Category: Screws

The Tacoma screws are a leading brand in the fastener industry. They have been manufacturing different types of screws, bolts, nuts, studs, rivets and various other types of fasteners since 1946. Today, they offer their service to over 40,000 customers from their inventory of whopping 45,000 products.

Almost every product is sold under numerous categories, depending upon size and designs. Because of the abundance in varieties, their products easily satisfy customer requirement and thus, they play favorite among the supply chain industries such as Mutual Screw & Supply.

The tacoma screws are sold here in various categories. The different types of screws include the following:

Deck Screws

As the name suggests, these screws are used in wooden decks, which are made up of thin planks, which are quite prone to harsh environmental conditions. These types of Tacoma screws are specially designed to withstand the challenges, mostly faced by the lakeside houses.

Some of their major advantages include:

• They are corrosion resistant
• Their installation procedure is easy due to the sharpness of their point
• They can align smoothly against the deck surface, which is known as countersinking
• Ideal for composite decks, which are made up of pressure-treated wood. Their planks aren’t standard lumber and any regular screw may create ‘mushroom’ i.e. by using regular wood screws, the material can get pulled up in a hump around the screw head.

Dowel Screws

These are mostly cylindrical kind of metal screws, featuring two tapered ends and spiral threads. These are usually pointed on both ends, and thus can easily fasten two soft objects such as wood together.

Such fasteners are generally used with furniture, so as to create a conjunction with visible connectors. While one portion of the entire length is fastened into the joint, the other portion is driven all the way in when the connecting surfaces are aligned at the meeting point.

A 3D view of dowel screw

Drywall screws

As the name suggests, the drywall screws are used when drywall is installed on walls and ceilings. Drywall is a type of building material, which is made up of gypsum and other ingredients crushed between sheets of heavy paper.

These types of tacoma screws are mostly used to secure the drywall to the concerned surface, may be wood or metal framing. Moreover, their special design helps prevent dimpling on the surface. Unlike traditional nails, which leave behind holes/divots in the drywall, the drywall screws are threaded to grip both the framing member and the drywall firmly.

The primary feature of these fasteners, which offer the maximum advantage is their countersunk heads. The entire fastener is flushed within the sheet surface, thereby enabling a smooth finish. The countersunk head prevents the drywall screw from breaking the paper surface, which is a common problem with nails.

Lag Screw

A lag screw is a huge, coarse threaded screw featuring a hexagonal shaped head, used for tightening or loosening of the screw. Unlike regular screws, which require a screwdriver, this kind of screw requires a wrench for its installation.

Its application is quite similar to bolts, as it is used in places where extreme clamping force and strength are mandated. Raising foundation of a home or securing a deck to the wall typically demands the use of a lag screw-mounting application.

Besides, the lag screws are also used in surgery in spiral fractures, swinging doors, mounting gates and garage door tracks.

While fastening a wooden plank or any other wooden piece, a pilot hole should be pre-drilled through the two boards first for easy installation of these Tacoma screws. The pilot hole enables the fastener to be effectively screwed without splitting either of the boards.

Machine Screws 

A machine screw, which is also known as a machine bolt, is a typical screw specially designed to be attached to an pre-drilled, tapped hole on any metal surface, which is usually in alliance with a corresponding nut.

This kind of screw is usually smaller than the regular screws and range in size upto 3 quarters of one inch i.e. 19.05 mm. However, it is available in variations, depending upon shape of the head, slot type, length, overall size and material.

The two most commonly used screwdrivers used with machine screws are slotted and Phillips head screwdrivers. Other types of screw drives are also used, such as torx of star-shaped, 6-pointed and so on.

The machine screws are in varied types and are mostly differentiated by the characteristics of the thread.

Thumb Screws

Plywood screws, which are also known as chipboard screws are self-tapping screws, featuring thin shaft and coarse threads. These fasteners are made up of either wood dust or wood chips and resin, and as the name suggests, these screws are mainly in plywood and other soft wood surfaces.

These rivets are made to clinch this composite surface, so as to withstand loosening. The screws firmly hold either two plywood or any chipboard to other materials, say natural wood.

Apart from wooden works, these screws are highly recommended for squeaky floors as well. Recently one of our esteemed clients faced an issue with pressboard sub-flooring in his 20 years old house. While his upstairs flooring was creaking under the carpet, the downstairs floors jolt the entire house whenever stepped on promptly.

His main concern was to stop those high-pitched annoying sound and if he should go for another layer of plywood over the existing flooring? He was also interested in replacing the entire floor.

So, this is what we had suggested him. Read on!

