Any project where you have to put something together – be it something small like a side table or something as large as a house is going to need fasteners. Screws are probably the most common fastener type and they play a bigger role than you may have realized.
Quality screws provide strength, stability, and reliability to each project. This way, you don’t have to worry about things just falling apart. That small piece of metal is important for a lot of reasons.
Holding Things Together
At the very heart of why screws are important is that they just hold things together. The majority of projects you will ever take on are going to involve a screw or some other kind of fastener. Building some cheap piece of furniture from a discount store? You’re definitely going to be using screws. Putting together a shed? Screws (and probably bolts) will be there. Even complex things like building a house, putting together aircraft, and even constructing military vehicles all involve fasteners like a screw or bolts.
When you gather up the right tools to take on your next job, you’ll probably notice screws are one of them. For such a small, seemingly simple thing, screws play a massive role in everyday life.
Providing Stability
Without a doubt, the biggest benefit that screws offer is stability. Let’s think about this if you’re putting together a desk. The screws go in the places where two pieces of material join together. The last thing you want is for those two pieces to suddenly and randomly come apart.
Screws add stability to the entire structure by not only joining those two pieces but by making sure they are flush and won’t move. In the case of the aforementioned desk, if two joining pieces moved even a little bit, it could cause other issues throughout the rest of the desk. That might even mean the desk falling apart totally.
Protecting the Material
Something that you need to think about is what your screw is used for. All screws are not created equally and they have a specific purpose. You’re probably going to come across masonry screws, wood screws, drywall screws, sheet metal screws, and more.
The reason there are so many is because they each work with a specific material. The way they’re made and the material used to make the screw helps it screw into the material without doing major damage. For instance, if you’re working with wood, a wood screw is ideal because it should screw in without splitting or cracking the wood. Know your screws and material before you start anything.
Great Durability
Almost as important as the stability screws provide is durability. As a matter of fact, the screws will probably outlast any of the other materials used in a project. Long after that desk has become chipped, worn, and warped, the screws will be there doing their job. Sure, the structure may be compromised but that’s because the main materials are damaged. The screws are probably still holding their spots together.
In any project, you want that thing to stay together as long as possible. The right screw will ensure that each joint remains together with strength and durability throughout. Think about how many times you’ve seen an old, broken piece of furniture that still had a screw sticking out. That’s because the screw did its job to the very end even when the material couldn’t hold up anymore. Screws are built for the long haul and can keep things together even in the face of major stress.