You might think that driving screws, bolts, and other fasteners in tight will help strengthen whatever construction project you’re working on. However, overdriving your fasteners can cause more problems than you might think.
Overdriving is when a fastener has been driven into material so far that the head of the fastener has broken the material’s surface. Overdriving fasteners can mean that you risk cracking and damaging your material, not only making it look less attractive, but significantly weakening it too.
In fact, studies have shown that overdriving fasteners can reduce shear capacity (i.e. the strength of the material) by up to 22%.
You can also damage your fasteners by overdriving them, for example, by stripping the screw heads. This makes it harder to tighten or loosen them in the future.
How to protect against fastener overdriving
So, what can you do to reduce the risk of fastener overdriving? Here are some of our top tips.
- Drilling pilot holes can help reduce the chances of overdriving happening. This means you use less force when driving a fastener through the material
- Adjusting the slip clutch setting will ensure the right amount of torque is applied when driving your fastener into the material. A lower setting is better for wood and soft material, while a higher setting is ideal for metal
- Using a self-centring bit makes it easier to create a precise hole and means your fastener is driven in the right direction. A magnetic bit holder can also prevent overdriving as it stops screws and bolts from being driven the wrong way
- Choosing the right fastener is essential. This reduces the risk of overdriving and ensures the perfect finish. If you’re not sure a fastener is the right one, do a test run on a spare piece of wood or metal before you start
- You can use additional fasteners to balance the recommended space and counter the effect of overdriving; however this is definitely a last resort
- And finally… practice! The more experience you have when it comes to driving fasteners, the more likely you are to get it right first time
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