what screwdriver head should i use

buysell2008 wrote: ↑ i am putting wood screws for fan rated box into the ceiling 2x4. the ryobi driver is slipping and i am using a philips head. i dont want to damage the screw and assuming i am not using the right screw driver.
need some advice. here is the video of the wood screw head
https://i.imgur.com/YogzBiR.mp4

Philips are the worst....

The screw can also be used with a hex bit, get the appriote size to fit and you won't have any issues.

does the bit fit the screw fully? if not there are bigger philips heads for a better fit.

If you still can't drive that, the use of a socket can be another option.

buysell2008 wrote: ↑ i am putting wood screws for fan rated box into the ceiling 2x4. the ryobi driver is slipping and i am using a philips head. i dont want to damage the screw and assuming i am not using the right screw driver.
need some advice. here is the video of the wood screw head
https://i.imgur.com/YogzBiR.mp4

Yea, phillips suck. If you're not perfectly in line and not pushing enough it will cam out. You can pre-drill the hole in the wood to make it easier to screw in.
Chances are you aren't using a large enough phillips head, as as that's a beefy screw. Try the biggest phillips you have to see if it fits, then go down in size if it doesn't.
Otherwise you can use a regular hex socket, or swap the screws out for a roberston (square) head.

#2 Phillips

or

1/4" hex.

Should you be doing this work?

lamin wrote: ↑ Should you be doing this work?

We all got to learn somewhere.

For screws like this, I often just use a correctly sized robertson (square) bit, as it will fit in there and not cam out or strip.

posidriv looks just like phillips screw but may fit more snug, maybe its a posidriv screw?

If you gotta ask what screw driver to use, shouldn’t be touching electrical. Start small and work your way up, not trying to discourage anyone.

Robertson. The end.

lamin wrote: ↑ If you gotta ask what screw driver to use, shouldn’t be touching electrical. Start small and work your way up, not trying to discourage anyone.

Or installing a fan on the ceiling.

Use a hand screwdriver instead of your Ryobi and go slowly.

KevinM56081 wrote: ↑Robertson. The end.

Jon Lai wrote: ↑ Use a hand screwdriver instead of your Ryobi and go slowly.

I second these 2 suggestions. Forget the Phillips head screw. Switch it out with a Robertson (square) head wood screw. Manually fasten the screw into the 2x4 with applied pressure directly on top of the screw. Often times, you need to go slow and apply a lot of torque for it to bite. A power drill isn't always the best medium to initiate the fastener. Good luck!

I think @engineered has the best answer. If the screw has a hex head, it's there for the reason that they expect it might take a lot of torque. Use a hex socket on it. Failing that, a properly-sized large Phillips-head bit will do better than one that's too small.

If you are screwing into wood and it's taking too much torque, that's an indication that you should pre-drill a pilot hole smaller than the inner diameter of the screw. Otherwise you may strip the screw head, have the screw twist to a crooked angle as you try to drive it in, or split the wood.

There are no dumb questions, and every home handyman has to learn by doing. Often the "experts" on RFD are a little quick to discourage people from doing and learning for themselves. Just be aware that we all learned by making some mistakes.