Hardware stores stock a fascinating array of small objects for woodworking. Some you’ll need for your project, others aren’t necessary but can enhance the design and give it a personal touch. While you’re shopping, examine the full range and be imaginative when thinking about the ways these items might be put to use.
There are several different ways to fasten two pieces of wood together or to fasten a finished case to the wall.
The options include the following:
Nails
Nails are the most basic type of fastener for holding two pieces of wood together. There are many types. Most of the obscure ones are for specialized construction techniques.
Common, box, finishing, and casing nails are the nails that you’re most likely to use. Common nails and box nails have flat heads; box nails are thinner. Finishing and casing nails have thin shanks and small heads so that they can be countersunk (driven below the surface of the wood). The resulting holes are then filled with putty and smoothed, making the nails invisible and giving projects a neat, finished appearance.
In cabinetry, nails are used mostly to hold glued joints while the glue dries. When used alone (without glue), nails tend to loosen, eventually resulting in cases that are wobbly and weak. Even trim strips should be glued to the case and secured with a minimum of nails, since the filled nail holes may remain slightly visible.
Nails are classified by length as well as by type. The term used is penny (d). A 2-penny (2d) nail is one inch long. Size increases by one penny for each ¼-inch of length, so that a 6d nail is 2 inches long and a 10d, 3 inches.
Screws
Wood screws have threaded shafts allowing them to bite more firmly and hold better than nails. They are a little more trouble to use since you must drill holes into which to insert them.
Screws vary by length, gauge (diameter), shape of head, and type of slot. A slotted screw has a single groove across the head. A Phillips screw h6s two crossed slots and requires a Phillips screwdriver to tighten it. Most carpenters prefer this type because the screwdriver is less likely to slip and gouge the wood; consequently it is safer and more convenient to use driver devices, such as the spiral ratchet screwdriver and power screwdrivers.
For the projects in this guide, the flat-head screw (available with either slotted or Phillips head) will be most useful because it is the least visible.
The flat head lies flush with the surface of the wood and, like the finishing nail, can be countersunk and covered. If you plan to do much cabinetry that requires screws, purchase a selection of three or four combination drill bits made especially for placing wood screws. The special bits, in one maneuver, drill the pilot hole, the shank hole, the countersink, and the counterbore.
Wall fasteners
Expansion bolts, toggle bolts, and similar devices are used as anchors when you are fastening into a plaster or a plasterboard wall between studs.
The fastener is pushed through a hole that has been drilled in the wall. The wings or sleeves on the bolts spread out and tighten against the back of the finish wall, thereby preventing the bolt from slipping out.
Plates and brackets
These small metal pieces, shaped like L’s and T’s and I are useful for reinforcing the corners of a bookcase or the points where the shelves meet the side and back walls. These fittings are manufactured as flat pieces that are screwed to the edge of the case, or as three-dimensional formed clips that slip over the joint, and are ally held in place by brads. Buy plates and brackets in steel for places where they will be hidden and in brass if you want to add a decorative touch as well as strength.
Dowels
Dowels are cylindrical rods, usually made of hardwood, ranging in diameter from 1/8- to 1-inch. They can function as pegs to reinforce a joint. If used for this purpose, choose short pieces that have been grooved or fluted. (You can buy these in packages of a dozen or so.) The grooves allow for gluing along the entire length to form a firm bond. Larger dowels are sold in lengths up to several feet and can serve as structural elements in certain types of shelves, such as wine racks.
Plugs
These short pieces of dowel in various diameters are used to fill the holes made by counter-bored screws.
Plugs are also available as caps, which fill the hole and protrude above the surface. The protruding part can be rounded or flat on top.
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Full guide: How to Plan & Build Bookcases, Cabinets & Shelves
