The thread that defines a screw as a screw, meanwhile, is slightly younger, dating back to at least 400 BCE, though it has evolved a lot more than nails have over the centuries.

I mostly use screws only for temporarily holding things in place while I nail stuff up and for the decking surface. However, on one deck I built last year I used a ton of structural screws.

If you’re working with wood, then wood screws, nails, or staples meant for fastening wood are the right choice. For metal, there are sheet metal screws and bolts, as well as “self-tapping ...

For nails, the suggested lead hole diameter is 90 percent of the nail shank diameter. In fact, a lead hole provides slightly more resistance to withdrawal that a nail driven without a hole. Screws.

If you accidentally drive a screw too deep, add another screw alongside it. The Letter d in Nail Sizes The post How to Fix Popped Drywall Nails and Screws appeared first on Family Handyman.