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Anyone tried lag screws?

John Van Domelen

John Van Domelen

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I got tired of screw heads striping out when used to hold work to faceplates and decided to try some hex head lag screws - they worked great! I was able to use a ratcheting socket wrench to get them on and off - much easier operation.

Any safety issues with using these?
 
Not that I know. They're soft steel in good section, but they don't work properly with tapered countersunk holes. Means they don't find the same "center" twice very well. When I used faceplates they were still recommended.
 
I use regular plated #8 and #10 sheet metal screws and a nut driver bit in my cordless drill - in over five years I've had three screws break from my driving them without pilot holes in hard wood (two in bubbinga, one in oak). Never had any break while turning, and never had any problems with heads stripping. After four or five uses, they do begin to round, so I toss them and use new ones. I've a Plano box with different lengths sorted out and when I get low, I stop by a big-box hardware store and pick up a contractor's pack of the appropriate size. Don't be tempted to use stainless steel screws as while they are stronger, they're also more brittle. I've heard stories from two fellow turners who learned the hard way not to use them (flying chunks of wood isn't what we're all about).
 
I use square drive sheet metal screws from McFeely's but I think you can get them at Lowes. I've only had one strip to the point of needing to throw it out and I've used these same screws for a bunch of years.
 
I have been using the screws they use to put galvinized brackets onto fences. I think they are call strong ties or something like that. They are bronze colored (gold?), about 1 1/2" long, hex head. Found them at lowes in the lumber area. Since I use Bestwood tools faceplates, which are a thicker aluminum, they work great if I am using a thick poplar waste wood or screwed into the wood itself. I use a Makita cordless "impact" type driver.
 
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