Can I screw from wood into aluminum?

[Michael B]

I need to build a frame support and my hole will be drilled into wood, but it will be attached to a 1-inch by aluminum. I hope you can understand. Instead of 2 wood pieces, it's just wood to a 1-inch-square tube. Would that work? Thanks. Michael

[Don Foley]

Michael,

You can attach aluminum tubing to wood, but I don't see how the Kreg jig would be used in the process. 

If the threads of the screw are going onto the wood you can use a wood screw; drill through the aluminum, drill a pilot hole into the wood and drive the screw.  You would have to use a pan head screw. 

If the screw will be going through the wood and threading into the aluminum, you would have to either use a sheet metal screw (may not hold well) or a machine screw, after drilling and cutting threads into the aluminum tubing (once again may not hold depending on the tubing wall thickness).  A third option is to use a machine screw and 1. if the hole is near the end of the tubing slide a nut into the tubing, start the threads then use a wrench to secure the nut while driving the screw or 2. drill completely through the tubing and use a machine screw and nut (just don't torque it down so tight as to begin crushing the aluminum tubing.

Hope these suggestions make sense to you and help in some way, Don

[Michael B]

Sorry I figured it was going to be hard to explain.  This is under the dinette in my travel trailer and I would like to add a drawer here. I was going to build a square frame and screw it in between the upper and lower aluminum runners to allow places for the drawer tracks and such.  The only thing there is just the aluminum and 1/8 ply.   I guess I could just use some plates on the backside to join the different materials with the right screws. Just didn't know if I could screw down into the aluminum with a fine thread screw and it would work. Thanks