What are Batten Screws?
What are Batten Screws?
Batten screws are pretty much an Australian invention, as an ‘outdoor’ nation we’re big into hard landscaping, decks, outdoor furniture and structures and we consume huge volumes of heavy duty fasteners for bolting timber together.
Traditionally, coach screws have been the fastener of choice for a lot of timber joints but either the hexagon head sticks up and causes trip hazards or the sharp edges and protrusions make them unsuitable for areas of public use, it also takes a fair amount of extra work to neatly counterbore and sink the heads.
So - the Batten Screws were invented.
Batten screws always have pretty much the same features:
- Bugle Head
- Hex 5mm Driver
- T17 Slash Point
- 14 gauge diameter
Why would I use a Batten Screw?
Basically, any time your screwing off timber to timber or screwing fixtures directly to timber and you want a heavy duty strong screw that won't snap and will countersink neatly, use a Batten Screw!
They're particularly useful in hardwood applications due to the thick shanks and overall strength.
They are a heavy duty fastener which come in various lengths starting at 50mm and are all 14g (7mm) thick - that's pretty thick for a screw!
To make countersinking even easier they are manufactured with ribs under the head so you can drive them straight in and they will cut the countersink themselves (see below)
The head is also a special shape known as a bugle head instead of a straight countersink, the idea being the bugle form won't promote timber splitting as it countersinks due to the fairly shallow change in angle.
They also benefit from a type 17 point, this is a self drill point allowing the screws to drill its own hole as you drive it in while the coarse threads clear the cuttings, some hardwoods still need a pilot hole though as they can be as hard as concrete.
The driver recess in a batten screw is pretty much always hex 5mm drive. We have seen some manufacturers change this to a torx drive before but the hex 5mm drive accounts for probably 99% of batten screws.
From a manufacturing point of view, if it's not broke don't fix it.
The hex 5mm drive performs great in impact drivers as they don't slip and are cut deep into the screw giving your driver bit maximum purchase.
Especially useful when driving a long length 14g batten screw into thick hardwood timbers
So there you have it, batten screws.
Super useful, super economical.
To see more information on our range of screws check out the link here: Screws
Or you can check out our range of bugle batten screws in all finishes and tip types here for more detail: Bugle Batten Screws
Thanks for reading our latest blog entry
Best Regards,
The Scrooz Fasteners Team