Deckmate Screws At Home Depot

[Stephen Tashiro]

My local Home Depot has stopped marking the screw diameters on the packages of the longer sizes of Deckmate screws. And whatever diameter screw they have chosen to sell is too thick. It tends to split 2x4 lumber. This could be avoided by using the right size pilot hole. But I like to use a countersink and the countersinks sold by Home Depot have bit diameters that are too small.

On the boxes, the screw's length is printed using a tiny type font for the fractions (e.g. 1/4, 1/2), so it is hard to read.

My store is in Las Cruces, NM. Are these changes nation wide ?

[Dewey Torres]

Slightly off topic but read though this recent thread where I asked SMC about countersinks. There is some info in here that may be of use to you.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=100478&highlight=countersink

[Michael Donahue]

I think the shorter ones are #8 and the longer ones #9. Couldn't you just buy a countersink from those sizes?

[Mark Smith, too]

7 x 1-1/4, 8 x 2-1/2, 8 x 3, 9 x 3-1/2 are the ones I have.

[Kelly C. Hanna]

Pretty much and much to my dismay! Do you have a Fastenal there? I have opened an acccount with them now and buy the square drive/phillips there for $20 a box [without an account they charge a ton]!

OT...man I miss the days at NMSU playing frisbee on the lawn in front of the bookstore with my buds. I worked at the Holiday Inn De Las cruces in those days...fond memories!

[Stephen Tashiro]

Glad that you mentioned Fastenal, we do have one and I hadn't thought of going there.

I've never figured out how to pronounce "Fastenal" . I tend to say it as "fasten all". Others say it as "fast and all".or "fast ten all".

[Kelly C. Hanna]

I say it the same way....the others are interesting but incorrect. The screws I get are zinc coated and go into wood much faster than the ones at HD. Not only that but now HD screws are all torx head...no good.

The zinc screws come in all sizes from 1 /14" up to 3" in sizes 7 & 8. They also have a 9-3 1/2" iirc.

[hank dekeyser]

I'm w/ Kelly, Get set up w/ your local Fastenal branch. 2 reasons -
1 * they'll give you personal service and they actually know about the product they sell
2* Home Deephole just plain sucks, the only time I shop there is when I can get them on a pricematch minus 10% that makes it worth my while.

I wonder if it's pronounced "Fasen -y'all" in the deep south ?