One is a Waste of Money 

Big problem with your testing, you kept reusing the same hole in the vertical board, the very first screw distorted the hole and made every screw after that to bend down and easily pull out of the wood. In other words, you should have used a new hole each time. See angle of screws on uprights at 3:28

Torx head screws cured my PTSD and allowed me to fire my psychiatrist. 😃 I'm old enough to remember the transition between straight/slotted drive screws to Phillips, Phillips to Roberts, and more recently, Torx. Each one was an improvement over the preceding drive type, but Torx is by far the least frustrating. I recall working on crews and hearing that all-too-familiar sound of a Phillips bit losing it's bite and stripping out the head of the screw. Finding a decent quality Phillips driver bits was always something I was bent on improving, and even with good quality bits, one HAD to provide PLENTY of force into the screw to keep the bit engaged AND have them aligned almost perfectly. Now that Torx is on the scene, yeah they're more expensive, but they're also saving time and frustration, and that is not so easy to put a dollar value on.

To do a fair test, you should drill new holes for each test

Go watch Project Farm's video on screws & nails. This video is how to do a bad test, and build something wrong. If all the weight is on ANY screw or nail it's dangerous. Fasteners hold lumber and brackets. Lumber holds the weight.

From a physics perspective, there is an incredible difference between static load and kinetic force. A more reasonable test is you adding weight gently until the joint fails. The torque of the stomping is essentially thousands of lbs vs the real weight it can hold with is a 1000 lbs.

Okay, playing chords when you showed Dmaj and Dmin was pretty clever. Also, I know that this wasn't meant to be one, but for a scientifically accurate test, you'd need to make some changes to the set up. 1. Use a machine to apply the load. This can be a jack, a screw, or something else. It just needs to be able to apply a consistent load to the test article. 2. Use something to measure the force applied. It should have a way for you to measure and record the peak force, since that'll be force at which you suffered a failure. 3. Try to keep from changing more than one variable at a time. There's a few things to consider here. The pilot hole, the shank diameter, the cut (geometry) of the screw thread, the major and minor diameters of the thread, the pitch of the thread, the material of the screw, the number of screws, the spacing of the screws, and the composition of the boards used to make the structure. All of these are going to affect the performance of the screws. As some have pointed out, the hole that you put the screws into was the same hole, and it was changing with each test. 4. There's a difference between shock loads, dynamic loads, and static loads. Jumping on the test rig generates a shock load. This applies a lot more force to the structure for a given mass. Force is mass times acceleration, and you're going from several meters a second to 0 in a very short amount of time. Dynamic loads change over time. This is what you have when you gradually increase the force applied until something fails. This is a good way to test when you've hit the physical limits of a connection and figuring out how much something can hold given a specific safety margin or factor. (If you want a 2 times safety factor, you'd take the force that the structure failed at and divide by 2.) Static loads don't change over time, but the thing is, everything is plastic given a fine enough resolution (i.e. accuracy of measurement) and enough time (on the scale of millions of years, stone and rock are very much plastic.) Applying a static load over time can tell us how the connection will perform over time. Sure, it might be able to resist a given force that's slightly less than the force needed to cause a failure, but you're stressing the wood and the screws a lot. Over time, that stress can lead to a failure as it causes the wood and the screws to deform. This is why something might hold for a while then fail suddenly even if the force being applied hasn't changed at all. Something deformed enough to change how the force is being applied and transmitted through the structure. Incidentally, this is also another thing that is affecting your tests. When you jump on it, you're not going up to the same height above the shelf every time. It's always going to be a bit different. Similarly, you're also not landing in the same place each time, which is going to affect the amount of force you're actually applying to the screws. The further from the connection you land, the more leverage you have and thus the more force you're applying to that connection. So, if you want to really see which is better for a given application, you'd need to change the setup to control as many variables as possible. Some things, like the structure of the boards (i.e. the wood grain, moisture content, microcracks and splits, etc.) are going to be almost impossible to control for, but you can still get a pretty good idea of how the screws perform by doing multiple tests and using statistical analysis to get an idea of how well the screws are doing even if there are things you can't control affecting your results. The downside of this, is that it's going to take a lot of boards to do this right since each test will need to be done with with new boards that are part of the connection you are testing at the very least. Don't forget that you also have to worry about the boards transmitting the forces and loads to the connection. As you stress them, they can also change enough to affect the results of your testing.

