Use wood screws (either single-slot or cross-slot) to fix objects directly onto wood. The cross slot is safer when working with decorated surfaces, as the screwdriver cannot slide out of the slot and mark the surface.
When screwing two pieces of wood together, always try to screw the thinner piece to the thicker one.
Drill a clearance hole in the top piece to take the screw shank. Drill a smaller hole in the lower piece to give the screw thread a start. Then use a countersinking bit to countersink the top piece if the heads of the screws are to sit flush with the wood surface.
When working with hardwoods, always drill holes into them first to prevent splitting.
When working with chipboards, use special chipboard screws designed to get a better grip without splitting the material.
When fixing into veneered chipboard, it helps to sink a wall plug into the edge of the board, locating the plug so that the expansion of the plug will be along the board, not across it.
When screwing into the end grain of timber, you get a very weak anchorage. You can improve this by inserting a piece of dowel into the wood so that the screw enters this when driven home. Make a start-hole in the dowel in order to avoid splitting it.
