Best screws for MDF?

Guru

Guru

Guru

Soldato
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8 Jun 2005
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5,275
Hi all,

I'm making like a wheeled base for my PC so when I go to the insomnia LAN I don't have to carry it the whole way.

I've bought some of these:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/291110388...49&var=590261473948&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

and an piece of 18mm MDF to attach them too.

I went to Homebase today and got some screws, based on their advice, but I'm not convinced they are suitable for what I need.

These are the screws:

Twin Thread Screw - Bright Zinc Plated - 5 x 20mm - 25 Pack 621392

http://www.homebase.co.uk/en/homeba...right-zinc-plated---5-x-20mm---25-pack-621392

The photo on the website is not accurate, but the head of the screw is the same.

Looking at the screws I've bought there doesn't seem to be a lot of thread on them, so I'm thinking their resistance to being pulled out is not going to be very good. I'm also thinking that the head being angled, but attatching a flat piece of metal to a flat piece of wood is not ideal at all either.

I think I need some screws that have a flat rather than angled head like these:

http://www.homebase.co.uk/en/homeba...right-zinc-plated---6-x-20mm---10-pack-412404

Does anyone think these will be better?

I was also wondering, am I buying screws that are too long? It's 18mm MDF, but 20mm screws. but then the thickness of the metal it's attaching also adds a couple of mm. Is the length of a screw the entire length including the head of it? or just the threaded part?

Sorry for the utter noob questions. The last thing I want is for a wheel to come off when I'm wheeling my PC along on it.

Thanks all,

G
 
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Self tapping are definitely not the ones for MDF, they're usually used with metal.

What you want are probably either decent twin thread screws, or something like these specifically MDF ones from screwfix but shorter.
From memory Chipboard screws are also ok for MDF, and I've tended to use Screwfix Turbogold or quicksilver(?) twin threads.

Personally I never go to Homebase for screws these days, since Screwfix opened a store locally I always go there (even before that Homebase was the last resort for a Sunday as their own brand screws always seemed to break and anything else was expensive).
 
Thanks mate, I mainly went to Homebase for the wood, because they are the only place in town that will cut it to size, so I've got an 18mm piece of MDF the exact size of the bottom of my PC for 30p :)

Think there is a screwfix nearby, I may wait for the wheels to arrive, take the wood and the wheels down there and see what they suggest. Never thought of them tbh, good shout! :)

I also need to figure out how I'm going to drill 4 holes through the MDF for the feet of my PC to go through. Hopefully that won't weaken the board too much.
 
BigBoy said:
As above turbogold screws all the way for me. Pilot the holes so the MDF dosent split.
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The turbo golds look good, but would having an angled head touching against the metal hole be a concern? Should I use some screw caps or washers? (if there is room to)
 
Also those casters are crap for carting stuff around lan, you need big wheels like a sack truck, I picked up a foldingtruck from the range for a tenner back in the summer before doing iseries Last year. Far superior to the Antec LAN strap I had before (small casters).
 
Guru said:
The turbo golds look good, but would having an angled head touching against the metal hole be a concern? Should I use some screw caps or washers? (if there is room to)
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I take it you mean countersunk heads? if yes then it will be fine no need to worry about them touching the metal.
 
schizo said:
I would use a nut and bolt,screws might come loose but with a nut and bolt it would hold it more securely.
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same here with a big washer on the top side to stop it pulling threw. would take a lot more beating than being screwed in
 
The wheels have arrived, they are considerably smaller than I'd imagined, but I'm hoping they'll do anything should better than having to carry it tbh.

I'd like to paint the MDF black so it matches the wheels and the case. Is there a specific type of paint that's suitable? I'm thinking a matte black finish preferably.

I've asked the people who are replacing the roof on my garage today to save me an offcut of the rubber they're using so I can put it on the top of this board so the tee nuts don't scratch the bottom of my PC.

Probably going a bit over the top, but hey ho.

Cheers,

G
 
Thats a good idea with the rubber, it'll also stop the pc sliding around on the mdf. They use a special glue to glue it down, so you could ask them to glue it on for you. Otherwise I guess some sort of contact adhesive should work.
 
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Abyss said:
Exactly my thoughts.

Screws in MDF end up coming loose as the material breaks up easily.

You want these:

http://www.screwfix.com/p/easyfix-4-pronged-tee-nut-m6-x-9mm-10-pack/79359

Although to be honest given you can buy a platform truck or small sack truck for just over £20 I'm not sure I'd bother making one
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haha yeah you're right, I could have just bought this:

http://www.yourspares.co.uk/parts/y...:48873529637&gclid=CP6CoJ6FossCFe8W0wodCf8O4w

Doh!

It should be good through because my case has one of these on it:

http://www.geargrip.com/details_ggpro.php

and the board I've made can be attached to the bottom of my PC using the strap that's on there so it will be easier to lug about. :)
 
Mark A said:
Thats a good idea with the rubber, it'll also stop the pc sliding around on the mdf. They use a special glue to glue it down, so you could ask them to glue it on for you. Otherwise I guess some sort of contact adhesive should work.
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I am cutting holes in the board where the feet of my PC will stick through, and it will be strapped to the PC anyways, so I won't need to worry about it slipping off, but I definitely don't want to scratch it up :)
Good shout about the glue, kind of want to paint the board first, but I've read that certain paints shouldn't be directly applied to MDF. I've painted an MDF board before in my living room to cover my fireplace and that was all good, but I didn't need to do the edges then.

Cheers,

G
 
I have been to Many LAN's including iSeries several times, and every time there is a Pc on the floor with some guy in full meltdown because his Pc is dead, and it's all because of small trolly casters like these. You owe it to yourself to use a decent sizes wheeled trolly (3inch wheels minimum), think of the money you put into your pc, and youwantto trusted that to some cheap eBay casters...

Good luck to you.
 
I've ordered a 1.5cm thick bit of firm foam to put on the board to stop any vibrations, I do think these wheels are potentially too small through tbh.

One reason I thought to go for smaller wheels is to keep the weight down, the plan is to carry it over any ground that isn't completely flat (with the board strapped to the pc) and only use the wheels on completely flat ground.

I will have my fingers crossed though lol

/edit thinking about it more, if the wheels are completely solid anyways, will the vibrations really be any less just by having larger wheels?
 
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Guru said:
/edit thinking about it more, if the wheels are completely solid anyways, will the vibrations really be any less just by having larger wheels?
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The larger the wheel the more it evens out the surface it is going over so the less the vibrations. Generally though larger wheels aren't solid and have a rubber tyre on them.
 
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