Spec'ing wood screws
Spec'ing wood screws
(OP)
Sorry for the ton of posts here recently. I'm looking at our General Notes for wood and I don't see any mention of standards that the fasteners need to meet. I think this is something that needs to be added to our General Notes so I wanted to see how you guys spec fasteners for wood construction. Do you just have a note requiring Bolts to be ANSI B18.2.1, screws to be ANSI B18.6.1, and nails to be ASTM F1667? Is this necessary? Are there "wood screws", nails, or bolts out there that don't comply with these standards?






RE: Spec'ing wood screws
Screws are more problematic, since most deck screws (which you will get) are not the same as old school wood screws. They are often a tempered steel, which makes them strong but brittle. I'll just leave it at that.
Bolts are not a problem when spec'd to NDS - you almost always get a wood failure rather than a steel bolt failure.
You will probably never find a box nails or common screw which have a ASTM spec on them. Look at the Fastenal website to get a feel for what is generally available.
RE: Spec'ing wood screws
RE: Spec'ing wood screws
Fasteners bought at home improvement stores might or might not comply with typical standards. Assume that they don't unless otherwise proven.
Next you will need to specify the performance of the fastener in the wood you specify. There is an ASTM standard for this as well.
RE: Spec'ing wood screws
My guess is that the majority of fasteners which are used in wood-framed construction would be imported from oversees with no testing performed to ensure that the product is up to code (whatever code they must comply with).
RE: Spec'ing wood screws
RE: Spec'ing wood screws
RE: Spec'ing wood screws
RE: Spec'ing wood screws
For thru-bolts, I always spec A307 for wood connections.
For nails, I use the descriptions proviced in the IBC.
Mike McCann
MMC Engineering
Motto: KISS
Motivation: Don't ask
RE: Spec'ing wood screws