I'm fixing a broken folding step ladder and am coming to the point where I'm reassembling it. Looking at the screws that were used, the ones that were used to secure the step planks are of a type I'm unfamilar with.
They are pan washer heads with a thread which looks extremely ineffective. There's hardly any depth to it at all. They can almost be pushed in and out. Initially, I was going to simply replace them with a new screw of the same dimensions but with threads which will bite into the wood and provide purchase.
However, thinking about it some more and considering where they are used (only to secure the step planks) I'm wondering if they are specifically made for this purpose? I.e. perhaps they allow a very low bite which means the ladder can have a certain amount of 'give' lowering the chance of a split or break?
Or they could just have been replaced by someone in the past who just used them because they were all that they had to hand at the time! Does anyone know what they are called or knows of their correct usage?
Any advice much appreciated.
They are pan washer heads with a thread which looks extremely ineffective. There's hardly any depth to it at all. They can almost be pushed in and out. Initially, I was going to simply replace them with a new screw of the same dimensions but with threads which will bite into the wood and provide purchase.
However, thinking about it some more and considering where they are used (only to secure the step planks) I'm wondering if they are specifically made for this purpose? I.e. perhaps they allow a very low bite which means the ladder can have a certain amount of 'give' lowering the chance of a split or break?
Or they could just have been replaced by someone in the past who just used them because they were all that they had to hand at the time! Does anyone know what they are called or knows of their correct usage?
Any advice much appreciated.
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