Sometimes it makes sense structurally to assemble a piece with screws, but if it’s made of a material like MDF or some plywoods, screws may work their way loose in the soft material over time, compromising the strength of the joint. In this video, contributing editor Michael Fortune will show you how to reinforce materials with epoxy to toughen your screw joints.

After drilling a pilot hole that matches his screw shank and countersinking the hole, Fortune cuts a small groove in the end of a standard screw (pre-slotted screws won’t work for this) with a small rotary cutting tool. This groove will cause the screw to cut wood fibers as it enters the material, instead of compressing them. Fortune drives the screw into the material, backs it out, then fills the hole with epoxy, letting it sit for a few minutes to wick down into the material. Next he drives a new screw coated in paraffin wax into the hole, and lets it sit while the epoxy dries. Once the epoxy is set, the wax-coated screw can be backed out, and the piece can be assembled. 

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