Tough Old Seasoned Wood and Screw Breakage (Uggg!)

Most everyone at one time or another has experienced trying to fasten into old, seasoned wood that has dried out over many years and become impenetrable to most threaded type fasteners. Being forced to pre-drill every hole with exactly the right diameter drill bit in order to attain maximum holding power required for your particular job requirements can be extremely frustrating ... especially if you don't have the proper size drill bit on hand (or, whether you might know what size/type it should be??) Is there anything more frustrating then breaking off a screw trying to get it all the way in and seated properly? When it does break ... what do you do with it? Vice Grips ...? Can you move over and do it again? Do you have this kind of time to fool with this issue when your trying to get a project done? What about the hole with a broken off screw in it? These are all issues that can be avoided if one has access to proper technology in a screw designed for these worse case scenario material types you are confronted with.

Do it once ... in one step ... with the desired finish appearance you need and want to see. Enter Fastap with self drilling Power Point technology that works every time in any wood ... regardless of age or toughness. With only the consideration of adjusting down the range of torque and rpm's applicable to doing woodworking, Fastap self drilling screws will perform easily every time by following simple installation tips inside every package. Also using Fastap driver bits that match the hardness of the screws will insure a smooth trouble free driving experience without stripping out the head. Once you get the feel of your particular material, driving each screw with ease will deliver desired results while eliminating fatigue, frustration, and extra trips to your hardware dealer.

These applications hold true for either interior or exterior woodworking ... as Fastap has a complete size line up for both types of usage, just the Duracoat XT coating distinguishes proper usage for all exterior wood applications.

Exterior Wood Finishes vs Exterior Fasteners

Natural Linseed oil is as old as Lewis & Clark ... so what if an exterior wood finish product has natural Linseed oil in it? Enter "Photosynthesis" ... which occurs when the suns untraviolet rays come into contact with your newly finished exterior wood surface at specifically 72-1/2 degrees Fahrenheit (or 22-1/2 degrees centigrade). Why should this occurence be a problem for you?

At this specific temperature, usually intensified on the side of your structure that has the greatest sun exposure time of the day, is when a phenomenon happens that creates fungus growth on any surface that doesn't absorb the natural Linseed oil completely. Your Cedar, Redwood, Fir, or other common natural wood siding will absorb all the Linseed oil by design as its intended to do, but the exposed heads of fasteners have no means of "absorbing" the Linseed oil film that is left and exposed to the elements. "Natural" Linseed oil comes from flaxseed, and is "sticky" in consistency when left exposed on the surface. However, "boiled" Linseed oil is not sticky and/or tacky ... so it doesn't cause adhearance of foreign matter or organic growth such as fungus. For example, wooden tool handles have been coated with "boiled" Linseed oil for years, eliminating checking and cracking of the wooden handles for long term serviceability. But "boiled" Linseed oil is more expensive and requires added processing for its intended purposes. "Natural" Linseed oil seems to me more common as an additive in some wood coating finishes.

So what does this mean to you? Fungus and/or moss growth on the metal fastener finishes of your outdoor wood structure eventually leads to dark brown/black streaking running down your wood from the heads of the fasteners when moisture is present (rain, night dew, sprinklers, etc.) Everytime the sun comes out and hits at the 72-1/2 degree mark, another dose of photosynthesis takes place, encouraging more fungus growth to occur at these locations.

So the fix is ...? Entry of high end synthetic wood finishes into the market has resolved this potential problem, eliminating the cause for fungus growth. Also the use of "boiled" Linseed oil resolves this problem as well if you wish to save your wood surface from potential cracking and/or checking when exposed to the suns ultraviolet rays that can dry it out quickly when the summer time heat kicks in.

