Screws on L-girder Benchwork

[donhalshanks]

In reading the guides and articles on L-girder bench work with griders, legs, cleats, risers, etc, it is not clear to me when using dry wall screws...... whether the the screw should go THROUGH the first piece, and screw into the 2nd piece, or whether the pilot hole should also allow it to screw into the first piece AND the second piece. Appreciate any help on this. Hal

[Anonymous]

I drill a pilot hole through the first piece and partially into the second. Really does not seem to matter unless you are working near the corner of a piece and need to prevent any cracks/splits.

[cwclark]

I always glue the joints first then drive the drywall screws home...for the cross member joists you can toe the screw into the L girder or drill a hole and run home the screws from the bottom board into the joist...here are some pictures at my webpage with explanations on building L girder benchwork...click the right arrow button and the next ten to twenty pictures will explain http://community.webshots.com/photo/137793353/143341248VlGagO chuck

[bogp40]

During assembly of regular cabinet/ casework a countersink w/ clearance bit is used. This is primarily used due to hardwood. The softer pine used in benchwork only needs a pilot hole( shank size not thread clearance size). The Stanley, Dewalt or equiv. pilot/ countersink bit set would be a worthwhile investment for all your woodworking. The set is found at Home Depot, Loew's, Sears etc. #6, #8, #10 bit come with the set. However when securing plywood w/ screws, always use a clearance bit for the ply. Fir or hard pine won't let the screw continue to turn to tighten the joint once the head hits the plywood surface.
Bob K.

[CBQ_Guy]

QUOTE: Originally posted by cwclark

I always glue the joints first then drive the drywall screws home...for the cross member joists you can toe the screw into the L girder or drill a hole and run home the screws from the bottom board into the joist...here are some pictures at my webpage with explanations on building L girder benchwork...click the right arrow button and the next ten to twenty pictures will explain http://community.webshots.com/photo/137793353/143341248VlGagO chuck

Not to "pick nits" but in the concept of the L-girder "system" ALL screws are supposed to be driven in from the bottom, hence accessible in the future. Of course, as someone mentioned on another list, we now have Sawzall's which can cut through the screws very easily and don't care at all where or how they're put in! [8D]

[trollw]

Robert Knapp is correct that you really should use a clearance hole for the 'first' piece of wood so the screw can turn to tighten the 2 pieces together. However, I have had resonable luck with only using a pilot hole when screwing 2 pieces of plywood or hardwood together IF I clamped the 2 pieces tightly together before screwing them together.