Advice For Driving Shoulder Screws Through Materials
Shoulder screws are one of the more unique types of fasteners you can find and use in projects today. So that you make the most out of their unique attributes regularly, you want to review these driving tips before working with them.
Try Lubricating Screws First
If you know you'll be working with materials that are notoriously hard to drive shoulder screws through, then what you can do is lubricate the screws prior to driving. That should help reduce friction so that you're able to drive in a much smoother fashion without having to exert as much energy.
Make sure you lubricate the threaded part of the shoulder screw near the bottom so that you benefit from smoother driving. You also want to make sure the lubricating product doesn't have ingredients that could strip the protective coatings that typically come on shoulder screws.
Remember Bit Extenders Are Available
You may be trying to reach a narrow area to get a shoulder screw into a particular material. With traditional driving tools, this can be difficult because you may not have a lot of space to work with. When in this position, you want to use a bit extender.
It's like a narrow rod that will hold the bit in place that will be driving the shoulder screw into the material. The rod can help you cover narrow distances with competency, and that opens up where you can use shoulder screws at the end of the day.
Utilize Angles
Sometimes you may not always purchase the right size of shoulder screws. If it looks like they're going to be too long to drive through certain materials properly, then you're not out of luck. All that's required is some simple adjustments with the angles used to drive these screws.
Instead of going down vertically, you can angle the shoulder screw a bit more horizontally. That should give you plenty of room to work with, and this strategy is helpful because it will save you from having to order another set of shoulder screws. You'll still be able to use what you ordered the first time.
After buying a set of shoulder screws, you want to drive them into materials a particular way so that you don't struggle and they end up doing their job effectively for a long time. Reading up on driving principles is the best way to become competent with these fasteners.