General fasteners, such as bolts and screws, are used for all kinds of applications. Most things we use in our day-to-day lives have screws or other fastenings to be operational. So, if there were no fixings holding our daily objects together, we wouldn’t be able to use them. It’s incredible how essential these little details are to our daily lives!
Today, we are focusing on coach bolts and answering some of the most frequently asked questions related to this type of bolts. For some expert advice, we have partnered up with Speedy Fixings, coach bolts supplier, to help us answer these questions.
Before we jump into coach bolts, I think it’s important to go through the basics of bolts and screws (which can easily get confused!).
What is the difference between bolts and screws?
Both bolts and screws feature screw threads, “a spiral thread made up of a groove and a ridge.” explains Chris Oxlade in Simple Experiments with Screws. However, the main difference between bolts and screws is that screws are tapered fasteners and bolts are non-tapered fasteners. Screws either create their own thread in material or are fastened into an existing thread whilst bolts need to be fastened with a nut or washer to hold materials together.
What are coach bolts?
Also known as carriage bolts, coach bolts have a flat mushroom-like head. As Paternal Damnation says, “You might know these as carriage bolts, mushroom head bolts, dome head bolts or even flat head bolts. The shape of the bolt’s head is specifically designed to prevent loosening and prevent the bolt from being pulled through.”
Not to be confused with coach screws, coach bolts are often used to fix wood to metal and wood to wood surfaces. Speedy Fixings stock a wide range of coach bolts for sale, including stainless steel coach bolts, zinc plated coach bolts and galvanized coach bolts.
If you are asking when to use coach screws or coach bolts, you’re not the only one asking this question. During a similar discussion, a Woodwork forum member mentioned that they would go for coach bolts “when it is awkward to access a bolt head during tightening, or for a neater appearance.”
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