I need help...

[JoeyGee]

I am building a bed. This is the 3rd bed of the same plan that I have made--the NYW trundle to be exact. On the previous 2, I used rail connectors from Rockler, and they were great. Since I built the first 2, a Woodcraft opened up, so I used their hardware:

http://www.woodcraft.com/product.asp...&FamilyID=3269

I didn't pay much attention to them until the end when I need to install them. The *%$@#! screw holes are counterbored, but are too small to fit a #10 or #12 screw. All the screws with small enough heads are way too skinny to trust to hold this hardware--basically the whole stress of the bed is on these. I can't use any head that would protrude, because they need to be flush so the mating plates will be flush.

I have already mortised for the hardware, and I have since discovered the Rockler hardware is 3/8" shorter, so they won't match. Any ideas on screws to use for this? The whole darn bed is painted, and I fugured mounting the hardware would be the easy and final part.

[krdomingue]

No suggestion on the screws, but you might try cutting a 3/8" inch strip and inlay it into the top of your mortise. If you are careful about matching the grain pattern, it will be almost unnoticeable. Then you can use the Rockler hardware.

[Bill in Buena Park]

Joe,
I will leave confirmation to our engineers - but I imagine that the main "stress" is shear (although there are some vectored stresses introduced by bed-frame wracking), and the stress is distributed across four sets of these connectors, so...a good #8 woodscrew of adequate length should provide the shear-strength and grab you need to keep things together.

However - if you want to go to #10s, would re-drilling and re-counterboring be an option?

[Alex Franke]

I think a good #8 can probably hold off at least a few hundred pounds of shear, so with 16 of them you're up to maybe a couple tons or more. So if it were me, I'd probably go with the #8's.

But in any case, I'd write to woodcraft and ask what they recommend -- and tell them about the problem you're having. At least they could include a recommendation with orders...

[JoeyGee]

Thanks for the replies. I think I am going to go with the #8, which *should* be enough. This project has had more stupid little things go wrong with it than I can count, and I was hoping to finish it tonight. That's when I noticed the issue with the screw, and I was just a "little" frustrated with it.

It doesn't help that my client REALLY wants her "Big Girl Bed" and mommy told her tonight was the night .

Now that I've calmed down, I realize it's not that big of an issue, and I'll just finish it tomorrow.

[cabinetman]

The plates sit in a mortise, which should further stabilize them. You could also put some dabs of epoxy behind them when screwing them in.
.

[Uncle Cracker]

#8's would probably hold just about everything except my mother-in law...