Screws work to setup but not support. Use braces, brackets, blocks, notches for support and strength.

2:08 remember the days when finish carpenters drilled pilot holes? Believe it or not, if done right, pilot holes can add strength. You’re removing the internal tension in wood imposed by just driving them straight in. 5:50 difference between #8 & #9 # 10 is approximately 8% between

Drywall screws have a bugle head, designed to gently compress drywall paper without tearing. Used in wood or sheet goods they work like a wedge and split them open easily. And in drywall screws, cam-out is a feature that every screw gun makes use of to help set the proper depth.

Drywall screws are not authorized for support construction per building codes in 50 states. I.e. Joists, load bearing walls, must be construction grade or you can expect to unscrew every drywall screw and replace them or receive no reimbursement from insurance companies and building condemned by every city ordinance inspector. Fasteners (those things attached to load bearing construction) can be any material (plastic, stick-ums, drywall screws). For shelving, since they are non load bearing use joinery or brackets off the load bearing structural supports. Or just do what you want and live with the consequences... that is what I would prefer but since I so lots of construction and research building codes for every damn city i find myself in, the ordinance codes are where you want to start. Remember: Fasteners are not load bearing.

I don't think screws are designed for holding the whole load. They are supposed to just hold wooden parts in place and the load should transfer from wood into wood.

Many sources in print and online say that choosing the correct wood screw requires having only smooth shank with no threads in the workpiece "on top" (i.e. closest to the screw's head) so that as it's tightened, it pulls that workpiece against the one in which the threads are embedded. Some drywall screws have threads all the way from the head to the tip and some only have a short unthreaded area. If there are threads in both workpieces, then driving the screw doesn't pull them together but rather moves them both in unison. Isn't that enough reason not to use drywall screws for anything but drywall?

mathias wendall has entered the chat. Drwall screws are great for 90% of what I do. I've never had a screw "fail". But that's just my limited experience. For outdoor stuff I use the 3" Grip Rite #9 Exterior Screws.

Screws are not for weight structure unless otherwise specified and specced for. All screws are good, it's how you use them that makes them bad or not.

Inappropriate use of screws. When I built shelves in my utility room, I cut 3/4" dados in the upright 2x4s and used 3/4" plywood ripped down to 2' wide for the shelves. I only used screws to mount to the wall and to hold the shelves in the dados. The weight is held by the 2x4 wood uprights. After 30 years they are still solid.

My experience as a carpenter is that there are huge differences between screws, but the price is often not a indication of quality. Buy known brands that have a reputation to preserve, since then the quality is often good throughout the lineup. The largest difference between good and bad screws are the corrosion resistance, and the second thing is the overall strength. Screws need to be just stiff enough, but at the same time be able to bend without snapping. let's say you have a huge snowfall or powerful winds that make some of the screws break. You will have a huge problem over time. Since nails are rarely used anymore and we almost only use screws I buy screws by weight or in large quantities as 1000pcs boxes.

I started using the GRK screws and I’ve never looked back. Highly recommend them.

when i started building more things within the last year, I bought drywall screws at first because I liked the flat black look. I broke them just below the head over and over trying to sink them without pre-drilling a relatively wide hole, and also trying to drive them flush or below flush. I started buying deck screws and have had zero issues. It's super easy to bore through anything with those and I've had zero failures. Another option I like is cabinet screws for a clean look if the screws are going to be visible, and I trust them not to break like the drywall screws. Pocket hole screws are also a great pan head alternative and I've been using them more in certain situations after watching your base cabinet videos. Built my first cabinet ever just a few weeks ago and thanks to your videos and clear explanations, it turned out great!

Its a game of surface area, some screws are meant to be used in softer surfaces, meaning they distribute their weight more with the shape and thread. Obviously material plays a part, but in most cases if your screws are breaking you have a different problem.

You needed new holes for each screw in my opinion because of the enlarged hole in the back of the board where screws had already been pulled down. I think that gave the screw room to move more than a fresh hole would have.

