Funny thing, the exact opposite here 😱
For me black surface finish is cheesy/inferior because it´s there only for supposedly "aesthetic" reasons.
I call it an acquired taste, the opposite could very well have been the current "standard", 50/50 the probability flipping the coin one way or the other.
In my experience, "silver" metal finish: Chrome, Nickel, even humble Zinc plating is way stronger - better - stands rust and even scratching/bumping to a degree "black" finish (blueing - black zinc - painting (ugh!) can not.
Of course, to each his own.
But I find those silver dots (if seen from afar) on Dave´s cabinet much more interesting than an all-flat-black solution.
Think again:
fifteen-twenty-times
The ony way to do that reliably is with (obviousy metallic) threaded inserts, what else?
Are you suggesting he keeps it simple and just uses wood screws? .... Or sheet metal Parker type?
Straight into wood?
Even worse: some poor excuse for wood such as MDF?
Read my lips: soon disintegrated hole walls, anything between dust if dry and some kind of mush if wet.
Already have JM.
He said he is using decent plywood.
Use sheet metal screws and a clutched driver.
I bet I could run that screw 50 times and not have to dress that hole.
There is one more idea that might work for unsightly screw heads on the front of a cabinet. Sorry I don't know exact terminology, but there are rounded brass disc's that have a tit on the back of them made especially for attaching inside of the actual screw head. They dress up the appearance.
The unfinished and unattached baffles that came with the (25mm) cabinet bodies are indeed plywood, but its difficult to get good ply here at the moment and the baffles are not issue free.
I definitely favour techniques that will work with MDF, which is much easier to obtain, and if I decide these aren't worth fixing, then the replacements will be MDF..
MDF, being what it is, has great pull out strength the first time you drive a screw but you will likely have to fix the hole much sooner. That's my experience anyway. I would use a #8 screws, the mounting holes should be plenty large enough. Use a head style that does not cam out so you avoid having to place a lot of pressure on the head. These include Roberstson, and Torx. Allen head is okay too but avoid Phillips and it's variants. It's great for when you want the safety of a cam out but avoid that by using a clutched driver. Can't stress that enough. Use the manufacturers suggested pilot hole. If you do strip a hole come back and I'll give you a handy tip.
screwing into MDF:
use coarse thread screws
size the pilot hole correctly (same size as screw shaft without threads)
drive the screw, remove it, then saturate the pilot hole with CA glue
apply a bit of beeswax, bar soap, etc on the screw threads for lube
use coarse thread screws
size the pilot hole correctly (same size as screw shaft without threads)
drive the screw, remove it, then saturate the pilot hole with CA glue
apply a bit of beeswax, bar soap, etc on the screw threads for lube
Tommus.,
That is Exactly right! Forcing a screw into a hole that is too small to begin with is a guarantee for failure. Doing that, along with aligning the holes correctly pays off. Really this thinking applies in so many other situations in building, but no more so than here.
Personally, I trust the feel of my hand as opposed to a power tool using a clutch. I might use a power tool for the first part until the screw was near the end. Then I would be feeling it the rest of the way. If you are fortunate, you can see the thin gasket compress just enough before you are 'there'. The sequence of screw tightening can matter as well, so that the driver seats evenly. Yah, I get it, this sounds over the top, but the process serves me well.
That is Exactly right! Forcing a screw into a hole that is too small to begin with is a guarantee for failure. Doing that, along with aligning the holes correctly pays off. Really this thinking applies in so many other situations in building, but no more so than here.
Personally, I trust the feel of my hand as opposed to a power tool using a clutch. I might use a power tool for the first part until the screw was near the end. Then I would be feeling it the rest of the way. If you are fortunate, you can see the thin gasket compress just enough before you are 'there'. The sequence of screw tightening can matter as well, so that the driver seats evenly. Yah, I get it, this sounds over the top, but the process serves me well.