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Anonymous10/13/25, 18:33No.2950594
Need some advice on a computer desk I am trying to build, never done anything like this before so I don't want to screw it up. I bought a 6' x 25'' x 1.5'' butcher block. I then got some custom legs because all the ones on amazon looked like cheap shit that would break. The company I ordered them from told me "The holes are 5/16'' so most people use 1/4'' lag screws''.
Went down to the hardware store and bought a handful of them. But looking at them at home they look kind of small, you can see the picture of the legs there is a bit of space between where the legs would sit against the table. It seems to me that they would barely go into the wood. Am I just ignorant or should I have gotten ones that were longer? If so any specific length you think I should be aiming for?
Also any advice on doing it in general, I was planning on using a drill to make small holes and then use a socket wrench to screw them in. Does that sound like the right idea?
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Anon10/13/25, 18:55No.2950601
bump for curiosity I'm trying to plan and build the perfect computer desk too
>The holes are 5/16'' so most people use 1/4'' lag screws'
Were they referring just to the diameter and not the length of the screw? I agree they do seem a bit short, there's probably a reference sheet somewhere for that stuff. I bet they'd hold but I'd aim for them to make it like halfway into the countertop (based off literally nothing and I'm a complete hack fwiw). I guess you could try them and see if it's sturdy, you can always go get longer ones.
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Anon10/13/25, 18:59No.2950603
samefag
>I was planning on using a drill to make small holes and then use a socket wrench to screw them in. Does that sound like the right idea?
Yeah start with a small pilot hole to get started and then a bigger one, roughly a little bit smaller than the screw. You want it to be tight but not too tight that it cracks the wood.
Careful also that you don't drill all the way through, that and cracking the wood are probably the only two ways to badly screw it up, but even then you could probably fix it somehow.
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Anon10/13/25, 19:08No.2950610
those screws are a little short, with 1.5" of total wood thickness I'd want at least 1" of screw touching wood. I'd try for 1.25" screws, but wouldn't buy 1.5" screws because you'd have to pre-drill very closely to the surface to keep the tips from splitting the wood. When you pre-drill the holes, what you want to do is use a drill bit that is the same size as the shaft of the screw, like pic related. The threads won't make the wood split, but the shank of the screw pressing apart the walls of a too-small hole could.
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Anon10/13/25, 19:12No.2950612
what? 1/4 is the diameter of the screw. why do you think it would be the length of the screw when clearly they are 1 inch long.
the gap between the leg and table might reduce when you tighten the screw, it might not.
a one inch screw into a one and a half inch table top is plenty. if it goes too deep you will bust through the top.
drill diameter should be the size of the screw minimum diameter. look up a diagram if you don't know what that is. you only get work done by the threads, you don't want any wood being where any part that isn't the thread is going to be.
should you get longer screws? how thick exactly is the steel that the screw has to pass through. unless its 1/4 inch you still should have 3/4 penetration into a 6/4 top. which should just be enough in my opinion.
also depends on the block, dense hard wood will need fewer threads of the screw to hold than a light/soft wood.
you can use a ratchet to tighten, but i would use as little of the handle as possible or if you have a torque ratchet set it to something really small. you really just need it to be a hair past hand tight. put a little oil on the thread if its tough going in.
do you have a pillar drill? how are you going to depth stop? don't trust tape wrapped around a drill, it will easily push against the work and the hole will get deeper every time you drill.
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Anon10/13/25, 20:23No.2950638
Asked my friend about this and he's freaking out thinking it's not going to work. Says the screws aren't going to be strong enough. Guess I didn't do enough research I thought this would be pretty simple just screw a few screws in some holes. Really hope I don't destroy all this stuff.