Instead of spending huge bucks in replacing the entire flooring, you can always go for an additional layer of plywood, which will definitely resolve all those issues. We highly recommend you to go for thicker material, as thicker the size would be, the degree of sound transmission would be reduced to more extent.

And yes, it’s always possible to fasten the existing wooden surface with the new layering. You’ll have to mark out the old nailing patterns, which should be in a gap of minimum 16 inches. Our aim should be enabling every new fastener with a supporting beam. By doing this, the squeaks will be reduced to a great extent and will even laminate properly the new layers along-with the base.

The plywood screws are the most ideal supplies required for fastening and you can even go for gluing, thereby strengthening the grip even more.

In the meanwhile, do not forget about the sap, which pulls this surface up. So, better fasten it with those screws.

And do not try compromising with the quality of the screws, as this is definitely not a place to think about cost-cutting. So purchase the plywood screws in ample quantity and insert screw at every 4-6 inches of gap at the seams and at every 6-8 inches of gap in the field.

This is indeed an effective method, giving away long lasting results.

If your plywood is of 5-8 inches thick then you should consider those screws, which are at least 2 and 1/2 inches long, so that they can get a nice grip. However be warned that you don’t have any radiant heating line or plumbing beneath this surface.

We suggest you to go for an half inch plywood for the layering and you can even bowl over the seams from the existing surface. You can go cheap on the facings for the plywood to save from the recent hike in their pricing. For instance, you can go for CCX PTS, which exactly works as the ‘A’ grade material or you can even opt for OSB, which works well under the carpet.

The rooms with carpets need a little adjustment, as you would have to manage with the closets and swing doors for proper installation. You need to build a carpet shelf by raising the level of the carpeted areas.

But the major problem arises in areas, where you’re thinking of installing vinyl or linoleum flooring. For this, you’ll need a third layer of chipboard or particle board and so also the have to determine the size and thickness of plywood screws.

Not to mention, stairs are another nightmare. You can easily face trip hazards and in order to prevent this, you should confirm that the building code should have a minimum gap of at least 3-8 inches between the stairs, but the height should not exceed above 8.

It is always necessary to use the exact type of fastener, say screws in certain conditions, so as to make sure that the installation procedure is executed effectively. And moreover, in the long run the correct usage of screw keeps it firmly fastened to the surface. You should always go for a company, say ITW Buildex, which has been in the hardware supply industry for over four decades, consistently working on enhancing its quality and services.

There are various types of screws available in the market, required for various kinds of jobs. The concrete screw is a very special type of fastener, specially designed to pierce its own threads into an already drilled hole on the surface made up of concrete, block, brick etc. The brand name Cement Board & Fiber Cement Board Screws is popular product, being sold over under this banner.

It was launched in early 80s and was highly popular because of its functionality even when there was less to no option for online branding. Such kind of screw can be easily installed and features enhanced pull-out shield and durable fixing values.

Cement Board & Fiber Cement Board Screws
In the concrete planting industry, the threads of such kinds of metal pieces are popularly called as “High-Low” screws. The threads of such screws enable quick dust removal during the installation process. Such strands also enable the fasteners to pierce in consistently, thereby giving high standard performance. The removal of dirt is relevant, as the dust present in the hole may interfere in the screwing process. Therefore, you should make sure that you’ve removed the dirt from the hole as well as from the thread.

Installing Cement Board ITW Buildex Screws

The installation procedure is quite simple. It can be done in three simple steps:

By using an accurate sized carbide capsized ashlar bit and a hammer drill, you can now drill a pilot hole of about 1/4th inches deep than the suggested anchor fastening

Now you need to clear the hole of the entire fragments

Now by using a standard drilling machine along-with an appropriate Phillips socket/hex, you can insert the metal screw into the already drilled hole until this fastener is completely pierced

You should be rather careful and should take care that you have not over-tightened the ITW Buildex screw, as this will cause the fastener to spin within the hole, thereby stripping the threads.

Our featured product for this month is the Stainless Steel Phillips Flat Head Plastite screws, which offer definite reverberation shield and consistent high quality performance in spite of frequent cluster by piercing into normal tapped holes. This is certainly a penny-saving alternative for the 48-2 Thread Rolling Screws, which always meets technical specifications.

Such type of screw features longish holding power, when it comes to plastics. It features an itemized thread profile, a tribolar strand arrangement, offering maximum holding capacity and detention to fluctuating external forces. Besides, this particular fastener is easy to drive i.e. its three layered thread pattern enhances movement of the object between the strands, thereby reducing the effort required to pierce the screw into the plastic surface.