Glue and screw. Pilot holes always.

So in the final test you made an error. with the GRK screws you put them vertically, which put each screw into different parts of the grain making the force spread across the wood better. and with the construction and drywall screws, you put them horizontally, making them go into the same grain section causing the wood to fail more easily. Also, one thing you didn't mention is the design of the drywall screw head is not to be countersunk into wood. the curved shape as well as the smoothness is to allow the head to countersink into drywall without tearing the paper, and that is why they hold so well. All in all, a good video, and definitely interesting to see how each screw held up to a test like that.

Great Video, Someone may have already said this, but I'll add it anyway! For the shear force case, the diameter of the screw isn't what's important. In a shear force case, you care about the friction force between the two surfaces (Created by the screw pulling them together). That friction force is where the strength comes from. The item will fail when you get slippage and a shear force acts on the screw (Which they are not designed to resist). This also means it's really important to create a high force between the two surfaces (Your pre-load) before the screws are put in to fix them. If you do this test again I would clamp the two surfaces together first, then screw them, I think you'll get much better results. For more info look up "Bolted joint design". Keep up the great work!

Square head srews are better than the torx head. Even though I have plenty torx screws of many sizes, I am slowing switching over to square head screws. Would like to see a comparison test.

1. So this testing wasn’t perfectly engineered. It was VERY informative. Great video! 2. Drywall screws and many others with dubious coatings are dangerous in exterior or otherwise corrosive applications. I used drywall screws to assemble an outdoor shed which was then painted. After a decade exposed to weather, the drywall screws literally disintegrated and disappeared beneath the paint. Same would be true of every other screw with a cheap, thin coating including electroplated zinc. 3. Among reasons for using screws is disassembly. If paint is applied to surfaces, embedded screw heads become difficult to locate and are clogged, making disassembly nearly impossible. Screwed assemblies can’t be pried slightly to locate & expose screws for removal without causing damage. Nails aren’t so bad. They often make prying and non-destructive disassembly possible.

Generally, sheer strength is better in nails than in screws

I swapped out drywall screws once I started doing a lot of outdoor work. The coated or stainless screws are still the best bet for preventing rust spots.

I've been using dry wall screws for many many years, 50 years. I have found that there are diff qualities of dry wall screws. ordered cases of cheap over seas stuff and had them snap off when installing them while american made screws don't. Next, I buy "icebit" #2 that are specifically designed for dry wall screws. they don't slip like the one you were using. I also use a slip driver cover with magnet to prevent slipping off the screw. I use a dimpler bit when working with dry wall. Dry wall screws are designed for "drywall". they sink just below the surface while still holding the paper with out tearing it. again specific use screws. I've used them in making hardwood cabinets and found that if I predrill and counter sink them, that they work better than most other types of specialty screws. I use plugs or putty to fill them. Pre-drilling them prevents the "space" between boards. the "lead" on dry screws vary depending on what you buy. Big box stores only carry the most common "lead" sizes. I've worked all the screws that you show and have found that the dry wall screw is the most versatile screws around. I've installed self tapping drywall screws through drywall into steel, so yes, you can buy self tapping dry wall screws. when working with steel sheet metals I like the Teks brand due to the head size. I have removed 50 year old drywall screws in wet locations with out problems, while the same deck screws broke and were rusted. I have removed yellow const. screws that many broke due to rust. Hard to guess which is better???? good video, but I don't agree, use the correct fastener for the application. Friends do encourage friends to buy sheet rock screws....

Stumpy Nubs has a similar comparison. TL;DR: Cheap Drywall screws are fine for the vast majority of projects. Mostly the head type is personal preference, and if you want to pay 2x+ for torx.

I always use deck screws, Brad. The lack of a smooth shank under the head of drywall screws means the hole in the outer piece needs to be larger than the thread. For drywall, it's not necessary because the drywall just crumbles. Also, in my younger days of woodworking, I snapped many drywall screws while tightening them. Bill

The bottom line: Buy the screw defined by code for the project. No one should try to "make do" with cheap materials. Quality outcomes are a result of quality materials used in the first place.

