Drywall screws to hold strip planking
 

Has anyone ever used drywall screws (the black ones for screwing
plasterboard - I think you call it sheetrock in the US- onto metal
studs and plastering over) for holding the strips in the right
alignment, instead of wooden dowels and/or plywood cleats, or is it a
really dumb idea? I mean just for those annoying bits where the new
strip won't quite line up over the one in place.

The screws don't rust as far as I know and as the whole lot is
encapsulated in epoxy afterwards I doubt if they ever would. I've used
them for fixing things into wood for years and never noticed any
detrimental effect, so I doubt that they would cause an damage to the
wood, assuming a pilot hole was drilled first.

It's just that they are so cheap and are so easy and quick to screw
in.

Another Pete

Drywall screws to hold strip planking
 

I used 10 pounds of drywall screws on my cedar strips but made sure to
remove them all. Took 3 days to unscrew them all and another day
sweeping the hull with a metal detector to make sure I got them all.

Given time they WILL rust. Even under epoxy.

peter wrote:
Has anyone ever used drywall screws (the black ones for screwing
plasterboard - I think you call it sheetrock in the US- onto metal
studs and plastering over) for holding the strips in the right
alignment, instead of wooden dowels and/or plywood cleats, or is it a
really dumb idea? I mean just for those annoying bits where the new
strip won't quite line up over the one in place.

The screws don't rust as far as I know and as the whole lot is
encapsulated in epoxy afterwards I doubt if they ever would. I've used
them for fixing things into wood for years and never noticed any
detrimental effect, so I doubt that they would cause an damage to the
wood, assuming a pilot hole was drilled first.

It's just that they are so cheap and are so easy and quick to screw
in.

Another Pete

--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com

Drywall screws to hold strip planking
 

Drywall screws are real handy around the house ... but ... I would not use
them around the boat ... they do "rust" ... and quickly.

peter wrote in message
...
Has anyone ever used drywall screws (the black ones for screwing
plasterboard - I think you call it sheetrock in the US- onto metal
studs and plastering over) for holding the strips in the right
alignment, instead of wooden dowels and/or plywood cleats, or is it a
really dumb idea? I mean just for those annoying bits where the new
strip won't quite line up over the one in place.

The screws don't rust as far as I know and as the whole lot is
encapsulated in epoxy afterwards I doubt if they ever would. I've used
them for fixing things into wood for years and never noticed any
detrimental effect, so I doubt that they would cause an damage to the
wood, assuming a pilot hole was drilled first.

It's just that they are so cheap and are so easy and quick to screw
in.

Another Pete

Drywall screws to hold strip planking
 

peter writes:

Has anyone ever used drywall screws (the black ones for screwing
plasterboard - I think you call it sheetrock in the US- onto metal
studs and plastering over) for holding the strips in the right
alignment, instead of wooden dowels and/or plywood cleats, or is it a
really dumb idea?

Have probably used at least 100 lbs of deck screws (coarse thread).

Built the male mold, and endless numbers of jigs, templates, etc.

All of these items would be classed as temporary construction.

Even used them to build the bulkheads which consisted of two sheets of 1/2",
4 ply, CDX plywood glued and screwed together with deck screws and then
glassed over on each side with 2 layers of 24 oz double bias glass and
epoxy.

Those deck screws are buried inside all that glass and resin. It was easier
to grind them flush than to unscrew them and then plug the holes.

They may rust, but I doubt it, and if they do, it's NBD, since they are
strictly now little more than core material.

For your application, I'd probably remove them where possible.

HTH


--
Lew

S/A: Challenge, The Bullet Proof Boat, (Under Construction in the Southland)
Visit: http://home.earthlink.net/~lewhodgett for Pictures

Drywall screws to hold strip planking
 

On Mon, 03 May 2004 23:17:03 +0200, peter
wrote:

The screws don't rust as far as I know and as the whole lot is
encapsulated in epoxy afterwards I doubt if they ever would.

==============================================

The standard screws will rust, it's just a matter of time. You can
get them in either galvanized or stainless steel however.

Drywall screws to hold strip planking
 

Isn't it just as easy to use a staple gun and long staples, driven in over
small pieces of heavy plastic to make location and removal easy later?

"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 03 May 2004 23:17:03 +0200, peter
wrote:

The screws don't rust as far as I know and as the whole lot is
encapsulated in epoxy afterwards I doubt if they ever would.

==============================================

The standard screws will rust, it's just a matter of time. You can
get them in either galvanized or stainless steel however.

Drywall screws to hold strip planking
 

Depends on the size of the project. Staples are OK for a canoe or
dinghy but my strips were 1.125" thick. Staples would not have worked.

auerbach wrote:
Isn't it just as easy to use a staple gun and long staples, driven in over
small pieces of heavy plastic to make location and removal easy later?

"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...

On Mon, 03 May 2004 23:17:03 +0200, peter
wrote:


The screws don't rust as far as I know and as the whole lot is
encapsulated in epoxy afterwards I doubt if they ever would.

==============================================

The standard screws will rust, it's just a matter of time. You can
get them in either galvanized or stainless steel however.