Some salient features of Stainless Steel Phillips Flat Head Plastite Screws:

• Feature diverse range of drives, head patterns and materials to meet specific requirements.

• Specially designed for plastics.

• Feature slightly dwindled point and twin lead threads, so as to execute hassle free screw installation.

• This screw can drive at double the rate of a pitch single lead.

• Its thread enhances grip, thereby lessening pull-out and stripping.

• The design improves the failure torque in plastic objects.

Types

These particular fasteners are available in huge varieties. Depending upon your requirement, you can go accordingly. The Internet can be of great help. You would get a comprehensive idea about this particular metal piece, their types, uses and availability. The most common types include the 18/8 Stainless Steel Phillips Flat Head Alternative 48-2 Thread Rolling Screws, 18/8 Stainless Steel Phillips Flat Undercut Head type,  410 Stainless Steel Phillips Pan Head type,  410 Stainless Steel Six-Lobe Pan Head type, Steel Black Zinc Bake & Wax Six-Lobe Pan Head and so on.

If you’re confused of which particular model to choose, you can always take the help of the customer support service. The World Wide Web is flooded with numerous websites dealing with such items. One such popular one is the Mutual Screw and Supply. You’ll get a detailed knowledge about the Plastite screws over here. So browse well and happy shopping!

If something that can distinguish the Canadian hardware industry from American then it is the Robertson screw, which is also known as the square socket screws and Scrulox.

This is one of the highly popular specialized screws, which features a square-shaped socket on its head and the protrusion on the tool is also square-shaped. Both parts of the screw feature a taper, thereby enabling the fastening work much faster and easier as well. Besides, such features also help the screw to stick to the tool tip without any manual support.

In this edition, we’ll be discussing about the history of Robertson screws, which are commonplace in Canada. Read on!

It was a pleasant summer day in 1906, when businessman, Peter Lymburner Robertson was exhibiting a spring-loaded screwdriver before his clients. Accidentally, the driver slipped and he eventually cut his hand. This particular incident provoked him to invent a more advanced screwdriver and some definite set of screws, which could fit this driver. He invented the socket head screw, which revolutionized the entire hardware industry.

Thus, the Robertson screws – the best-kept secret outside of Canada were conceived and became a huge hit soon after it hit the market.

These fasteners are arguably considered as the biggest invention in the fastener industry of the 20th century.

His specially designed square socket screws and the driver gave a tighter grip than any usual slot and rarely slipped. Robertson worked hard on his invention, which addressed all those issues and finally developed a machine to manufacture screws, with such unique designs.

In those days, the newly developed fasteners were soaring high and had almost dominated the entire hardware industry.

They became favorites among the hardware manufacturers and craftsmen, mostly because of their self-centring feature and that they could be easily driven even by one hand. Moreover, they reduced the risk of product damage and increased the productivity, due to which heavy-duty industries were also clinging towards these fastening objects.

One of the early hotshot clients for these screws was the Fisher Body Company, which used to design wooden body parts for Ford cars in Canada. They used 4-6 gross of Robertson screws in manufacturing Model T and they even convinced the Father of these fasteners to invent another specialized type i.e. socket screws for metal, so that they could easily match with the metal body parts of Model A, launched by Fords during that period.

But have you ever thought any brand, which became such a huge success didn’t go beyond the boundaries? Why those screws were not found outside of Canada, when they were so much good enough for manufacturers like Ford?

By going deeply into this factor, inventors/designers can learn a great lesson.

When Ford was testing the Robertson screws to employ with their assembly line, they discovered that by using those advanced fasteners, they could actually save up to 2 hours of their assembly time per vehicle.

And in order to protect this huge advantage, they made a license agreement with Robertson, stating that he won’t be having any ownership of his screws in future, so that he couldn’t sell his patent items to other companies.

However, Robertson had slowly expanded his business to Europe, but to his bad luck, World War 1 broke out and his Europe project faced a huge setback. He still emerged as a winner, as this time he was flying high with a blossoming project and felt that signing the agreement with Ford would be in best of his interests.

As legend goes, somebody else rises and bites the dust. Few years later, another big name rose in the market by the name of Phillips.

Robertson ran his Robertson Screw Company till his death in 1951. Today, this company has grown over 600 employees, with 120 of them belonging to his hometown Ontario in Milton.

At Mutual Screw and Supply, we field several calls from our esteemed clients, seeking help in choosing right bit of screw head types, appropriate for their requirements.

Here’s a brief yet comprehensive guide to screw head types and drives. Read on!

