Im building a shelving unit and im having issues screwing together some 2x4 it keeps creating a gap, i did drill pilot holes. Is there anything else I can do?
Hi @Herrenovacation,
This is likely due to something called "screw jacking", which often happens because as the screw advances, the threads move each piece along the screw at roughly the same rate, so if there is a gap between them when the thread engages the second piece, the gap will remain there if you are relying entirely on the thread to pull the pieces together.
It is why timber screws like these https://www.bunnings.com.au/zenith-10g-x-75mm-gold-passivated-type-17-countersunk-head-timber-screws-50-pack_p2409151 often have the smooth section at the top of the shank. It allows the screw to rotate through the first piece of material without pulling on it, while pulling itself into the second piece.
If you are not using screws like these, you will get better results with a screw like this.
You can also often fix the issue by simply half removing the screw, then using your non-drill hand to pull the timber together while screwing it in. It can be a bit of a rougher approach, but it will usually work.
Let me know what you think and if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.
Jacob
All of the above - plus if unsure, a slightly larger pilot hole on the head side.
Thanks @JacobZ & @Noyade have tried all of above and still seems to be doing it, very frustrating. Even re checked all my measurements to ensure it wasn't my error.
Can you share a photo of the screw outside of the timber? Also, some photos of the full shelving frame? It should help us to hopefully identify and rectify the problem.
I'm with @JacobZ in that if you stand back @Herrenovacation and photograph the whole project it may make better sense to us. If your measurements are correct and you've drilled an oversized pilot hole on the vertical member I can't see why it's not drawing the horizontal member together.
Is it possible the wood has been 'stripped' on the horizontal member and the screw is now just spinning freely? Are you using an impact driver?
Keep us informed - cheers.
Thanks everyone for your advice, I ended up fixing the issue. Once I added the middle braces it helped.
Looks good @Herrenovacation. I'm glad to see you got things sorted.
It looks like you've got yourself a whole lot of extra storage space now.
Thank you for the update.
Well done @Herrenovacation. Thanks for sharing your results.
Jason
