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"  Driving screws by hand is hard work--especially if you have a bunch of them. It&amp;#039;s no wonder that before cordless drill/drivers hit the scene, everything from decks to doghouses was simply nailed together. Screws were reserved for finer work, where parts might need to be disassembled, or for attaching hardware. Today, the humble screwdriver remains the tool of choice for these jobs. Sure, you&amp;#039;ll have to work a little harder to drive a screw by hand--but think of the forearm muscles you&amp;#039;ll develop.In the old days, the slot-head screw was the standard for fastening to wood. It&amp;#039;s the trickiest type to install because the wrong-size driver or inadequate pressure on the head will cause the tip to slip out and damage the slot. Do this a few times to the same head and you&amp;#039;ll end up with a half-driven screw that requires a pair of locking pliers to turn. A better solution is the Phillips-head screw because it grips the driver&amp;#039;s tip in the center of the head where it&amp;#039;s less likely to slip. Even better is the Robertson, or square-drive screw--a favorite of professional woodworkers. Some screws come with a combination Phillips/Robertson head. No matter what type of screw you&amp;#039;re driving, you&amp;#039;ll have the most success, and end up with the neatest job, if you follow the simple steps below. Driving screws by hand is hard work--especially if you have a bunch of them. It&amp;#039;s no wonder that before cordless drill/drivers hit the scene, everything from decks to doghouses was simply nailed together. Screws were reserved for finer work, where parts might need to be disassembled, or for attaching hardware. Today, the humble screwdriver remains the tool of choice for these jobs. Sure, you&amp;#039;ll have to work a little harder to drive a screw by hand--but think of the forearm muscles you&amp;#039;ll develop. In the old days, the slot-head screw was the standard for fastening to wood. It&amp;#039;s the trickiest type to install because the wrong-size driver or inadequate pressure on the head will cause the tip to slip out and damage the slot. Do this a few times to the same head and you&amp;#039;ll end up with a half-driven screw that requires a pair of locking pliers to turn. A better solution is the Phillips-head screw because it grips the driver&amp;#039;s tip in the center of the head where it&amp;#039;s less likely to slip. Even better is the Robertson, or square-drive screw--a favorite of professional woodworkers. Some screws come with a combination Phillips/Robertson head. No matter what type of screw you&amp;#039;re driving, you&amp;#039;ll have the most success, and end up with the neatest job, if you follow the simple steps given on page 102.  Slot-head screwdrivers are designated by the width of the tip and length of the shank in inches. Choose a tip that closely matches the diameter of the screwhead. Phillips and Robertson drivers are designated by numbers--the larger the number, the larger the tip and the heavier the screw it&amp;#039;s designed to drive. Slot-head screwdrivers are designated by the width of the tip and length of the shank in inches. Choose a tip that closely matches the diameter of the screwhead. Phillips and Robertson drivers are designated by numbers--the larger the number, the larger the tip and the heavier the screw it&amp;#039;s designed to drive.  PREPARATION Size the screw to the work: Plan for most of the thread to engage a pilot hole in the thicker piece. Use heavier screws for greater holding power.  Match drill bits for thread and shank: Pick a drill bit that matches the inside of the thread for the pilot hole. Use a larger bit to bore a shank clearance hole.  Choose the right screwdriver: If the driver tip is too large or small, it will slip out of the head and ruin it. Make sure the tip completely fills the recess.  Lubricate the threads: A little lubrication on the threads will ease driving. Soap or candle wax helps the threads slip easily through the wood.     INSTALLATION 1) Mark the hole center with an awl and bore the clearance hole followed by the pilot hole. 2) Countersink or counterbore the hole for flathead screws. 3) Hold the driver in line with the screw, press the tip tightly into the screwhead and turn the driver clockwise.STANDARD WOODSCREWS AND PILOT HOLES The traditional woodscrew has either a flat head for driving flush with the wood surface or setting into a counterbore, or a round head that sits above the surface. Roundhead screws are used when the assembly may be taken apart, or for decorative purposes. Pilot holes grip the screw threads in the bottom piece only. The top piece has a larger clearance hole.  NARROW-SHANK SCREWS  Screws for power driving have narrow shanks that simplify pilot holes, and in some cases, such as drywall screw driving, a pilot hole isn&amp;#039;t required. Bugle-head screws drive flush without a countersink.   SPECIAL DRILL BITS You&amp;#039;ll need a countersink to set flathead screws flush. Combination bits bore the clearance hole, countersink and counterbore in one step.  TIP: To reduce the risk of damaging a soft brass screw, first install a steel screw of the same size to cut a thread in the wood. Then remove it and drive the brass screw. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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