Keeping finish out of screw heads?

[Ben from Vic.]

Hi all, I've got some ply drawers I'm going to coat with poly, they are screwed together, can anyone give me some tips on keeping the finish out of the screw heads?

My best so far is bluetack on the heads or I was planing on using a hole punch on all those left over video labels. 88 screws, anyone got any better ideas?

Ben.

[RETIRED]

Phillips or slot?

[Ben from Vic.]

Sachys square/phillips.

[RETIRED]

I have used the little button covers that you use to "try" to blend in with the timber. Remove them afterwards.

[Ben from Vic.]

The only covers I've seen are bigger than the screw head, can you get them the same size?

[RETIRED]

They are a fraction bigger. I trim them by fitting them in a screw on the lathe and sand them back. Takes a while but it works.

[springwater]

Magnets maybe?

[ColW]

This might be a silly question, but why do you want
to?

[Ben from Vic.]

This might be a silly question, but why do you want
to?

I think it looks more professional if the screw heads arn't full of poly. On the other hand, the drawers are made of ply and screwed together, so not exactly craftsman. Then there's the "what if I need to take them apart, repair, etc," which we know in reality is never going to happen. And if I did ever need to repair a drawer it may be easier to scrape the poly out of a few screws than try to keep them all clean.

hmmmmmmm

[ColW]

Hi Ben,

I was thinking along the same lines when i asked that
silly question, however judging from the responses you
got i can see that sometimes it is important to keep the
finish out of screws, as you say for a professional finish,
and for practical reasons. So for future reference i'll
certainly keep them in mind

cheers
col

[brizylad]

Just a thought, but if you used (temporarily) a screw with a longer thread to hold the drawer together, you could leave the shank exposed and finish up to the shank.

When finished, replace with your preferred screws.

Stuart J.

[joe greiner]

Just a thought, but if you used (temporarily) a screw with a longer thread to hold the drawer together, you could leave the shank exposed and finish up to the shank.

When finished, replace with your preferred screws.

Stuart J.

Good idea. But the exposed shanks won't transfer binding force to the assembly. To achieve tight assembly, add a short tube between the head and the body. Distress to the countersink will later be covered by the final screws.

And, for good measure, install the final screws with the slots all in alignment ( + + + or x x x ) to drive purists agog.

Cheers,
Joe

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

I'd just plug 'em with dowels and finish over the top.

[HazzaB]

Hey Dude,

If your draws are scewed and glued, just pull the screws out paint and then run the screws back in. If not glued just pull them apart and the finish then re-assemble. personally I would just finish it as it is, and worry about getting it apart if I ever needed to. If its anything like my house, it will need to be another color in a few years anyway.

HazzaB

[Ashore]

Hey Dude,
HazzaB

In his first post he signes his name as BEN not DUDE