4 ms·

I’d rather someone screw the screws in to the perfect amount of tension for the job than worry about making all the screw heads line up and also waste time doin

I’d rather someone screw the screws in to the perfect amount of tension for the job than worry about making all the screw heads line up and also waste time doing that. So I found the whole article a little exasperating. I guess there is something in there about form vs. function and how people see the world.

exDM69 5y ago
It's wood and mid-20th century slot head screws. A quarter a turn too tight or loose is fine and there's no such thing as perfect in anything made of wood anyway. The tradition of clocking screws may be a bit silly but it is a mark of attention to detail. It is something you see in bespoke heirloom furniture and it serves no practical value.
- ineedasername 5y ago
  Something like this which signals "attention to detail" but doesn't actually improve quality or stability isn't something I really care about. It's easy to be sloppy while putting the image of attention to detail in by non-functional surface appearance like clocked screws. If I'm looking for signs of quality then I want to see attention to detail where it matters, not for its own sake. That said, I can appreciate the aesthetic appeal even if it's non functional.
mauvehaus 5y ago
They are the brown M&M's of the furniture world. Seeing haphazardly driven screws is an indicator that perhaps you should take a close look at everything else, because the builder may not have. Getting them pretty darned close doesn't require any extraordinary measures, and they're being driven into wood anyway. It's not like you're putting them in with a torque wrench according to some chart of screw size and material and wood species. Just don't over-torque brass screws to clock them. That's a sure fire way to break the head off.
- thesuitonym 5y ago
  And just like brown M&Ms, they have no bearing on the quality of work done otherwise, it's only done to appease micromanagers.
  - mauvehaus 5y ago
    Respectfully, I do it to reflect the overall level of quality and care I put into building a piece. This is my business, so I assure you I'm not being micromanaged. I have been accused of being extremely detail-oriented though. Whether the customer notices or not is not my concern. I do it to maintain the same high level of work throughout the building process. It costs approximately zero extra time, and at the price of custom work, I don't want to be explaining to the customer that some detail doesn't matter if it's a small matter to do it right in the first place. Besides, I routinely put $75 worth of hinges alone on a piece[0]. Not clocking the screws would be like putting on a $3000 suit, and then tying the tie with a granny knot and leaving it peeking out from under the collar. The fact that this level of attentiveness to detail and a will to do the job all the way right instead of just 90% right (or less) isn't much valued in software[1] has a lot to do with why I now build furniture instead. [0] https://brusso.com https://brusso.com The quality and tolerances match the price, and they sell sizes and types of hinges that nobody else does. [1] Apologies if your company is one of the rare exceptions.
    - JohnJamesRambo 5y ago
      I tried to look at your furniture but it went to a 404, which I find kind of ironic, Mr. Clocked Screws. https://www.longwalkwoodworking.com/portfolio https://www.longwalkwoodworking.com/portfolio > We couldn't find the page you were looking for. This is either because:
      - mauvehaus 5y ago
        Thanks for the heads-up. Would you mind letting me know where that link was? We deprecated portfolio in favor of catalog, and apparently missed a link. Thanks :-(

exDM69 5y ago

It's wood and mid-20th century slot head screws. A quarter a turn too tight or loose is fine and there's no such thing as perfect in anything made of wood anyway. The tradition of clocking screws may be a bit silly but it is a mark of attention to detail. It is something you see in bespoke heirloom furniture and it serves no practical value.

ineedasername 5y ago
Something like this which signals "attention to detail" but doesn't actually improve quality or stability isn't something I really care about. It's easy to be sloppy while putting the image of attention to detail in by non-functional surface appearance like clocked screws. If I'm looking for signs of quality then I want to see attention to detail where it matters, not for its own sake. That said, I can appreciate the aesthetic appeal even if it's non functional.

mauvehaus 5y ago

They are the brown M&M's of the furniture world. Seeing haphazardly driven screws is an indicator that perhaps you should take a close look at everything else, because the builder may not have. Getting them pretty darned close doesn't require any extraordinary measures, and they're being driven into wood anyway. It's not like you're putting them in with a torque wrench according to some chart of screw size and material and wood species. Just don't over-torque brass screws to clock them. That's a sure fire way to break the head off.

thesuitonym 5y ago
And just like brown M&Ms, they have no bearing on the quality of work done otherwise, it's only done to appease micromanagers.
- mauvehaus 5y ago
  Respectfully, I do it to reflect the overall level of quality and care I put into building a piece. This is my business, so I assure you I'm not being micromanaged. I have been accused of being extremely detail-oriented though. Whether the customer notices or not is not my concern. I do it to maintain the same high level of work throughout the building process. It costs approximately zero extra time, and at the price of custom work, I don't want to be explaining to the customer that some detail doesn't matter if it's a small matter to do it right in the first place. Besides, I routinely put $75 worth of hinges alone on a piece[0]. Not clocking the screws would be like putting on a $3000 suit, and then tying the tie with a granny knot and leaving it peeking out from under the collar. The fact that this level of attentiveness to detail and a will to do the job all the way right instead of just 90% right (or less) isn't much valued in software[1] has a lot to do with why I now build furniture instead. [0] https://brusso.com https://brusso.com The quality and tolerances match the price, and they sell sizes and types of hinges that nobody else does. [1] Apologies if your company is one of the rare exceptions.
  - JohnJamesRambo 5y ago
    I tried to look at your furniture but it went to a 404, which I find kind of ironic, Mr. Clocked Screws. https://www.longwalkwoodworking.com/portfolio https://www.longwalkwoodworking.com/portfolio > We couldn't find the page you were looking for. This is either because:
    - mauvehaus 5y ago
      Thanks for the heads-up. Would you mind letting me know where that link was? We deprecated portfolio in favor of catalog, and apparently missed a link. Thanks :-(