How do you index wood screws ?
 

Hi
I'm installing the trigger guard on my new home made stock, I say that because I'm dealing with a new installation and new holes.
My problem is if I tighten the screw and when tight it lands a half a degree past a perfect line up I'm looking at another half turn.
Needless to say this just happened. I started to take a little off the back of the head and due to the coarse thread of a wood screw it will sink in quite a bit for a half a turn, as opposed to a machine screw.
I shaved off as much as I dared and the best I could get is a quarter turn and the head now sits lower than it should.
As a last resort I welded up the head and cut a new slot in the correct orientation. It's done but far from perfect, it's hard to weld the very edges of the old slot without melting the whole head off.
There must be an easier way but I can't figure it out.
I have no interest in using washers so that's out.
Any advice greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Tom

Tom, This might not work for you but I have done this in the past to time screws in old wood, just put a sliver of a wood splinter in the screw hole then see if you can get the screw to line up Gary

Maybe just using plumbers Teflon tape to increase size of the threads, pending the length & size of threads.
Rufus

Tom,
All the trigger guard screws I've played with would need a full turn to orient correctly due to the irregular shape of the top surface from its original fitting. If the alignment were only slightly off you could make a washer/shim from thin gauge shim stock for under the screw head or add/weld material under the head and refit.

Here is where I get lost, if the screw requires a full or almost full turn due to head configuration, how do you handle that without washers ?
If the trigger guard is against the wood, and the screw head is against the trigger guard tight yet an almost full turn will draw that screw down quite far. It does seem you would almost have to re inlet the guard, but that only helps the first screw you would still have one to go.
I'm not trying to be a pest, just trying to learn to do it right. If you take apart a nice factory gun all lined up your probrably not going to find washers, so there must be a simple way.
Thanks for all the replys, Tom

The fact of the matter is that the screws were all fitted individually when new at the factory with screws that had high heads and were then dressed down after the slot was timed. So, if you are re installing the same screw in a replacement stock, it may not line up perfectly or it may take some trial and error to get there.

The position of the screw when you start threading it in and even the angle of the new hole can effect now the head of the screw seats. You may need to plug, re-drill and try again if it is not working out for you. Or fit a new screw.

Tom,
You can't go a full turn, the point there is that the screws usually only sit flush with the metal in one orientation as that is how they were originally regulated. You said your screws were only off a half a degree which I would guess is not quite accurate as most people could not see one half degree. The point is a thin spacer under the screw head could be a quick, cosmetic fix for a minor adjustment where as adding material to the under side of the screw head via welding and reregulating would be a more appropriate, permanent fix.

Thanks Brian,
Clear and to the point.

Ok thanks guys
I learnt something today.
Tom

That's what I often do, and I use a small wooden match stick.
Sometimes a layer or two of masking tape under the trigger guard is enough to raise it up to get a tight screw, and then compress it down till the screw is north south,

Thanks
I do like the masking tape idea, next time this comes up I'm going to give that a shot.
Tom

Have you tried different screws, the slots are not always oriented the same. Carvel

That's fine for guys (like me) that have like 50 trigger guard screws laying around. But what if you only have one? Or maybe Tom is just looking to learn some.

As a side bar FYI, the trip cap screw is the same as the trigger guard screw. Just flat headed instead of profiled. Sometimes if I need to fit up a "new" screw, I use a used grip cap screw and just file the head to profile the guard.

Brian kind of hit the nail on the head. I have no screws, the original ones were horrible and I grabbed these two out of my LC smith. I should actually find a source and stock up on a few, that might offer some options on slot location.
Thanks for the replies, Tom

sometimes I drill an under sized hole next to the screw hole and push in a small brad. Put the wood screw in its hole,screw it in until the slot is a little short of north and south. The trigger guard will push the brad in. With a small dab of acra-glass tinted a little brown in the brad area, let it set up. Don't forget the parting agent on the trigger guard! Now you have the right spacing for the trigger guard and the screw slot will be correct. Works every time. tom N

My Parker has all it's screws lined up in what was called 'North, South" alignment. When installing a screw into a newly drilled hole, first use a piece of scrap wood of the same type of wood. Drill your pilot hole with the same diameter drill bit. Start with the slot in the screw in the position you want it to end up in & tighten it. Most likely it will tighten up in some other position. Note the angle of the slot. In a new hole, start the screw minus the angle it ended up in before & it should be very close to N, S when tightened down, at least with in an 8th of a turn. That's not too much to force to N,S. Don't forget to use the trigger guard on the trial fits in the scrap wood.

I buy old screws and springs when ever I can find them from people that are parting out guns. watch ebay , in time you will have spare parts for this gun and other guns as you collect more , nobody has one parker. you may even find a useable stock that can be fitted, a little time and money is all it takes. or just have brian Dudley make you a new one he does fine work.

how do you index wood screws
 

As a newbie I'm a bit confused as to what is trying to be accomplished. Are you addressing a flush condition of the screw head to whatever is being fastened or are you addressing screw slot orentation??? Maybe I'm just a bit slow on this cold night in Michigan.

Both items is what is being discussed.

My comment was focused on the screw slot orientation. When they're North-South, they're all orientated the same way.

indexing screw heads
 

well two things need to happen to have the trigger guard flush with the wood and the screw slots line up north and south as the gun came from the factory. There are two problems here. One is using the old screws and the other is using new screws. If you can use the old screws and the screw is stripped out,drill the stripped out hole with a 1/4 inch drill bit,plug the hole with a glued in 1/4 inch dowel and start over. Put the trigger guard in place. Carefully find the exact center of the hole in the trigger guard, mark it on the wood and drill a small undersized hole in the plug being careful to get the pilot hole perpendicular on two axis to the face of the trigger guard. Proceed from here with my last posting. If you are using new screws. To make it really correct you will need a screw with a narrow screw slot. Gazalan has them. On a new screw that has not been filed to the curve of the trigger guard, you have a 180 degree chance of hitting it close. From here go back to my original post. Tom

Thomas,

When you find yourself putting in a dowel, couldn't you do as you stated above except glue the dowel last? That way north-south alignment would be guaranteed, no matter how the screw is started. Not that I have ever done any of these things on a gun, just asking.

It is a good idea but it doesn't work all that well. The screws are tapered and and will split the dowel. One might try putting the dowel in a lathe collet,drill a pilot hole and get the screw in there with out splitting the dowel. Then your idea might work. thanks Tom

I agree with Gary. You can just shove long thin wood shavings of something relatively soft like spruce or pine that will impress into the existing wood threads and maybe a touch of yellow glue(not enough to glue the screw in permanently) or Miniwax "wood hardener" or tung oil into the hole and keep experimenting until you get the screw aligned at the right depth with the right tension. If the screw was properly indexed previously this method will always work if you monkey with it long enough. You can fix a pretty wallowed out hole this way.

That or some acra-glass in the hole. Put some release agent on the screw and trigger guard and run the screw in but leave it just shy of correct. After the acra-glass hardens finish tightening it up.