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Face-plate screws

I've been very happy with Spax screws, also square drive. Definitely don't recommend standard bulk machine or wood screws. I've had too many cases where I've stripped out or broken off the screw head and had to drill it out.
 
I have sone #10 torx head screws from Spax that seem to work quite well. I've done about 40 bowls with one set and stripped my driver on one the other day. The screws are holding up great.

Trying to purge square heads from the shop at this point as keeping four different kinds of drivers around is a pain. I need the slotted screws for antique repairs, the world is still full of Phillips, and I much prefer Torx, so the square drives have been voted off the island. Would love to ditch Phillips as well, but don't see it happening soon.
 
I use #12 hex head sheet metal screws (1-1/2" length).
 
I like #12 stainless sheet metal screws. I use faceplates for almost every face grain hollow form I do.

you want a long length of full diameter threads.
A typical wood screw is a very poor choice because it is tapered and often unthreaded near the head.

note when you mount a faceplate the screws will open a hole ahead of themselves so allow an extra 1/4” for the waste block so you can cut off all jet screw hole.

I like to turn a slightly concave surface for mounting a faceplate
mount faceplate -
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-o4l092k8qk
 
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I have been using #10 Robertson screws 1 inch long for years already, as the Robertson is a patented screw, the US has gone to the square drive, not quite as good but they will do I guess ;).

All my side grain blanks of any size are mounted on a faceplate, outside rough turned and backside straightened and often hollowed some to reduce the weight, then mounted on my Oneway Stronghold with a recess 90% of the time.

Here a picture of a 20 inch blank that is mounted on a 4 inch faceplate with the 1 inch Robertson screws.

20" Sycamore.jpg 20 inch Sycamore.jpg
 
Questions

(1) the faceplates I have all have countersinks bored on the screw holes to accept flat head screws, but some of the recommendations above seem to suggest screws with other heads (pan heads, etc...); do you worry about matching the head of your screw to the hole in which the screw is going?

(2) the faceplates I have all have screw holes large enough to accept #12 screws, but some of the recommendations above suggest #10 or even #8 size screws: do you worry about putting smaller diameter screws into larger holes?

(3) the faceplates I have are all about 1/2" thick, so a 1" screw would only have about 1/2" into the wood; depending on the size of the blank, that doesn't seem like enough, does it?
 
  1. Yes, but it is because I am an engineer. Never ever use a bugle head screws (drywall and similar). They are usually brittle and the odds of snapping off the head in a hard piece of wood are almost certain.
  2. Use a faceplate that is appropriate for whatever you are turning. My largest faceplate is a 10" diameter twelve pound cast iron Oneway behemoth that uses #14 FH screws. It is for very large diameter pieces. I have a 2" diameter faceplate that works well with #8 screws. I prefer stainless steel sheet metal screws. Predrill the holes.
  3. No, it isn't enough. See Al's answer. Also, put screws in all of the holes.
 
(1) Match the head to the faceplate: If the faceplate is countersunk, use a flat-head, etc.
(2) I personally like square drives much more than Pozi-Driv & Phillips drive--camming out is less likely.
(3) Largest fastener that fits the holes in the faceplate
(4) Yes, sheet metal screws (fasteners) better than "wood" screws
(5) "Production" fasteners (engineered fasteners, etc., such as some of the Spax models) have better steels than drywall fasteners. Don't use drywall fasteners, steel is not nearly as good as sheet metal fasteners.
(6) See this short powerpoint that I put together for our club: http://www.nmwoodturners.org/wp-content/uploads/HyTran_FaceplateMounting.pdf
 
Forget the face plate and use the wood worm screw it is quick and safe. Once the rough blank is mounted on the screw bring the tail stock up, true up the blank, do the outside of the bowl, form the tenon or recess, remove from the screw, remove the screw from the chuck, mount in the chuck and turn the inside of the bowl.
 