When your jobs requires usage of screws then always remember to go for the right type of screw driver. While most of the screws look alike, but their screw heads are rather different, thereby enabling you to go for distinct screw drives, which fit with the heads of your chosen screws. For instance, Phillips and Pozidriv are hard to be distinguished from a distance of 10 feet. But both of these fasteners do feature different heads and simultaneously they require different kinds of screw drives for their installation.

Here is a list of different types of screw heads.

Phillips

Invented by Henry Phillips, this kind of drive was explicitly designed to cam-out (it’s a method in which the screw driver glides out of the screw head, when it is driven and the torque which is required to turn the fastener crosses a certain amount) when the screw was bogged down, so as to prevent any damage occurring to the head, nonetheless affecting the driver. This particular design however created relative difficulty in developing torque, thereby restricting into the old drivers.

Other hardware companies therefore discarded the Phillips concept, as it created a relatively tangled and sunken socket shape in the head of the rivets.

These heads are usually designated in 7 types, depending upon the size of the screws and they include 000, 00, 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4.

Slotted

This is the most commonly used screw drive and is commonplace everywhere in the world, although its traditional usage is declining gradually, because of its slipping nature whenever heavy torque is applied over it.

Phillips Tamper-resistant

Most of the screw drives available in the market are tamper-resistant because of their vagueness. The one-way and breakaway drives fall under this category, which require specialized tools to destroy the rivet while unscrewing them. The high-end quality of such drives is used on home electronics. Such feature even helps the professional technician to repair the equipment easily, without having to return the piece to the manufacturer.

Quadrex

Quadrex, which is also known as the Phillips/square screw drive, is actually a combination of Robertson and Phillips screw drives. While an ordinary Robertson or Phillips tool can be used for its application, there is still a specialized tool for it, which enhances the surface area between the rivet and the tool, thereby enabling to handle more torque.

Earlier, this drive was sold under the name Deck Mate, which is now considered as other kind of drive.

Supadriv

The Supadriv, which is also spelt as ‘Supadrive’ is almost similar to Pozidriv by design and people often get confused between these two.

Anyways, this particular drive can be identified by two of its unique features. It secondary blades are larger and are of equal thickness. Moreover, it has got a superior bit, thereby making the installation procedure more efficient, producing less cam-out.

Pozidriv

The Pozidriv is the enhanced version of the Phillips screw drive. It is patented by American Screw Company and Phillips Screw Company. Many consider this name as an abbreviation of ‘positive drive’. The major advantage of such kind of drive is its likelihood to prevent cam-out, thereby enabling greater torque to be employed. As per ANSI, it is considered as type IA and is quite similar with Supadriv screw driver.

Frearson

The Frearson, which is also known as the Reed and Prince Screw head type, is somewhat similar to Phillips, but the only difference is that it features a pointed 75° V shape.

It is superior to Phillips drive in one way, as its bit can fit all screw sizes. It is mostly found in marine hardware and needs a specialized screw driver under the same name. Its tool recess features sharp cross, thereby enabling higher torque to be applied, unlike the rounded Phillips head type.

Hexalobular socket

The hexalobular socket screw driver, which is rather popular as Torx and star drive, is a star-shaped recess as the name suggests, featuring 6 rounded points.

It is specially designed to allow higher torque transfer from the driver to the bit, as compared to other drives. The Torx is mostly used in electronics and automotive industry, as it is highly resistant to cam-out and even reduces the need to go down with the drive tool.

Earlier when the concept of brass wood screws was not conceived, the cabinet makers used to manage with nails, glue and wooden peg, so as to fasten the wooden panels. Although the glue can fix the panels, it is not sturdy enough for a longish time period. A wooden peg is however better than the glue. You need to carve a hole for it and nails, on the other hand used to be the perfect option during those times. They keep the furniture pieces intact, but again they even feature some flaws, like there are chances of bearing a crack on the wooden surface.

The hardware industry came up with an advanced option to deal with such issues. The wooden fasteners have now become a favoured option as these do not mar the beauty of the furniture by making a crack on it. Such kind of fastener is quite popular these days because of its advanced features and ability to safely fasten the panel in place. The market is today flooded with several types of wooden screws and you may be confused in choosing the particular model, best suiting your requirement.

Basic factors to understand the brass wood screws:

1. Such screws feature two types of heads, which include the flathead or slotted type and the Phillips or cross head type. The Mutual Screw and Supply is a leading web store, dealing with such kind of hardware supplies. The latest additions in their product page include the square head Phillips and the simple square head type.

