help in basic building

[safiq10]

Hey im a newbie on the team and im always in the business side of any robotics teams. But this year i decided to join engineering/ Business. and im terrible at it. I cant saw anything or use a woodscrew. so can anyone help me by giving me some pointers cause i know i can do it i just need a little help. and i feel like im not doing anything for my team. thanks

[dcarr]

Ask a mentor or veteran team member for something to do, and have them guide you through it! Posting here on CD certainly shows that you're interested in learning, and I'm sure there are folks around you who can help.

If you can provide more specific details on what areas you want to become knowledgeable in, we can help.

PS in most cases you won't end up with wood screws on the robot

[safiq10]

ya but im using it to build the field so it sucks

[fox46]

Your best friend when it comes to woodscrews are going to be ones with a "Robertson" head, especially if you are new to building. You may have some trouble finding them in the US (due to a long boring political debate between US and Canadian patent rights) but they are by far the easiest woodscrews to use. The head on them, instead of being a "+" shape (called a phillips head) is a square shape and are much better at staying on the driver bit without the user having to hold them there than the phillips. You will have far better luck keeping the driver bit in the screw than with any other head design which I have found for new builders is half the battle. Secondly, forget about screwdrivers- they'll kill your hands/wrists and are just far too time consuming. You need a cordless drill set on low speed, or even better an impact driver to put the screws in. Futhermore, you get what you pay for- make sure you get a good driver bit and good screws to use. Cheap fasteners and a crappy driver bit won't last nearly as long as higher quality. The driver bit will wear and become rounded which makes it more likely to pop out of the screw. It may seem like a trivial thing but can make the difference between high productivity and success and utter frustration. See chart below-

Slotted head wood screws are useless - don't even try to use them. Phillips are okay if you buy the good ones, have a good bit to use them with and have some experience, robetson, allen or torx are by far the best but woodscrews rarely come in allen or torx heads.



On the left is a cordless drill, on the right is an impact driver. A drill can be used for drilling holes as well as driving screws but an impact driver is much better at driving larger screws into harder material and requires less strength to use. Together they make an awesome team. I recently bought a DeWalt 20Volt combo kit and it has been an awesome investment. I would reccommend something a little more tame for a new builder like a 12Volt or 18Volt kit which are also much more affordable than the more powerful ones (12V kits retail for under $100, the 20V kit was about $300 but keep in mind, you get what you pay for. Don't buy a cheap no-name brand tool). My first cordless drill I bought in grade 9 and was a cheapie 7.2V Mastercraft drill (Canadian Tire store brand) and although it was the runt-mongrel of cordless drills, it still serves me well today 13 years later. Try the Home Depot for a good selection of affordable kits, bits and fasteners.



Screw types: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_screw_drives

[NotaJoke]

I love tek wood screws. They have a funny-shaped head that hels you start the hole, before forcing them into the wood.

If you don't have these at your disposal, Use a smaller drill bit to dig a guide hole for the screw. You have to be kind of forceful to dig the hole with a regular wood screw (something I can't help you with )

For other advice: go slow enough to ensure you do everything carefully. Always cut slightly larger than what you need to ensure no part you make is ever too small. It's easily to make a part smaller, and very difficult to make it bigger.

Finally, listen to your mentors, and don't doubt yourself. Veteren members may not actually know more than you, they just have a bit more confidence.

Good luck with the rest of your build season!

[fox46]

I love tek wood screws. They have a funny-shaped head that hels you start the hole, before forcing them into the wood.

Tek screws are known as self tapping, self drilling screws. They are not woodscrews and should not be used for fastening wood to wood. Rather they are used for fastening things to metal like wood decking to a steel frame.

[safiq10]

okay on the woodscrews we use if u over power the power drill then try to put a wood screw in then the screw head will go from a philips to a no head. ANy idea on how to install these easier

[Aroki]

Originally Posted by safiq10

okay on the woodscrews we use if u over power the power drill then try to put a wood screw in then the screw head will go from a phillips to a no head. Any idea on how to install these easier

As a general rule you don't run the drill at full power when putting screws into wood, so go slow and don't over tighten, and remember to keep firm pressure downward so the bit doesn't slip out of the screw and strip it.

Also your drill may have a the ability to set how much torque it has, if it has a dial with numbers (usually like 1-20) you can lower that number so it can't go in to far (look at the drill on the left in fox46's picture for reference)

[fox46]

That comes back to buying high quality fasteners. But aroki is correct. Your drill should have a torque limiting clutch.

[safiq10]

Our season just ended and i want to thank all of thouse who helped me i lost hoped but you guys helped me find it. So to that my 1st year is over now its time to head into off season