The CEE thread of the GRK screw increases the bore diameter prior to seating the head. This is meant to help reduce splitting in the wood when driving the head below the surface.

Obligatory Canadian comment: I'm so glad you're calling out the awfulness of Philips here, but have you ever gotten a chance to try Robertson (or squarehead as it's sometimes known)? It's a particularly good option, and is the best I've ever used.

I think some people forgot why he was testing this....the specific type of shelves being built.

Drywall screws have been holding up my kitchen cabinets since 1987. I also pre-drilled the holes.

I learned so much! Thanks for the education. Next time I’m staring at the overwhelming number of screws at the big box stores, I may be able to make a more educated choice.

Agree with some of the folks below. You don't test a shelf by jumping on it! a 170 lb man jumping with all weight directly applied on two small areas where the screws attach puts tremendous pressure on those spots. You would never have this pressure on a normal loaded shelf. I agree with the Phillips head problem vs. Torx though for simplicity and hassle-free installation. Good video.

You should really point out that the head design of the drywall screw is that way for a reason - to not cut the paper on a sheet of drywall. They're not good general-purpose screws, but they're the best at their job.

I used drywall screws in all my custom woodworking projects for years until a few years ago when they got up to $6.00 for a pound box at the big box stores. I had previously used square drive screws at the cabinet shops ive worked it and Ive loved them from day one! I finally decided if I was gonna pay $6.00 for a box of screws, I might as well change over to all square drives. I buy Hillman square drive screws from Amazon now and at about 5 cents a screw (depending on screw length)...well, its a no brainer!

I made tons of cool stuff with drywall screws because there was a buttload of them in my garage when we bought our house. I never had a problem and they worked great. I even bought more when I ran low on them. They actually sell some with self-tapping tips of different designs. Then, there were some projects that were basically just toys for the kids that got left outside. They stayed together perfectly fine but when I disassembled them to either fix stuff or use the wood for other projects, they were already trying to rust to death. I never had a failure because there weren't any screws that were critical components but it definitely let me know that this wasn't the proper application for them. However, if I were building something that I knew was staying inside and I only had a box of drywall screws, I wouldn't hesitate to use them. They don't seem to do great being driven in with an impact but a standard drill seems to do fine with them.

I've personally had more drywall screws shear off or rust in the wild. It's my own personal experience that has led me to use GRK construction or structural depending on the job. Ive decided to leave drywall screw in the drywall.

I'm shocked that 60% of respondents said they use drywall screws for wood working lol. Pre-drilling holes is a lot better than just using a self-drilling screw tip, but using a screw with NO self-drilling tip at all is bad news. I'm not surprised the video started with exploding wood.

Astounding, drywall screws are specifically designed for drywall?! Excellent job. By your poll lots of people needed to be convinced that they should only use drywall screws for drywall.

If you’re doing a lot of this or need multi use heavy duty screws regularly. I think the best value is to get the biggest size container of the grks. The $75 dollar one. With the handle.

Clear and comprehensive. Nice job. Your experiment, as stated, tested primarily shear; my experience with drywall screws is that they can fail in twist, that is, the head twists off when overdriven in dense woods. This hasn't happened with less-brittle screws.

We use the coated deck screws for just about everything and they have to either be Torx or Robertson screws. Phillips screws are absolutely awful and I think they need to go away just like the dinosaurs. We recently redid an old wood fence that has been collapsing in on itself for years. The 4x4 posts were originally notched to take the 2x4 supports and while that may be the correct way to support weight the inner panels were just so heavy that they slowly pulled the screws out of the wood. It didn't help that it's all been rotting over the years so the 4x4's have all twisted where they've been notched. Everything has been done simply without any fancy notches and all of the new wood is a vastly lighter weight than before so it shouldn't be stressing the screws as badly this time around. The fence is to keep in a couple of dogs not a herd of cattle. The old fence was way too over built for its' intended purpose.

