The Anonymous Widower

IKEA’s Silly Screws

I’m putting the IKEA Stolmen wardrobe insert together now that I’ve got a complete chest of drawers. But why do they use such silly screws? 

IKEA's Silly Screws

They are absolutely impossible to use, if you have a gammy hand and their little bent wire socket keys are definitely something for one person per end and as I live alone, what am I supposed to do? 

I’ve given up on them as and as you can see, I’m using conventional nuts and bolts from Clerkenwell Screws. They were just a few pence each. 

The great thing about the conventional hexagonal head nut and bolt, is that they are an almost perfect piece of design. They are easy to put together, they don’t roll away, when you leave them to their own devices and they can be screwed tightly together with a couple of spanners. I always have a nut driver handy for one end. Usually, you only find these tools at proper tool shops, like Clerkenwell Screws, Franchi or Mackays in Cambridge.  But having one in the right size for a job you do often is worth the saving in anger. 

In this example I’ve used standard bright zinc-plated bolts, but I could have used brass, as I did in the staircase. 

I’m an electrical engineer, but remember the definition of a mechanical one; A nut who screws, washes and bolts.

August 17, 2011 - Posted by AnonW | World | Design, IKEA, My House