--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com

Drywall screws to hold strip planking
 

On Mon, 03 May 2004 22:28:47 -0400, Glenn Ashmore
wrote:
Depends on the size of the project. Staples are OK for a canoe or
dinghy but my strips were 1.125" thick. Staples would not have worked.

================================================== ======

With stips that thick, at what point are you able to remove the
screws?

Drywall screws to hold strip planking
 

"auerbach" writes:

Isn't it just as easy to use a staple gun and long staples, driven in over
small pieces of heavy plastic to make location and removal easy later?

The short answer is "NO".

The long answer is still "NO".

I've used the staple trick you describe /w/ a pneumatic staple gun, several
times, just not here.


--
Lew

S/A: Challenge, The Bullet Proof Boat, (Under Construction in the Southland)
Visit: http://home.earthlink.net/~lewhodgett for Pictures

Drywall screws to hold strip planking
 

The galvanizing is not hot-dip but electroplated, so it's of no practical
added value in a marine environment.

"Wayne.B" wrote:

On Mon, 03 May 2004 23:17:03 +0200, peter
wrote:

The screws don't rust as far as I know and as the whole lot is
encapsulated in epoxy afterwards I doubt if they ever would.

==============================================

The standard screws will rust, it's just a matter of time. You can
get them in either galvanized or stainless steel however.

Drywall screws to hold strip planking
 

Wayne.B wrote:
On Mon, 03 May 2004 22:28:47 -0400, Glenn Ashmore
wrote:

Depends on the size of the project. Staples are OK for a canoe or
dinghy but my strips were 1.125" thick. Staples would not have worked.


================================================== ======

With stips that thick, at what point are you able to remove the
screws?

I pulled them as soon as the planking was finished so I would not grind
into the heads while doing the rough fairing.

--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com

Drywall screws to hold strip planking
 

The black sheetrock screws DO rust, though they won't if you completely
encapsulate them (that would mean from all sides). If you're concerned,
you can use galvanized or stainless decking screws.

peter wrote:

Has anyone ever used drywall screws (the black ones for screwing
plasterboard - I think you call it sheetrock in the US- onto metal
studs and plastering over) for holding the strips in the right
alignment, instead of wooden dowels and/or plywood cleats, or is it a
really dumb idea? I mean just for those annoying bits where the new
strip won't quite line up over the one in place.

The screws don't rust as far as I know and as the whole lot is
encapsulated in epoxy afterwards I doubt if they ever would. I've used
them for fixing things into wood for years and never noticed any
detrimental effect, so I doubt that they would cause an damage to the
wood, assuming a pilot hole was drilled first.

It's just that they are so cheap and are so easy and quick to screw
in.

Another Pete

Drywall screws to hold strip planking
 

peter wrote in message . ..
Has anyone ever used drywall screws (the black ones for screwing
plasterboard - I think you call it sheetrock in the US- onto metal
studs and plastering over) for holding the strips in the right
alignment, instead of wooden dowels and/or plywood cleats, or is it a
really dumb idea? I mean just for those annoying bits where the new
strip won't quite line up over the one in place.

The screws don't rust as far as I know and as the whole lot is
encapsulated in epoxy afterwards I doubt if they ever would. I've used
them for fixing things into wood for years and never noticed any
detrimental effect, so I doubt that they would cause an damage to the
wood, assuming a pilot hole was drilled first.

It's just that they are so cheap and are so easy and quick to screw
in.

Another Pete

If it's not a huge project, you can use the stainless steel version,
that is what I do, usually pull em' after, but if I miss or break one
off, it does not matter. Another option would be bronze/silicone ring
nails and just countersink them and leave them in.
Scotty

Drywall screws to hold strip planking
 

Brian Nystrom wrote in message ...
The black sheetrock screws DO rust, though they won't if you completely
encapsulate them (that would mean from all sides).

Oh yes they will (proved it a few times).

If you're concerned,
you can use galvanized or stainless decking screws.

There is a bugle-head screw (same profile as a drywall screw) used for
cement backer board, commonly called by the brand name Durock in
America, which is structurally approved as corrosion resistant &
commonly installed over steel studs in landlubber construction, using
a SS eschutcheon (for Durock), and sometimes for light curtainwall
construction. It isn't galvanized and I don't think it's SS (not
close at hand to double-check either). It has stood up well in a
light marine environment for me, as well as the demands of
(hygroscopic) backer board often used in wet/corrosive locations like
ceilings over chlorinated swimming pools, tiled chemical treatment
rooms, etc. I no longer have the designation at hand, and local
tradesmen simply call them "Durock screws." They may only be
cadmium-plated (a guess). There are a variety of "sheetrock-like"
fasteners unknown to consumer markets, if you find them temptingly
easy to use - suggest check with a commercial drywall supplier or a
wholesale fastener house. Some have superior drive heads, too,
instead of that horrid Phillips affair that is so easy to booger.

