Screws are one of the most elementary pieces of hardware in woodworking. Although you’ve probably driven in more screws than you can count, the fastener aisle can still be daunting. For a long time, I simply bought Philips head woodscrews in whatever size I needed without considering what other options might be right next to me (aside from the cost). As it turns out, there’s a lot more in that aisle than I thought.
The first thing to discuss is traditional screws versus the modern design. You can see these two illustrated at left. Traditional woodscrews are cut to shape from a blank, which is why you’ll find the threads are an equal diameter to the shank. Thanks to innovations in manufacturing however, modern woodscrews have threads that are rolled or drawn
