How Can Nut and Bolt Shop Be Useful

Most of us must have visited a nut and bolt shop sometime in life but very few of us know about its utmost importance. A nut and bolt shop will have many other things apart from mere nuts and bolts of differing sizes. There can be a world of nuts and bolts of various sizes so that knowing the same is very important especially if someone is from the construction background. Even people from carpentry, smithy, and sheet metal fabrication must know a thing or two about nuts, bolts, and many other allied items so that during a job, the selection can be made easily.

For a layman, identifying them may not be the easiest as they may all look quite similar. But on closer examination, it will be revealed that there are markers by which they can be identified, and we shall delve into them in the following sections so that they can be easily recognized.

• Fastener Basics – As the name suggests, fasteners or bolts are used to hold things tightly by making a connection. A nut and bolt shop may usually have seven different types of fasteners that can be selected as per one’s utility. These seven types of fasteners include hex bolts, sheet metal screws, socket screws, carriage bolts, wood screws, machine screws, and lag bolts. These names have been derived from the kind of applications that they usually perform. They can either be pointed or flat at the tip depending upon the job for which they are used.

• Types Of Bolts – A nut and bolt shop can have a plethora of bolts that can be used for particular purposes. There can be at least twelve different types of bolts that can be used for different applications. Out of them, wood screws, thread cutting machine screws, self-drilling SMS, carriage bolts, machine screws, sheet metal screws, hex bolts, and lag bolts are very highly used for many jobs. Socket screws, eye bolts, J-bolts, shoulder bolts, set screws, eye lags, U-bolts, and elevator bolts can be used sparingly and only at definite places.

• Types of Nuts – Just like bolts, there can be a wide selection of nuts and a nut and bolt shop will usually feature all of them for customers. The most commonly used nuts for many types of applications may include hex, nylon insert lock, jam, nylon insert jam lock, flange, prevailing torque lock, and square. These are the conventional types of bolts that we see in everyday applications. Apart from them, there are a few others that may not be used overwhelmingly but still, they have applications at certain places. This may include heavy hex, wing, acorn, cap, and tee.

• Types of Drives – The different types of nuts that are available in a nut and bolt shop can be easily identified by their tip type if certain care is taken while recognizing them. For example, the slotted drives have a straight slot in their head so that a screwdriver can be used on them while socket drives are mean for use by Allen keys. Similarly, there are Phillips and Frearson, Combination, Square, Torx, and One Way drives that can be driven by tools. Each of these drives has a unique head so that they can be punched into the surface.

Finally, a nut and bolt shop will also have many different types of washers that help a nut and bolt to stay firmly in its place without getting loose due to vibrations or periodic mechanical shocks. These washers can also be of many different types depending upon an application. A careful examination of all these items can help recognize them easily so that during need they can be procured without any help.