Drywall screws to hold strip planking
 

On Mon, 03 May 2004 23:17:03 +0200, peter
wrote:

Has anyone ever used drywall screws (the black ones for screwing
plasterboard - I think you call it sheetrock in the US- onto metal
studs and plastering over) for holding the strips in the right
alignment, instead of wooden dowels and/or plywood cleats, or is it a
really dumb idea? I mean just for those annoying bits where the new
strip won't quite line up over the one in place.

The screws don't rust as far as I know and as the whole lot is
encapsulated in epoxy afterwards I doubt if they ever would. I've used
them for fixing things into wood for years and never noticed any
detrimental effect, so I doubt that they would cause an damage to the
wood, assuming a pilot hole was drilled first.

It's just that they are so cheap and are so easy and quick to screw
in.

Another Pete

Well I'll bow to the weight of opinion here regarding the rust, but I
will insist that I have used these screws for joinery projects for
nearly 20 years and I have yet to see one fail through rust. I have
used them in all situations and the worst rust I have seen is a little
surface rust where the screwdriver tips have worn away the sheridising
(or whatever it is called) as it slipped. These screws are made to be
plastered over. But if you all insist......it's back to the wooden
dowels; it's not much more work really.......sigh..............

Another Pete

Drywall screws to hold strip planking
 

"peter" writes:

Well I'll bow to the weight of opinion here regarding the rust, but I
will insist that I have used these screws for joinery projects for
nearly 20 years and I have yet to see one fail through rust. I have
used them in all situations and the worst rust I have seen is a little
surface rust where the screwdriver tips have worn away the sheridising
(or whatever it is called) as it slipped. These screws are made to be
plastered over. But if you all insist......it's back to the wooden
dowels; it's not much more work

If you don't want to bother removing them, there are S/S deck screws
available.

Try Jamestown Distributors.


--
Lew

S/A: Challenge, The Bullet Proof Boat, (Under Construction in the Southland)
Visit: http://home.earthlink.net/~lewhodgett for Pictures

Drywall screws to hold strip planking
 

In my opinion, the bum thing about drywall screws is that they break easily.
Going fine ...going fine ...'click'. "Hey? Wonder what that little click
noise was? Hey look ...the head of the screw just spins ...damn!" I've
switched to square drive deck screws. The good thing about dry wall screws
of course is that they are self-starting and have a thin shank that normally
does not require predrilling before using. The deck screws that I've been
using (see project below ...lots of temporary screws) have a thin shank, are
ceramic coated, and the threads are missing on a very short space below the
head so the screws are good for pulling two layers together like a clamp.
These are leftovers from the last fence project that I did (two years ago
....no rust on the fence so far.) I've dug my last drywall screw out ...no
more for me.

Brian


--
http://www.advantagecomposites.com/tongass -- My 22' Tolman Skiff project
http://www.advantagecomposites.com/catalog -- Discounted System Three
Resins products


..
"Lew Hodgett" wrote in message
ink.net...

"peter" writes:

Well I'll bow to the weight of opinion here regarding the rust, but I
will insist that I have used these screws for joinery projects for
nearly 20 years and I have yet to see one fail through rust. I have
used them in all situations and the worst rust I have seen is a little
surface rust where the screwdriver tips have worn away the sheridising
(or whatever it is called) as it slipped. These screws are made to be
plastered over. But if you all insist......it's back to the wooden
dowels; it's not much more work

If you don't want to bother removing them, there are S/S deck screws
available.

Try Jamestown Distributors.


--
Lew

S/A: Challenge, The Bullet Proof Boat, (Under Construction in the
Southland)
Visit: http://home.earthlink.net/~lewhodgett for Pictures

Drywall screws to hold strip planking
 

Glenn Ashmore wrote:

Wayne.B wrote:

On Mon, 03 May 2004 22:28:47 -0400, Glenn Ashmore
wrote:

Depends on the size of the project. Staples are OK for a canoe or
dinghy but my strips were 1.125" thick. Staples would not have worked.



================================================== ======

With stips that thick, at what point are you able to remove the
screws?


I pulled them as soon as the planking was finished so I would not grind
into the heads while doing the rough fairing.

I recall that there's a company producing plastic nails that can be
driven with a nail gun. The idea is that when it comes time to plane or
sand the surface, the nails remain in place and are shaped along with
the wood.

Drywall screws to hold strip planking
 

Raptors.
Good idea but they only work with one or two high end nailers.

Brian Nystrom wrote:


I recall that there's a company producing plastic nails that can be
driven with a nail gun. The idea is that when it comes time to plane or
sand the surface, the nails remain in place and are shaped along with
the wood.


--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com

Drywall screws to hold strip planking
 

"Brian D" wrote in message news:ZQjmc.28871$Ia6.4578039@attbi_s03...

I've dug my last drywall screw out ...no
more for me.

:-) Same act, different stage. Their high hardness/brittleness is
problematic enough, but here in the NE US our rain is often as acid as
ph 4, and in a lot of exposed uses they seem to suffer from added
corrosion embrittlement (observed but not proven), and also often do
waste through enough in a few years to fracture off in acidic woods
like our read oak. Seem to be a false economy all the way around,
afloat or ashore - YMMV. But then again, I'm the kind of guy who
thinks drywall is a dumb, useless material, too (except as a fire
barrier). :-)