Don Wattenhofer said:
Forget the face plate and use the wood worm screw it is quick and safe. Once the rough blank is mounted on the screw bring the tail stock up, true up the blank, do the outside of the bowl, form the tenon or recess, remove from the screw, remove the screw from the chuck, mount in the chuck and turn the inside of the bowl.
Click to expand...

Worm screw Doesn’t work well for hollow forms or bowls held for coring or hollowing.

Worm screw works well to hold a sawn blank bowl for roughing.
A better solution for blanks is between centers then you can align the grain.
 
hockenbery said:
Worm screw Doesn’t work well for hollow forms or bowls held for coring or hollowing.

Worm screw works well to hold a sawn blank bowl for roughing.
A better solution for blanks is between centers then you can align the grain.
Click to expand...
I didn't say anything about hollow forms. Any side grain bowls including coring or natural edge it works excellent for preparing the chuck mounting. In the case of natural edge I use my little battery powered chain saw to carve a flat area through the bark big enough so the jaws holding the screw can rest solidly on the wood and if I am using a recess I can move the tailstock out of the way to finish it. The wood worm screw isn't that different from between centers, the bowl pictured is an example of once turned NE bowl that started and finishing the outside using the wood worm screw.
9131Bowl.JPG
 
My questions were somewhat rhetorical -- I use the largest screw diameter that will fit the holes in the faceplate (in which case matching the head to the countersink is less important, but I still try), and I want to make sure that I have a decent length of screw into the blank. I also need to be able to drive the screw well (so torx or a hex head that I could drive with a socket wrench would be great....)
 
Timothy Allen said:
Questions

(1) the faceplates I have all have countersinks bored on the screw holes to accept flat head screws, but some of the recommendations above seem to suggest screws with other heads (pan heads, etc...); do you worry about matching the head of your screw to the hole in which the screw is going?

(2) the faceplates I have all have screw holes large enough to accept #12 screws, but some of the recommendations above suggest #10 or even #8 size screws: do you worry about putting smaller diameter screws into larger holes?

(3) the faceplates I have are all about 1/2" thick, so a 1" screw would only have about 1/2" into the wood; depending on the size of the blank, that doesn't seem like enough, does it?
Click to expand...

I do not worry about the screws at all, I also don’t like screw heads stikking out, a flathead as you call them, fit better than a pan head in a countersunk hole.

I have made all my faceplates myself, and the holes are close to the size of screws I use, as I have used these faceplates for more than 20 years and have turned some very large blanks with it, and with the same size screws and never have had any problem with it, I’d say they work just fine.

The above faceplate is steel 11 mm (7/16”) thick and the screws stick out about 15 mm, they are power screwed into the wet wood (we are rough turning green blanks here, not dry wood, so no need to pre-drill and so they do hold better that way), all the screws are all holding the blank, and the power needed to keep the blank is carried by all (9 screws in this case) the screws, not just one or two screws or as with a woodworm screw just one.

I do use the woodworm screw if turning smaller 8, 10 inch blanks, but with larger and thicker blanks the faceplate is used, as for speed, or quicker, I still turn for my pleasure, not in a hurry to get done.

Have fun and take care :D
 
Don Wattenhofer said:
The wood worm screw isn't that different from between centers,
Click to expand...
Between centers with a spur drive is lot different in that I can balance the grain and or the rims of NE bowls as I do the turning.

if I was perfect with the saw then the grain or rims will be in alignment and I could get the same results using a worm screw on a bowl.

To me it is much simpler and faster to use a spur drive. So if I was off a bit with the saw I can correct it on the fly.
 
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hockenbery said:
Between centers with a spur drive is lot different in that I can balance the grain and or the rims of NE bowls as I do the turning.

if I was perfect with the saw then the grain or rims will be in alignment and I could get the same results using a worm screw on a bowl.

To me it is much simpler and faster to use a spur drive. So if I was off a bit with the saw I can correct it on the fly.
Click to expand...
Totally agree with Al.
 
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