Nails or screws?

[brslk]

I have zero experience building thing like this so I'll ask you learned bunch.
I'm building a shed and was gonna use deck screws but a friend showed me
a video of how easy they snap or shear off with a vertical load.
I don't feel like hammering a thousand nails so I was thinking of buying an air
nailer.
Or are screws still a viable option and if so, what type of screws?
I'm more of a welder than a wood worker but I couldn't find any wood
rods.
Thanks.

[raab]

Nails for framing, screws for sheeting. I'd just hammer the framing together and not bother with a nail gun for a shed.

[Reeves1]

Originally Posted by brslk

I'm more of a welder than a wood worker but I couldn't find any wood
rods.
Thanks.

[Reeves1]

Vertical load should be on the wood . not the screws.

Being the fussy old guy I am, I used the green deck screws.
When driving them into the ends or near ends, I pilot drill , to help prevent splitting.

Not even one nail in this storage barn......

[rem338win]

It's the winds you have you worry about too.
Use nails, get a nailer if you have to. Something small like a shed I'd just hand nail it.

[densa44]

You can rent a stick nailer from Rogers and have the job done in no time. This is very important if your help is maintaining hydration with beer.

[Big Grey Wolf]

Nails and hammer way cheaper than screws and nail gun. Try $2,00 a LB for nails, not in little plastic boxes though. I would estimate 80% of homes in Edmonton were built with hammer and nails. We had built houses in 3 weeks with them now takes 6 months to year with nail hammer. Go figure.

[Hawkhills]

A word of caution around a nail gun.Flesh or wood the gun don't care.Lent mine out ,warning was given but stuff happens. Trip to emerg to remove nail not pleasant.
Guilty conscience led to a couple donated days to complete someone else's project .

Sent from my SM-N915W8 using Tapatalk

[colroggal]

It might be a guy thing, but I like to screw stuff

Colin

[B-radshaw]

Built a new house for the hound dogs last summer. 4 inch green screws for all framing and 1 1/2 inch for all sheeting and siding. Just not a fan of nails.

[rem338win]

Originally Posted by Big Grey Wolf

Nails and hammer way cheaper than screws and nail gun. Try $2,00 a LB for nails, not in little plastic boxes though. I would estimate 80% of homes in Edmonton were built with hammer and nails. We had built houses in 3 weeks with them now takes 6 months to year with nail hammer. Go figure.

I think you have dementia.

[Sliderslider]

Use both!

[B-radshaw]

Forgot to add the picture of the hound hotel.

[Jays toyz]

My dewalt 20v nailer was a fantastic investment. Had driven a few houses worth of framing and sheeting nails. Less "walking" of the piece than nailing with a hammer and no tennis elbow. Used to use screws for the same reasons. Especially useful if you have other 20v tools.

Either fasteners will work for your application (I have never heard of a shed coming down because the screws broke on the top or bottom plate.

Build the deck, then build the walls on the deck and stand them up.

[Drewski Canuck]

Nice Shed design.

I cannot see Pressure Treated Bottom (sill) plates on those walls that are in direct contact with the Ground???

(I'm not a carpenter, so forgive me, but if it is at all permanent, block it up somehow and get something to get away from the ground / water) If you are in an area with wind loading, you may want to anchor to the ground with some heavy Re Bar driven through the sill plates and bent over.

Next, Sheathing staples are the norm, but nails and screws are fine, and if you want to make it really strong, use PL 400 on the studs. It won't set up for a few hours, and once it does, nails, screws, staples, it don't matter. The sheathing will have to be torn apart to separate.

Now that you used OSB, you better either paint it, or side it, as OSB is nowhere near as resistant as plywood, and even then you need to paint / side it.

I have a bad habit of overbuilding things. For a very good exterior you might want to go with metal siding like what is used on roofs and barns. It comes in all kinds of great colours, and contours, and adds a layer of security from someone trying to break through a wall.

Drewski

[buckbrush]

Just a note on the PL400, wear gloves if you plan to wipe and glue that gets squished out with your hands....Stuff lasts for a long time and goes deep into your skin then attracts any dirt you touch. Had dirty hands for a week.

[Spidey]

Originally Posted by Jays toyz

My dewalt 20v nailer was a fantastic investment. Had driven a few houses worth of framing and sheeting nails. Less "walking" of the piece than nailing with a hammer and no tennis elbow. Used to use screws for the same reasons. Especially useful if you have other 20v tools.

Either fasteners will work for your application (I have never heard of a shed coming down because the screws broke on the top or bottom plate.

Build the deck, then build the walls on the deck and stand them up.

Wow, I must have been living under a rock or something. I had no idea there were battery powered framing nailers! I'm set to do some cedar siding and this may be just the rationale I need to pull the trigger on something like this. That said $400+ ain't cheap, so I may suck it up and have to manage with my pneumatic framing nailer ($150).

To the OP, for your project either nails or screws are fine if you set up the sheathing correctly on a base. Other than that, my rule of thumb is "nails are easier if you ever think you'll need to remove or disassemble what you've built" (eg. deck boards). Trying to remove deck boards that are screwed in and painted over a few times is a real PITA...

[brslk]

I went with screws. Home despot rents out nailers for $50 a day.
I had a friend give me a box of 700 screws and I have an abundance
of cordless drills.
I plan on building it in pieces in the garage and assembling it in place between
the garage and fence. Not a lot of room there so the shed is gonna be 3'X10'.
Just big enough to keep the snow blower and misc other stuff in summer and the lawn tools in winter. Maybe the bikes. I wanna declutter the garage so I can park in there.
As it is now the wife parks inside and I park in the driveway or on the street.

[Dubious]

Originally Posted by colroggal

It might be a guy thing, but I like to screw stuff

Colin

Nailed it!

[fordtruckin]

Originally Posted by Drewski Canuck

Nice Shed design.

I cannot see Pressure Treated Bottom (sill) plates on those walls that are in direct contact with the Ground???

(I'm not a carpenter, so forgive me, but if it is at all permanent, block it up somehow and get something to get away from the ground / water) If you are in an area with wind loading, you may want to anchor to the ground with some heavy Re Bar driven through the sill plates and bent over.

Next, Sheathing staples are the norm, but nails and screws are fine, and if you want to make it really strong, use PL 400 on the studs. It won't set up for a few hours, and once it does, nails, screws, staples, it don't matter. The sheathing will have to be torn apart to separate.

Now that you used OSB, you better either paint it, or side it, as OSB is nowhere near as resistant as plywood, and even then you need to paint / side it.

I have a bad habit of overbuilding things. For a very good exterior you might want to go with metal siding like what is used on roofs and barns. It comes in all kinds of great colours, and contours, and adds a layer of security from someone trying to break through a wall.

Drewski

You can purchase OSB that is rated to withstand the elements. If I recall correctly there are 3 different OSB ratings. Exterior, Exposure 1 and Exposure 2. Exterior is waterproofed.