Chipboard screws are different to other forms of screws utilized in wood work. They somehow appear chunkier or fatter; have an extensively spaced spiral which also appears a lot deeper than an ordinary screw. The head is inevitably produced for use with a power tool or a Phillips sort screwdriver, i.e. it has cross cut head and not a single slit meant for use with an ordinary screwdriver. These screws are usually either copper or brass covered. They are specialised screws that are used with chipboard only.
To understand the need for this specialised screw, one needs to look at the properties of chipboard. Chipboard is a composite material, meaning it is made of wooden chips (mostly) which are glued together with resin and then pressed in shapes under heat and pressure. This makes a rigid board accessible in varying sizes and it is pretty smooth, needing no planning. Boards are pressed into varying densities, i.e. normal, medium and high density for different applications. While you can find exterior grade boards on offer this material is almost exclusively used for indoor purposes. The reason for this is that chipboard which is exposed to water becomes swollen and starts disintegrating after a while. Though the high density board is solid and tough it nonetheless remains a less than desirable material to use on outdoor applications. Chipboard boards are often laminated, making them ideal for furniture making. The use of chipboard is quite extensive in Europe where it's employed in the making of flat pack furniture. Denmark houses 1 of the largest furniture manufacturers and distributors in the world, offering mostly flat pack furniture, which is affordable and effortless to assemble.
So, why use chipboard rather than solid wood? Chipboard is mostly applied in applications in which cost is less important than appearance. The appearance of chipboard, on the other hand, may be enhanced by using wood veneering and paint techniques. Uncovered edges can be covered by applying veneer strips which may be either glued onto the board edge or applied by using heat. The high density grade is used to manufacture kitchen cupboard carcasses, which will withstand pressure as a result of its greater density and strength also offering greater resistance to chipboard screws. Chipboard was invented to replace conventional plywood as at the beginning of the 40's timber for the manufacture of plywood was getting progressively scarce. The very first commercially obtainable pieces werecreated in Germany during the Second World War and all sorts of off cut timber and wood shavings had been firstly used. It was nevertheless observed that uniformly sized chips provided a much better high quality board with enhanced strength. Current board use graded wood chips during the manufacturing process whereby small chips are employed closer to the outside of the board providing far better appearance and smoothness. Chipboard is sanded after the drying process and sold as either raw board or veneered board. Other treatments like wax, dyes and release agents may perhaps also be used to make insect proof or fire boards, etc.
The primary reason then why particular chipboard screws are utilized with chipboard is that the design of the screw as said above, is suited to the density and structure of chipboard as a fastening agent.
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