Coop Build: To nail or not to nail?

[Sahraschweiss]

True that is another option. I don't know if they have those in bigger than the 1# box.......
Might be worth looking into and cost comparing.

I used 3 inch #9 size. Might have cost a little more, but saved on time.

 

[tsperry88]

True that is another option. I don't know if they have those in bigger than the 1# box.......
Might be worth looking into and cost comparing.

GRK makes some nice screw with self drilling tips. I usually don't pay the premium price and drill a pilot for the rare case splitting is a concern. Philips works fine with an impact. I would pay the extra for torx if I was using a drill.

 

[drinkoj]

Thank you! Do you think you could help me with this?

Ive read that screws are not good for framing because they will snap instead of bend with the frame during heavy weather and when there is a lot of weight in it? Is this going to pose a problem? Will the coop last a long time if made with screws?

I'm just up the road from on Lake Hartwell and we do not get bad enough wind or snow to worry about heavy weather in the ATL or Upstate of SC. Just last month we had a tornado touch down about 15 miles away and had gusts up to 30 mph at the house, the coop did just fine.
I used screws to build my coop and other projects over the years with no problem.
Here is what I built and I used 2.5" and 3" decking screws,
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/building-a-4x8-coop-inside-10x10-dog-kennel.1379917/page-2 , despite @MrFluffyandGirls thinking I used glue, bubble gum, and duct tape to build it. LOLOLOL

 

[humblehillsfarm]

I know that a lot of people on BYC prefer screws over nails, as they're harder to pry out or something like that. @humblehillsfarm recently got their coop ripped up by a bear, and is rebuilding with screws.

Indeed. I have either 2” or 3” screws in every board on my coop now. You can never be too safe! If I had built it myself, even before the bear attack, I would have used wood screws then as well. I’ve always preferred screws over nails. We have two enormous boxes of 2” and 3” screws bought in bulk. We even screwed in the insulators for the electric fencing.

 

[3KillerBs]

My husband builds everything with screws. Preferably square head or star head so that they don't strip out so easily.

He has a cordless driver for lighter work and uses an adapter on his drill for heavier-duty projects.

 

[speedy2020]

If you are plan to disassemble, screw is a way to go. To attach the rabbit or chicken wire, use washer/trim to hold it in place.

 

[MarkJr]

Staples for most of my trim work and sheeting. Screws for framing. Hardware cloth gets staples across intersections every 3 or so inches, then 3/4 thick wood over anchor points with more staples, and 2-3” screws every 6” going into something solid.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Self drilling, TORX head exterior screws, in a big (5#) box. I suggest the DeckPlus or PowerPro. and a good, battery powered Impact Driver. Pre-drilling not generally required unless you are very close to an edge (where you shouldn't be anyways)

Or good exterior nails and a framing hammer. Someone suggested Estwing previously in this thread. 10/10 recommend, but get the lightest one you can find - if you don't swing them regularly, the extra length, plus the extra head weight will teach you about muscles you didn't know you had. Once you've shingled a few roofs with one, or stick built a couple houses, then go to a heavier one if desired. I throw a 28 oz, it will drive a damned big nail (12d 3 1/8" sinker) with a tap and two hits swung properly. or it will leave a very painful mark on the thumb of your other hand. Or it will take a finish nail and crumple it like a tin can if you are off just the teeniest bit. In retrospect, the 22oz would have been a wiser purchase.

No, your coop designs are NOT so heavy that there is any risk of a #8 or #10 screw head shearing off. Your impact driver will run that head right through a piece of half inch exterior plywood, and deep into the side of a PT 4x4 w/o issue - the stress needed to sheer the head is MUCH greater than the strength of the materials you are securing together. You want to talk about heads popping off fasteners? That's a roofing nail. They do it all the time if you set one crooked, then try to straighten it at the finish with an off center strike. the shaft doesn't bend, so the head gives.

If you go with Hardiboard panels, as I've recommended, even with self drilling screws, you are better off setting the screw with a hammer, then using the impact driver to do the deed. But you don't need a framing hammer for that, anything will do. Even with the weight of the hardieboard, the material will still fail before the screw head does.

And you want penetration of at least 2/3 the thickness of the bottom material. 2x4s are 1 1/2" thick+/-, so use a 2 1/2" screw for securing a pair of them together thru the narrow. Ends have no strength, because you are with the grain, so go deeper there.

/edit and the torx head bits that come with the screws are $#!+. expect it to loose most of its grip before you are done with the box of screws, particularly if you buy 5# at a time - and you should). Grab one of the longer shafted 3-pack or 5-pack torx bits for your driver, you won't be disappointed and its a cheap purchase, only a few bucks. Mine are DeWalt, but quality is good across the board for every Mfg I've tried.

 

[Alaskan]

@black_cat

Ive read that screws are not good for framing because they will snap instead of bend with the frame during heavy weather and when there is a lot of weight in it? Is this going to pose a problem?

Yes, with a house... but I don't see that to be an issue with a coop... not as much weight involved as with a house.

My two smaller coops I built with only screws and they are still standing strong (with is impressive since 1. My building skills are poor, and 2. I used some partly rotted/soft wood, and 3. I get lots of snow and wind).

As to splitting... if it splits it probably would have split no matter what you used (nail or screw). With me, if it starts to split, I stop, screw it out and then drill a pilot hole, then drill the screw in.

 

[yakitori]

I used mostly deck screws for my coop. As this was a coop I was "designing" on the fly, I made quite a few mistakes. All - aside from the time I cut a piece of wood to the wrong size - were easily remedied by backing the screw out of the wood and rescrewing.

The only time I used a nail was to nail a pressure treated 2x4 into a tree (mine is kind of a tree coop), after which I followed up with a screw of the same length. When I was putting this up, I accidentally hammered one nail wrong and missed the tree trunk. It took me quite a bit of frustration and swearing to get the nail back out again.

No regrets on the screws!