I was assembling a thing in the basement that required #8 1 1/2" wood screws. Easy enough right? So I drill the proper screw size with one of those counter-bore gizmos that cut the perfect sized hole and all that. And over and over again, the screws strip out. Not the threads - the phillips cross-point part. Not using a power driver, just a manual screw driver.

This happens ALL THE TIME with hardware from the local home centers and even the Ace hardware store. I'm sick of it. Surely there is a good source of proper, hard metal wood screws that aren't "drywall" screws or some goofy star-head pattern thing. I just want decent hardware, ideally locally sourced, but I'll order online if I have to. Fastenal? Grainger? Somewhere else?

Phillips screws are designed to slip thus strip, no way around it. Look around and see if you have robertson screws, you can twist the head off those and they won't strip. They are the standard up here, drywall, deck, wood, metal, almost all are robertson drive.

IIRC Phillips heads are DESIGNED to cam out when it jams. It's supposed to damage the driver instead of the screw head or the piece it's being driven into. Check to see if the pilot bit on the countersink is drilling the full length of the hole. If it isn't, it may be jamming early.

The only method I've found for driving them in wood was hard and fast with a power driver under hard pressure.

I like a Philips driver chucked in a brace and bit. Great control and very easy driving. Probably just a bit slower than a power tool.

A great source for quality screws of all types is Mcfeelys.com. They also have detailed recommendations for proper fastener usage. I got tired of the cheap junk at most hardware and big box stores. I am not associated with McFeely's but if you like them, you can always send me money.

This thread reminds me of the fastener factory on Pulaski Avenue in Chicago that I use to pass back in the sixties that had a large billboard on top that stated "We sell screws, bolts, and NUTS TO YOU TOO!"

I dislike Philips head screws for that very reason. Whenever I can, I prefer pozidriv. They are very similar to Philips, and you can use a Philips screwdriver on pozidriv screws, although they may still slip and strip. Some people confuse pozidriv with Robertson, but they are not the same. Robertson are square drive. But I have seen Robertson screws advertised as pozidriv.

First, did you try the 'ole soap trick? Get a bar of soap and roll the screw over the top so you get a little soap in the screw threads. It helps to prevent the screw from binding.

Second, by any chance, could your screwdriver be the issue? Screwdrivers wear over time. After a while they no longer properly fit new screws. They'll slip and bugger the screw heads. Along the same lines, cheap screwdrivers rarely fit right from the get go.

As someone that works with hand-tools for a living I rarely get more than a few years out of a set of philips screwdrivers before they need to be replaced. I consider them a "wear item" like rifle/pistol magazines. When my father would get frustrated with a bad screwdriver he used to take it over to the bench grinder and turn it into an ice pick. Unfortunately this led to axle grease flavored ice being the norm out in the shop.

Good point, Paul810...and something I don't always think about. I tend to think of good tools as being a long term investment, but if you use them daily they will wear out. Funny, I'm acutely aware of this re knives. You often read in the magazines that a good kitchen knife "will last a lifetime" but it certainly won't in a pro kitchen! Knives are a consumable. At home you might sharpen them once a year but a pro cook will sharpen his every few weeks, or even daily in the case of an Itamae. In a few years your chef knife can look like a boning knife!

Ohhh ... this is a big deal for me. I do a lot of "rough" woodworking. My wife & I build horse stalls, loft, stairs, ... in our horse barn. In the last year or so I too have shifted all my work to square head screws.

My favorite source for screws & hardware - and a favorite for many woodworkers - is:

http://www.mcfeelys.com/

Their web site has pretty well organized guides for selection of the right types of screw - the right finishes for the intended use. I actually bought one of their pre-packaged assortments since I'm always needing different sized screws. The one with drawers - it locks closed so I can carry it out to the barn or whereever. I put the box label in each bin and that makes it easy to reorder as the bin gets low.

By the way, if you have never used an impact driver I HIGHLY recommend them. They are very different from a regular drill. Picture having a screwdriver with a bar that extends off to one side. As you turn the screwdriver a hammer comes down and wacks the bar in the direction of the turn providing extra torque.

At first it seemed to me that this extra torque would make things worse, but apparently since it torques in pulses that allows the bit to seat in between pulses, so even a Phillips screw will do well ... or better.

The impact drivers are so powerful they can actually drive a wood screw clear through wood - head and all .... though in use my 18V Bosch has great control.

No pilot holes unless I'm close to an edge - where splitting is a bigger risk.

Oh, and I hate using the small magnetic driver bits (that I've used with my drill for 20+ years). Now I've switched to the long square head bits with the 1/4" hex base - that latch into the impact driver. The square drive actually holds the screw fairly tightly when starting the screw, and no more bits falling on the ground in between uses. The square head bits last a lot longer than the Phillips heads because they simply do slip/strip, so I'm willing to spend a bit more for them.

By the way, I buy all of my cordless tools reconditioned rather than new. Most don't even have scratches - though I'll soon add them.

Thanks for the tip. I'll switch to the impact next time I'm stuck using Phillips.