Ins and Outs of Driveability - Drive type Preferences

Historically Phillips drive and Robertson square drive have dominated the U.S. and Canadian marketplace. Due to the Fastap self drilling screw lineup being most popular in these two countries, our drive design has been geared for these types of users for 25 years now. However, due to our design priorities of strength, optimum corrosion protection for long term applications, and easy installation as well as easy removal for maintenance and service issues, we have opted to provide both of these drive styles to meet the more popular drive preferences in #1, #2, & #3 square drive and #2 and #3 Phillips drive. But why not Torx drive or Star drive? These two drive types have become popular in some markets too. However, in order for these two drive styles to be effective and practical to use, the coating thickness must be of thinner consistency, and, the drive depth in a trim head style design needs to be shallower in order to avoid head strength weakness (breakage). Also "removal" after being installed for 1 year or more is challenging to say the least with both of these drive types. In order to insure proper coating thickness parameters for any environment, our Duracoat XT coating is of such thickness that delivers over 3,600 hrs in a salt fog environment (installed) with no signs of corrosion, and/or 40 Kesternich cycles also with no signs of corrosion for the same test screws. The Fastap head size mass is bigger, allowing for a deeper drive socket. This allows for deeper penetration of the driver bit to insure a more positive drive and "stick fit". Besides the XT coating being of greater thickness consistency, its also very pliable with an amount of flexibility to allow for proper bit fit even if the drive is partially blocked or clogged with the coating ... allowing for the socket to clear and still retain a tight bit fit for proper and acceptable driveability. With multiple coating layers, properly seating the screw head to flush and not camming out the drive socket, retains the corrosion protection of the finish application. With the thinner zinc type or ceramic type coating processes, test results have shown corrosion performance is compromised over much shorter time. Fastap also provides driver bit accessories that match the hardness of all our screw products. They have longer and tighter fitting flutted shanks that fit deeper into the drive socket (Phillips or Square), ensuring a more positive and smoother drive result with less fatigue. When proper RPM speed is used with correct torque adjustment, more drives per charge can be expected with less muscle. Lower speed range settings is much better suited to general woodworking conditions, delivering a superior end result where all expectations are met. Drive type needs to be a primary consideration for more reasons other than just a faster installation.

Seasonality versus fastener strength

Well here we are again ... mid summer July accompanied by mid summer heat that is creating 30+ degree temperature swings overnight. This is when a year's worth of seasons catches up with our outdoor structures that were put together up to a year ago. The pressure treated sub framing has contracted, expanded, shrunk and twisted to it's final "resting position", with the decking surface forced to withstand up to 2100-2300 lbs of shear force while doing so. If under deck fastening devices were used, you can only hope that the screws used to secure them still remain intact and holding under this much increased stress common to this natural movement in the deck's first year of life.

I was called up to British Columbia earlier this month to assist in resolving this very matter of fastener failure, where the deck fixture manufacturer specified #8 diameter screws for this underside fastening requirement (as do most of them). With summer heat arriving, all composite type decking moves laterally "both directions" everyday, and the fasteners need to be able to withstand these ongoing loads resulting in substantial shears. This is not a surprise that any new deck owner needs to deal with long after the contractor has finished your project, and the lumber dealer where the materials came from simply refers to the "installation instructions" for the answers to your dilemma. It's a no-win situation for everyone involved. In the cases in B.C., yellow zinc coated fasteners
are not compatible with contact in type ACQ treated lumber either, so they would have failed structurally and corrosively within a two year period at the most as well.

We see this situation somewhere every year, and it can be avoided if contractors and/or users are properly educated and knowledgeable on proper fastener selection for the particular application, and the "compatibility" of the materials being installed "together". "Knowing your materials" is a priority, and selecting the right fasteners and proper technique of installation will save everyone involved big headaches down the road ... both physically and financially.

Watch This Space

Seems that everybody is doing a blog these days. Due to the never ending feedback we receive, I guess I'm going to get into the mix too ... and for very good reason. In my 30+ years in the fastener business and the building of Fastap self drilling screw products into a lineup of high performance woodworking fasteners, I've accumulated considerable experience and knowledge in coatings, metallurgy, manufacturing process, building techniques, and applications in harsh environments with all types of wood and composite types.

What I hope to do, and what this blog is all about is disseminate this knowledge in a manner that will allow people who work with any types of wood or composites in both exterior and interior applications (preferably with Fastap self drilling screws) to build the strongest, best looking, longest lasting, and easily serviceable projects they can. Materials compatibility and knowing your materials are some of the subjects we will address. I also want to clear the fog about the Poly Composite lumber fastener category. There are now more brands and types of Poly Composite lumber fasteners on the market than ever before and building with them is getting more challenging all the time. Hopefully I'll be able to help people understand and apply this new interface of technology and the fasteners used to accomplish the desired results. Hopefully through the comments feature, others will participate with comments and feedback to expand the knowledge base as well. This can be a win-win experience for everybody who inquires and responds.

So ... if you work with any type of wood using screws, in any exterior projects with wood or composites, or any interior woodworking projects that involves repairs, remodels, and building updates around the house for yourself or others, watch this space.