A Good Screw
You don't have to go to the ends of the earth for one.
For fine (and fine-ish) furniture work, when a screw is called for, I prefer to use slot-heads.1 But when it comes to kitchen cabinets, shop furniture, rot strips on the underside of tool chests, crates and the like, I much prefer self-drilling screws (who wants to drill clearance and pilot holes on a crate?!), ideally ones with a star-drive (Torx) recess, to reduce the chance of cam-out…assuming I’ve chosen the proper driver, of course.
But as I discovered while attaching the backs to the kitchen cabinets I’m in the midst of making, the choice of screws matters.
This isn’t a blanket statement covering all self-drive screws because I’ve not done a proper comparison of all of the many brands available (nor am I going to spend good money on screws I know I don’t like just for a photograph) at my local Home Depot, Lowe’s, Ace Hardware and Do-It Best Hardware. But I’ve used a lot of them, including SPAX (a former favorite), Hillman (atrocious), Grip-Rite (I’ve snapped lots of these), Simpson (does not completely suck)…and above all, I prefer the GRK R4 multi-purpose screws.2
While the GRKs can, like all self-drilling screws, fight you when you first try to start the screw into the wood, they put up less of a fight than most brands3 thanks to the super-sharp tip (the company calls it a “Fast Bite” and the sharp-edged channel (the “Zip-Tip”) that helps it beaver into the wood/plywood.
And these cause less splitting than the Hillmans I bought at my friendly local hardware store (where I wish they carried GRKs).
Also, the heads are crisp, which means that the proper tip (which is included in the package) fits snug in the recess; I can’t recall it ever camming out while I’ve driven a GRK. I’ve certainly had trouble with other brands, even with using the supplied driver tip.
The GRKs cost more per screw than the other brands mentioned – but they cost a lot less than the mental anguish of splitting your work, or fighting to get the job done quickly. And they’re widely available…though I’m sad they’re not stocked at my local hardware store.
I keep a goodly supply on hand from blacksmithbolt.com because that site carries new and used old stock – not the cheap-o looking zinc-coated crap you can get at most hardware stores. (Yes, I know you can strip the zinc, and I do when needs must.)
As does Chris.
A sharp rap with a hammer to set the screw in place before drilling can help to overcome that.
I've been using McFeeiy's #6 and #8 Robertson headed screws to good effect for decades. They are usually impact driven with the benefit of some kind of screw lube. I typically work with red and white oak, sometimes poplar. I do like the use experience of the few Torx screws that I've used. Thank goodness we have something other than Phillips for our work.
Screw head cam-out always torques me off and I pitch a fit.