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There is a wide variety of mechanical fasteners available for do-it-yourself repair including nails, screws, bolts, and anchors. Your house or apartment has hundreds of fasteners in it, holding walls together, binding appliance components, and keeping the floor from moving underfoot. Even with such a large selection all fasteners have a single function, to hold two or more things together. When they don't, something's broken.
Fasteners include nails, screws, bolts, nuts, and adhesives. Fasteners are easy to use and will help you fix hundreds of things around your home, so let's take a closer look at them.
Nails are thin, pointed metal fasteners driven with a hammer to join two pieces of wood. There are dozens of varieties of nails, depending on the specific purpose. There are special nails for masonry, roofing, finishing, and common applications. Nails are classified by the size of the shank and the shape of the head. Fix-It Guides will refer to specific types of nails needed. The most popular type is called common, with larger, flat heads for secure fastening. Next is finish nails with smaller heads that aren't so obvious if flush to or below the wood's surface. Nails are sized by length, indicated by a d or "penny". A 4d nail is 1-1/2 in. long; an 8d nail is 2-1/2 in. long.
Screws are pointed-tip threaded fasteners installed with a screwdriver, depending on the type of screw head. Round- and pan (flat)-head screws use a straight-tip screwdriver, phillips-head use a phillips screwdriver, and square-head screws use a square-drive screwdriver. Wood screws fasten wood and sheet-metal screws fasten metal. Screws are sized by length. Screws are stronger than nails and easier to remove.
Bolts are threaded shafts that use a threaded nut to fasten wood or metal together. A washer may be placed under the bolt head or the nut for a firmer fasten. Bolts are classified by the type of head. Stove bolts and machine screws (actually bolts) are turned with a screwdriver. Hexagon- and square-head bolts are held in place with a wrench while the nut is turned to tighten. A carriage bolt's head imbeds itself into the wood when the nut is turned. Bolts are sized by length and thread. Bolts are stronger than screws.
There are other handy fasteners. A lag bolt is a bolt head with a screw body. An anchor is an addition to a bolt or screw that helps anchor the fastener in a hollow wall or door.
Adhesives are covered in the Using Adhesives Fix-It Guide.
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Types and sizes of screw fasteners. (click to enlarge)
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Text by Dan & Judy Ramsey - from "If It's Broke, Fix It!"
Artwork by Dan & Judy Ramsey
Copyright Fix-It Club® © 2003
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