better for going into thicker metalwork cos the hex head is a better drive to handle more torque.
im going to try the drywall screws with an impact driver. when i line mine cos the screws is cheaper and ive already got the driver...but local toolstation were out of stock yesterday.

you won't need impact. i have a countersink/drill bit with a few mm of drill showing,which drills and countersinks the ply in situ without touching the metal,then the screws fly in through normal van metal with a cordless. in fact normal woodscrews also go straight into the van ribs with a bit of a push! i've put these screws through 6mm steel,takes no longer than a drill bit. i keep a few 3.5mm screws around as you strip the thread sometimes,just whip it out and stick a woodscrew in

 

[ricc]

you won't need impact. i have a countersink/drill bit with a few mm of drill showing,which drills and countersinks the ply in situ without touching the metal,then the screws fly in through normal van metal with a cordless. in fact normal woodscrews also go straight into the van ribs with a bit of a push! i've put these screws through 6mm steel,takes no longer than a drill bit. i keep a few 3.5mm screws around as you strip the thread sometimes,just whip it out and stick a woodscrew in

might not "need" the impact driver , but its sat in the shed and you dont need the "bit of a push" that you do with a combidriver, just makes the job easier so makes sense to use it. saves a lot of time if you can wack the screws straight in without drilling pilot holes in the ply or metal. you do need to wear ear protection to use it in a tin box.

 

[n brown]

might not "need" the impact driver , but its sat in the shed and you dont need the "bit of a push" that you do with a combidriver, just makes the job easier so makes sense to use it. saves a lot of time if you can wack the screws straight in without drilling pilot holes in the ply or metal. you do need to wear ear protection to use it in a tin box.

does that put them in hard enough to countersink below the surface,and are you talking about an impact driver rather than hammer action.would love to not have to c/sink !

 

[sparrks]

An impact driver will turn a screw in as tight as a normal driver, but without the effort/weight required pushing on the driver. I use my impact driver over a my normal one all the time unless the noise is to disrupting. I find it especially usefull if working on a ladder for reasons given earlier.

Yes, it can countersink the screw, but can cause problems with stripping or snapping the screw - obviously depends on how hard the material is.

 

[mark61]

Like this used all the time now instead of drill drivers.

Mayer, Paul (27 December 2010). "Do I Really Need an Impact Driver?". Woodworkers Guild of America. Archived from the original on 17 October 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2012. "An impact driver combines much higher rotational torque than traditional drills, with fast paced rotational tapping (not to be confused with hammer drills with deliver tapping from the rear to help power through concrete and other hard materials) which serves to nudge the fastener along while keeping the screw tip in place without spinning out of the slots."