A Glossary of Fasteners to Ease your DIY Projects

Do you face a lot of confusion while selecting the right type of nuts and bolts during your DIY projects? Do you often find yourself in a fix while explaining your required nut and bolt type to a nut and bolt supplier? Do you have no idea about nuts and bolts and want to take up a DIY project and have no clue about the names of the special nut or bolt type? Or a nut is missing from your furniture and you want to replace it but have no clue which one to buy. Do such situations arise often in your lives?
Nut and Bolt
Nut and Bolt
Well, these situations can be really puzzling. You can always go to a nut and bolt supplier store and explain your requirements and trust their experience to figure out the type of nut and bolt you need. But even then, you can never be sure. Nut and bolt suppliers are no doubt experienced in and have an in-depth knowledge of what they sell but nobody has a better idea of your project other than you. So instead of relying on the judgement of a nut and bolt supplier, it is better to find out the name and type of the nut-bolt pair yourself. Select the proper required nut and the nut and bolt supplier can help you pair up the proper nut or vice versa.

Below is a glossary which can help you know nuts and bolts well enough to differentiate one from the other and that will definitely make your life simpler:

There Are 22 Fastener Categories:

1. Wood screws (WS): These screws have a tapered end which is suitable for any wooden material.
2. Machine Screws (MS): As the name goes, these are the screws which are mainly used in machines. They are used with a nut or a tapped hole.
3. Thread Cutting Machine Screws: These have almost similar applications as machine screws. But they have a slightly tapered end for self-tapping cutting edge. 
4. Sheet Metal Screws (SMS):  These are fully threaded and fully tapered with a pointed end, ideal for metal sheets.
5. Self-Drilling SMS: It is a sheet metal screw with a self-drilling point which makes it easier to drill holes
6. Hex Bolts: These are bolts with hexagonal heads and are threaded. They are used for tapped holes or with nuts.
7. Carriage Bolts: Similar to hex bolts but have a smooth rounded head instead of hexagonal and has a small square section underneath.
8. Plow Bolts: They are similar to carriage bolts but have a different application. They are used for attaching the cutting edge of a plow to the plow blade.
9. Socket Screws: These are also known as Allen head. They are mainly used to be fastened with a hex Allen wrench.
10. Lag Bolts: These are the bolts with a wood thread and a pointed tip.
11. Eye Bolts: These are bolts with a circular ring on the top. Mainly used for attaching a rope or a chain.
12. Eye Lags: Similar to eye bolts but these have one wood treads instead of machine threads.
13. J-Bolts: These are used mainly for tie downs. They are shaped like the English alphabet J and so the name. Sometimes, they are also used as open eye bolts.
14. U-Bolts: These are shaped like the English alphabet U and used mainly to keep in place or attach a pipe or any other circular surfaced object. You can also find this in a square bend shape.
Nut and Bolt Supplier
Nut and Bolt Supplier
15. Shoulder Bolts: These are also known as stripper bolts and are used to form pivot points.
16. Elevator Bolts: These have a large flat head and are threaded at the bottom. They are used in conveyor systems.
17. Chicago Bolts and Mating Screws: Also, known as barrel nuts, are always used in a pair. These are used for bolting applications where a head is desired on both the sides of the joint.
18. Hanger Bolts: These are used for a joint between wood and metal. It has wood thread on one side and a machine thread on the other end.
19. Set Screws: These are screws with a machine thread and no head. These can be screwed all the way into threaded holes. 
20. Timber Bolts: These have machine threads and is used on wood as it has a wide domed head with fins underneath to hold it from spinning while its installation.
21. Cotter Pins: These are just like hair pins and are used to hold two pieces in place. 
22. Rivets: Used to join sheets of metal. During installation the rivet, body is deformed permanently. Instead, blind rivets can be installed without access to the back side of the material.

With information about all the types of fasteners, you can now choose the type suiting your job and then choose the nuts accordingly. All you have to do is ask the nut and bolt supplier to give you appropriate nuts along with the fasteners and you are all set to start your project.

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