First please forgive me for a silly question.

I was trying to use a power screw driver yesterday to drive a screw into a piece of wood. However, I encountered a problem in the process.

The screw was about 3/4 of the way threaded and 1/4 unthreaded. I was able to drive 3/4 of the way in only. I couldn't drive in the unthreaded portion. I am not sure why. Was the size of my power screw driver head not correct? I was using the standard head that came with the power screw driver.

Why is 1/4 of the screw unthreaded anyway? I am thinking if I go buy the screw which is all threaded, then I should be okay. But it looks like most of the screws have a portion unthreaded. I must be doing something wrong.

Thanks for your help. I know this is a very silly question. But I am a newbie.

Thanks again.

 

Is the screw still turning but not going in?
The unthreaded portion allows the screw to pull two pieces of wood together, but if it strips out where the threads are, it will stop pulling in.

Tell us what the screw is going into, how long, turning or not, and will it back out?

Bud

 

May need to predrill a pilot hole.
We can not see what it is your trying to screw into, what the screw looks like, what your using to try and scew it in with.
There's seveal differant sized heads on screws. You have to make sure your using the right sized bit. It has to fit tight or it's going to cam out and round off the head.
Sounds like your trying to use a wood screw. The best thing to predrill a wood screw hole with is a taper bit so the threads make the proper contact.
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=10609

 

The unthreaded portion of screw won't turn, when I tried to force it by giving it a little more power, then the head of the screw got flatted (losing the grip). Then i had to get it back out before it gets stuck. One time the grip was completely lost so i had to use a hammer to unstuck it.

 

If you are putting two pieces of wood together you need to drill a clearance hole in the top piece slightly larger then the unthreaded shank of the screw. If you are fastening metal such as a bracket to wood you should not use a wood screw. You need to use a sheet metal screw. They are threaded all the way so they will screw fully into the wood. Again the clearance hole in the top piece should be slightly larger than the screw.

 

I don't think anyone mentioned the possibility that the screw could be hitting a Simpson NS (nail stopper plate) or SS (stud shoe).

There is nothing worse than someone drilling a pilot hole through a metal nail stopper plate and then putting a screw right into a water line or electrical conduit.

But I would assume it's somethign simple like ray mentioned... maybe the 2 pieces of wood got wedged apart by the screw threads and wouldn't tighten up. Sometimes backing the screw back out and trying it again will do the trick.

 

Xsleeper just resurrected an all to real nightmare of something that actually happened to me.