The first project I did in my garage was shelves similar to what you're testing. Used drywall screws just like any proper new home owner with his first power drill. Put 3 to 4 screws in each end and 13 years later they're still great. They've held a lot of weight including paint cans, a 5 speed transmission, and me climbing on them. I'd use construction or deck screws now for the torx head, but the drywall still did well

15:56 second comment lol. I have found that drywall screws are typically harder to drive than construction/deck screws with a Phillips drive. I personally hate Phillips, but i help my brother a lot and it’s what he buys. Using 3- 3 1/2 inch exterior screws is a lot easier than 3 inch drywall screws

my 2c: If you are going based on price, which I feel many new woodworkers are, you can get 2 Drywall screws or 1.5 of the middle 2, for less than the price of 1 GRK. Can the GRK hold up vs multiples of the other types. Basically, would it be better to buy deck screws (as you said you liked) and put 3 in, or 2 GRKs for the same price.

I used deck mate forever in my outdoor furniture. Then I switched to grk and they seem to hold longer, less movement after long periods of use and it might just be me but feel nicer to drive in. I use the tan coated ones and now use them on everything from planters to Adirondack chairs and tables. Good video! Project farm does some good screw tests and some of your information filled in some of his.

Thanks for always having great content

Dude, from personal experience, no, drywall screws are not going to do the freaking job. *JUST SAY **_NO_** !!* 1 -- Drywall screws are fine at holding stuff down. What they don't do is handle SHEAR forces. They will snap right off when something pushes what they are holding sideways. 2 -- Drywall screws are also not very good at handling corrosion. And this is a big issue with most woods, as ... surprise! Wood has tannic acid. And most PT wood has other kids of corrosive agents in them. Not saying you necessarily need full-bore Structural Screws to do the job, but, at the very least, "Deck Screws" are higher quality and in the middle of the two. They can handle shear forces and are specifically coated to be sunk into wood, entirely, and not just "partway", so they resist wood acids and don't corrode over time. Again -- personal experience. Built a storage unit for handling tools and stuff on my enclosed apartment patio. When I took it back apart, 6 or 7 years later after I bought a house, about 1 in 10 of the screws had to be drilled out, because they had corroded in place and snapped off the head. Another 1 in 10 just split off, leaving a big hunk of metal in the wood which had to be broken off lest it poke a big 1/2" hole in something else. Disassembling that unit was much more of a pain in the tuchus than it might have been, had I used either structural screws or at least deck screws.

You must also consider the type of load applied. What you did (stomping) is a DYNAMIC (rapidly changing) load, that is one type. The second type is a STATIC load. This is where a load is applied "gently" incrementally. These tests WILL show different results.

DRYWALL screws were designed for drywall. The head is called a bugle head ad is designed to NOT drill through the paper on the drywall. The cutters under the heads of the other screws would cut the paper the the drywall would collapse. Also, any screws used outdoors on treated wood must be rated for the application. Treated wood is extremely corrosive to metal and will destroy uncoated screws.

"Those folks just jumping into woodworking....." - I see whatcha did there Brad 😉

i built my entire deck here using GRK deck screws, has many lag bolts and screws as well for structural supports as well, but honestly, i really like GRK. personally i'd rather spend a little extra for the peace of mind on that, but we all have our preferences when it comes to that. now for shelving, i'd probably save a bit on the money, but since i bought a 5 pound bucket of deck screws for the deck (not knowing how many i would need) i have plenty leftover so i'll use those since i have them. but i'd probably go a little cheaper for a smaller project if i didn't. but like you, i'll definitely stick with torx head screws as i can't stand phillips. now.... square head is ok too, if you already have then on hand, but torx is a no brainer if you're having to buy new

some woods, thicknesses of material, and uses, it doesn't matter, but generally speaking, if you don't pre-drill a hole, your screw will displace more wood. if your wood has a mostly-parallel grain and/or isn't sufficiently thick to compensate, then it's likely to split as a result: compromising your connection strength.

