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.

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.

Cut · Chop off nails and screws with CoBolt or high-leverage linesman pliers rated for bolt/screw cutting. · Cut through nail- and bolt-embedded lumber with a bimetal blade in a recip saw, or a ...

To make a screw fit into a slightly-too-large hole, insert the screw into a peanut, drive it into the hole, then pull away the extra material. Foam bits that cling to the threads help to secure ...