2. Such kind of wooden fasteners also feature various head shapes, such as the round head type, which features protruding top with broad bottoms. Another kind is the flat head type, which is ideal for installing hinges. The hinges can be sunk deep into the wooden surface with its help. The last but not the least is the oval head type, which is both rounded and flat type.

3. Such kinds of screws are usually made up of hard steel, which comprises of brass and stainless steel materials.

You can even go for coasted brass wood screws to prevent corrosion.

There is no denying that iPhone series are ruling the world market of mobile handsets. Their technology, their highly advanced features and tremendous usability have enabled this very brand to become one of the most sought-after assets and those, who already own these widgets do not mind flaunting their prized possessions.

The brand has become so popular in the recent times that numerous online stores have been set-up, rendering services and required accessories for iPhone series. You can easily avail anything related to this particular mobile phone, ranging from headsets and phone covers to screen guards. You find them all at one single store. And you can blame Apple’s popularity for such kind of easy approach.

Let‘s say you have got an iPhone 5 and you’re looking for some sort of replacement parts for your handset, say micro screws. These web stores may or may not be dealing with such kind of unique fastener, so it’s always better to look for web stores, completely dealing with fasteners and hardware supplies, such as Mutual Screw and Supply.

While the stores dealing with iPhone devices may charge you a small fortune for such petty requirements, so it’s always better to go for such stores, who are dealing with such fasteners day in and day it. By this, you can surely land up with a smart dealing. Even by browsing further, you can analyze and compare prices offered by various stores and you would conclude which store is cheaper, whether a fastener shop or an exclusive store set-up for iPhones.

These phones are no cheap so they are meant to last for a longer time period. The materials used in their creation and so as their designs work altogether to enable you with a durable and long-lasting handset. However, their sturdiness doesn’t mean that you won’t have to face any kind of repair job. Besides, this is also a part of the game, while dealing with mass-produced cell phones. Fortunately, there are ways, by which you can cost-effectively deal with your replacement issues and online is always the best medium.

There are several reasons, for which you may need micro screws for your iPhone. Below listed are a few reasons people look for these fasteners for their exquisite handsets.

The screws of these widgets may get loosened after a certain time period and eventually some may even go missing. The regular usage leads to wear and tear of a cell phone, thereby causing rivets to become lose. You cannot fasten these tiny metal objects easily, unless you find a flathead screwdriver to fix the job. In the meantime, the screws may fall out of place.

You may be willing to replace the handset’s logic board and in the process may misplace a few micro screws and thanks to your careless attitude. Thus, you’ll have no option left but to look for some new pieces.

There are people, who are careless in dealing with such delicate devices and would be seen quite often dropping them or throwing them recklessly on their desks. Such actions may even lead to loosening of screws and eventually misplacing them.

Thus, for several reasons, you would be looking for micro screws for your iPhone or even for any other reason. The reason however, rarely matters and all you need supplies at the much needed time. We, at Mutual Screw and Supply, can help you with deal with such annoying situations. Visit our store to find out more about the pricing and on-going deals.

The blatant mishmash of smokestack fasteners is overwhelming. If you are looking for a certain type of fastener, say taptite screw in the market then you must have a fair knowledge about the item, before fetching it. The Internet can be the best medium since the World Wide Web is today flooded with numerous web stores, dealing with hardware supplies.

In various manufacturing companies, workers usually learn about various kinds of fasteners and their features from their experience or under the guidance of supervisors, peers or going through training manuals. But when somebody is looking for certain requisites for fixing up any domestic task then he/she should take the help of the net. There are copious web stores available today, but you should always go for a reputed and trustworthy store. In order to have a detailed catalogue on types and sizes, the popular fastener company, Mutual Screw and Supply can be your ultimate destination.

The self-tapping thread-rolling screws are one of the most commonly used fasteners, which feature female threads fitting in the accurately sized tapping holes. The main advantage in using them is that they can produce threads at relatively lower torques than conventional self-tapping screws.

These particular fasteners are used when the caper is advanced in high production assemblage using threaded rivets. These screws represent the processing of the trilobular criterion for specific type of popular applications.

The taptite screws feature certain type of lobulation at the end point for easy penetration and their optimum threads reducing the lobulation act in the screw body, thereby warding off any kind of wear and tear. In other hand, a stabilized threaded dog point screw ensures safety, aligned entry, durability and easy pick-up, which usually requires minimum end load.

Benefits of thread rolling screws:
Good axial alignment
High vibrational resistance
Low end load
High strip-to-drive ratio
High existing torque
Good torque tension relationship

These are available in various models, flaunting distinct features. You can browse the website to know more.