Even if the screw is self-tapping, if you're drilling into end-grain, I think drilling even an undersized pilot hole might reduce the probability that the wood might split. In your last test, you had a knot pretty close to the end of your 2x4, and I think that the end of this 2x4 looked pretty weak because of the knot location. It looked like the lumber you used in these tests was pretty low-quality lumber. I believe you live in the south, and so you should be able to get southern yellow pine at your local big box store. If you would have done this test with higher-quality SYP or douglas fir, selected pieces with no knots near the ends with a tight/dense grain pattern, and predrilled pilot holes then I think the screws would have been less likely to pull out. Also, if I'm going to join a couple boards and screw through the face of 1.5 inches of soft wood and then into end grain on the other side, I'd use a 4 inch not a 3 inch screw to get at least 2.5 inches of penetration into the end grain. But you can also buy 1/4" torx-drive lag screws made by GRK or SPAX at the big box store. If I planned to store very heavy items on utility shelves -- like leftover tile or paint cans or heavy tools like my shop compressor -- then I'd probably use 1/4" screws. If I knew that I'd only be storing lighter materials then I might use 4 inch #10 GRKs.

I'm definitely a firm believer in glue to do all the work, screws to hold while the glue dries. That, or use wooden vertical supports under the shelves to bear the weight instead of just screws. There is definitely a purpose for screws and fasteners, but not for ultimate weight bearing like shown here. Still a useful test and showed that junky screws can hold an entire person (before jumping).

This video is missing SOOOO much critical context for determining the shear strength, tensile strength, and pullout resistance of a screw. You are missing information about the metallurgy of the screw, the heat treatment process, the Rockwell hardness, the supporting material and depth of the screw.

Thanks Brad... You should mention that screws for use in treated wood should have a special coating that prevents corrosion from the preserving chemicals.

Not an engineer, but we still enjoy your videos

I'm curious... since the GRKs are 2.33x the cost of the drywall screws... what if you doubled up on the dry walls? So compare 4 GRKs to 8 drywall screws. You'd be saving 2.8¢ per fastening, but obviously at the cost of more labor to pilot drill and drive. Maybe there's a better ratio than 2:1... 3:2 or something? (3 drywalls would be 24.9¢, 2 GRKs would be 38.8¢)

From my experience, deck screws corrode in as short as a year. I switched to stainless steel which are softer, but never corrode.

I’m just impressed with how many times you said shank, screw, and pull out without a single innuendo. I hope to be half as mature as you one day

Great video Brad. In my opinion don’t screw yourself over the options. If you’re doing a project, just find the right screw for that project. And that’s counting for your budget & what you have on hand for that particular project.

Drywall screws are fine for drywall, but not so much for woodworking. Because they're designed to fasten drywall to wood, not to fasten two pieces of wood together. They don't really need to be super strong, because the drywall itself is far weaker, and lots of screws are used in a sheet of drywall to hold it tight to the studs, which also distributes the weight of the sheet over many attachment points. The other screws are designed to hold two pieces of wood together, so their features are all geared to that, and they're stronger than drywall screws. Personally, the only failures I've had in drywall screws have been from twisting; if I dry to drive them into wood and meet resistance, assuming they don't cam out, the heads twist right off. Better to go with wood screws when fastening two pieces of wood together, especially if you intend the attachment to hold more than the weight of the wood itself, such as in shelves or furniture. The safety factor is worth spending the extra money on.

You are such a nerd and I'm here for it.

Now test your screws against a good mechanical driven, glue coated nail. I believe that you will find that the nail has superior holding power. I cringe every time I see a video where screws are used. The holding power just isn't there.

Thanks for going out and beyond the average test ! Good Video and very informative, keep them coming

Thanks for all the testing and comparison, Brad! 😃 Really interesting results!!! Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

Star drive, or square drive for me if I'm given the choice. Overall, Philips head are usually crap when driving for depth. Although little screws for drawer slides, and such then the Philips heads are fine, and are usually the only option anyway. A fun video, Thank you.

Those grk screws are the only ones that are allowed to use in structural framing in replacement to nails

In the past I've had drywall screws snap on way in to wood. Not a fan but will use the for temporary gadgets and jigs

Brad, I really enjoyed watching this one. Learned a good bit about the screws I regularly use to put stuff together. Cool Video.

I don't use drywall screws, simply the heads break off, construction of deck screws for me. love the Torx heads, drywall stripping the Philips drive.

Interesting, but far from a series of controlled tests leading to a number of variables which introduce inconsistencies. At best a rule of thumb result. The best aspect is showing the differences in screw design and what that may mean with some given uses.

