Is my drill speed set too high when screwing?

[Matthew Hinton]

I was building the workbench from the Kreg plans.  I used treated yellow pine as it was going to be outside. I'm trying to understand why the screws poked through sometimes in the picture?

• I checked that the settings on the Jig were correct.
• I used 2 1/2 in Kreg screws to join the 2x4's.
• The wood was damp
• I had my cordless drill set to half-speed.  This drilled the screw holes fine.
• After seeing the screw poke through, I turned the setting down.

When screwing, I do want to make a stout connection.  I wonder if I was over torquing the screw?

[Dan Duce]

Hi Matthew,

Based on my experiences I'd say there are a few possible culprits.

1. Wood is wet and soft.

  - I've noticed screws will dig deeper through pine, especially if it is fresh

2. Drill clutch setting / speed is too high.

  - setting the clutch on the drill lower will make it stop sooner

  - if you set it lower and it still goes through, then likely the holes are too deep

3. Pocket hole is drilled too deep.

  - your wood might not be as thick as you think it is

  - I've had to adjust the collar on the drill bit so it doesn't cut as deep, even though technically it was at the right setting

Hope this helps.

Cheers..........Dan

[Matthew Hinton]

Hi Dan,

It does now that I think about it.  "Wet wood" is very possible. We had a light dusting of snow here earlier in the week.  I had a tarp over the wood. I noticed it was still somewhat damp when I pulled the cover off.   Add in the fact that I was driving screws in at the same drill setting I used to drill holes and I see why the screws punched through.  

Lesson learned for me is to set my drill to lower (say 1/2) on the clutch so I don't repeat this.  Especially on softwood.

Thanks! 

[Glen S]

The 2 1/2" screws seem too long for attaching to the face of a 2x4. I would think that direction would only take a 2'' screw because the 2x4 is really 1 1/2" in that direction.

1 1/2" of wood plus the 1/2" (??)of pocket hole shoulder is only 2".  Hence the 1/2" of screw showing.

Note that I have only joined 3/4" boards or ply with mine so I have no experience with thicker lumber.

[Matthew Hinton]

Hi Glen,

The plans I was using were the workbench plans that used to come with the Kreg K4.  They called for 2 1/2 screws.  I see you point about the screw length. 

However, the screws are going in at an angle.  I think that's why the long length is needed. Once I turned the drill speed down to screw them in, it worked. 

I've attached two pictures.  One of the finished project.  I'd hammered the ends that poked through downward so they were flat against the wood.  The other a successful joint on it.  See the "no_screw_poke" picture. 

Hope this helps others learn from my mistakes.

-Matthew

[Glen S]

I'm certainly glad it all worked out for you in the end. You may have been into some softer wood on the other joint too. Either way you've got a nice bench that is ready to work for you. Nicely done.