Breaking Scews?

[Donald Lawrence]

New to Kreg system, bought a K3 Master, assorted screw kit, ran a couple of test joints without any problems, and was quite impressed at joint quality and ease of construct.  Thought WOW this is really great.

Started putting together my 30 Cabinet Face Frames using screws in the assorted screw kit and NEVER had 1 single screw break.  Went thru all the 1-1/4 Fine screws in the Kit, and needing more bought two 100 packs of Kreg brand 1-1/4" Fine scews, exact same thing I had been using without any problems.

I have put together two more face frames with the new boxes of screws and now have stopped.  I have broken 7 screws of 24 in the the two face frames, cracked two ends of the wood.  These new screws will not tighten joints like the old screws did, joints separate twice as much while screwing them in as the old screws, causing movement and misalignment. Already sent one of the face frames to the burn pile

With nothing changed other than screws and the passing of 24 hours between work sessions, I am really doubting the use of the Kreg System. 

Has the quality of the Kreg screw changed?  Is there a better screw?
Any other experiencing a drastic change in usability with a new box of screws?

Although the old screws and new screws look the same, they are not performing the same.

Looking for any suggestions on what I am doing wrong, I may have to revert back to biscuts, sigh.

[Kim C]

Sounds like you got a bad batch if that is possible. I have gone through close to 1000 and never had one break. Did you contact the company?

[KregRep]

Donald,
Thanks for posting your troubles, and don't worry... we'll get you taken care of. Screws are always difficult from a quality assurance perspective because even the slightest variations in temperature/etc. at the time of their construction, can lead to wild swings in strength/durability. Even though our design itself is incredibly strong, something we take great pride in since there are so many bad screws out there, these changes can result in small batches of screws which are less than perfect. Often times, screws that are too hard i.e. too brittle are the ones that break the easiest. Because of this, our engineering department works diligently to test quality of our screws before they go out the door.

Occasionally though, some bad screws get through. Thankfully, this is the exception to the rule. You aren't doing anything wrong... our screws are designed to spin out before they ever break. If your heads are breaking off, it's definitely a manufacturing error. It's more than likely that you just simply received a bad batch. The best way to resolve this particular problem, would be to have you contact our Customer Service department ([e-mail] or 1.800.447.8638). Our customer service representatives know more about the status of recent screws that have gone out and have the ability to work with you to find an adequate resolution. I work these individuals and I can tell you that they're more than helpful in these circumstances!

I hope this answers your question. Please contact customer service, and also feel free to PM me if you need any more assistance. Good luck, and good woodworking!

-KregRep

[Donald Lawrence]

Thanks for the input, I took a close look at the old screws that worked just fine, and the new screws, and there is a definite difference. The new screws have very little ground out at the tip of the screw for the self tapping feature as compared to the old screws. I am sure this is making the screw much harder to drive, and causing the breaking and splitting of the wood.

I will try another source for some more Kreg screws, hopefully I can find some from a different batch.

I really do like the Kreg pocket screw system over biscuts for my face frames.

Thanks for the help.

[KregRep]

Donald Lawrence said:

Thanks for the input, I took a close look at the old screws that worked just fine, and the new screws, and there is a definite difference. The new screws have very little ground out at the tip of the screw for the self tapping feature as compared to the old screws. I am sure this is making the screw much harder to drive, and causing the breaking and splitting of the wood.

I will try another source for some more Kreg screws, hopefully I can find some from a different batch.

I really do like the Kreg pocket screw system over biscuts for my face frames.

Thanks for the help.

No problem, glad to help where I can. That sounds like an odd issue, indeed. Our screws should always look the same... and all should feature a very prominent self-tapping tip. Is it possible that the package was opened prior to your purchase? Yes, I think Customer Service would be the best bet in this case...

I hope you're back to building face-frames in no time!

[John P. Stombaugh]

I think that the Kreg Reg was dead on, however one part of your OP read: ".......joints separate twice as much while screwing them in as the old screws......" Are you clamping your workpieces together? If you are using a face clamp the pieces shouldn't separate. No one asked, just my 2 cents.

[KregRep]

Excellent points, Phil. You're exactly right...