I think with the close enough sizes of these screws, the metallurgy will do a lot more than the size of the screw. But the size does have some effect

Wow!!!! Alot of homework went into this video!!!!! Very appreciated!!! Thanks for all the great info and all you put into it!!!

Ive used Phillips head screws for over 20 years. Rarely ever had an issue, unless I was in some kind of strange angle, doing a balancing act while driving the screw with one hand tied behind my back. I used torx screws for one summer, and the bits kept slipping, stripping, and shattering 2 or 3 screws out of five each time. I tried different boxes and brands and bits. I finally threw in the towel and figured if I couldn't figure out a technique in 3 months on how to use them correctly, then its not me, its the screws. I went back to Phillips and have never looked back.

Too many times I've had drywall screws snap off just at the last moment, leaving the body of the screw in my workpiece, basically irretrievable. I'll never use for anything important, and the ones I have left will be for shop jigs only.

I don't care how much they cost, construction screws work better. Torx is far superior to phillips. I only use drywall screws for drywall or for really thin work as I can't find construction screws in 1" lengths around here.

Nobody on earth knows why the self-tapping screw tip is called "Type 17". It was apparently left by aliens.

I use coarse thread drywall screws all the time for internal stuff. Pre drill, and run them in. They hold just fine. I have shelves that are holding 100s of pounds in the garage assembled this way. External stuff? Yeah, use exterior rated screws to avoid rusting out. I still pre drill to avoid splitting shenanigans.

Very much appreciated the music reference of D Major and D Minor chords!

As others have said screws shouldn't hold weight, also though. The types of screws ya are using have different use cases and purposes. Drywall screws are meant to secure drywall to studs, deck screws are designed to secure decks boards to structure in weather conditions meaning they are needing a different protective coating. Same with construction screws. I use what screws I have available then again I am not making furniture to sell and most screws I use are for hanging stuff. All my screws are from shelves or beds or whatever that are broken from kids abusing them or the shelves were cheap and just collapsed after years of use. Screws I kept are all in decent shape, not bent, etc

I stupidly used to use drywall screws for way too many things. I only use GRK torx head exterior self tapping screws now. During COVID I built a 32'x8' bridge. Because I used these screws I'll be taking it apart and rebuild it over a stream on my property in NH using the same screws as I took out of it.

I need to attach a 1/2 inch board to the wall and stud, which screw do you recommend, and what size? thanks

Well when I install wood shelves which are few I use metal. But the boxes I put on them don't usually jump up and down and I definitely don't climb on them so the cheap 3" grabber screws work great for me just saying

How many times he tried he did not jamb the screw into his toes or knees 😂 Great vid - I learned allot!

Extra credit for resisting use of the words “shaft diameter” or “girth”….

I can see an issue with using these old 2x4s. They're fully dry, new construction grade lumber is slightly wet because it accepts fasteners better. Its possible your results might vary when compared with brand new lumber.

It would be interesting to know if there is any steel recipe difference between the screws. And I don't even know why they still make phillips head, I've always hated them, but the quality of the driving tool and the applied force into the head can make them acceptable just barely. Even square drive is better.

The worst thing about drywall screws is that horrible squeeking noise they make as they go in 😣

T-25 = joy T-20 = more joy T-15 = goodness T-10 = careful now

Can you imagine if he weighed more than 110 pounds?

When you get ready to build your new kitchen cabinets at your new residence. Check out sommerfeld and Viking tools, spline and groove technology. I did bought into the tooling and the router table and built the best kitchen that I’ve ever built first time out of the box.

Static weight vs impulse from jumping on something can be very, very different. Not sure who in the crowd is making jungle gyms, however simply building a simple 2x4 bench and stacking weight on it would more closely mimic something like shelves.

If you use a lot of screws just buy them wholesale from the manufacturer, they'll happily sell you 1000-10000 for about 8-12 cent per screw depending on how nice you are

Personally here in new Zealand I only use tornado often called buggle head or batten screws. They are very similar to the grk apart from that that have 4 sided cutter head. Basically they will punch through pretty much anything without pre drilling