STAINLESS STEEL HEXALOBULAR COUNTERSUNK BI-METAL WING DRILL TIMBER TEK 3 SCREWS

Hexalobular Countersunk Bi-Metal Wing Drill Timber Tek 3 Screws — This shares the same wing-drill point as the Phillips-drive version - wings that ream a clearance path through the timber layer and shear off on contact with the steel beneath, letting the Tek 3 point self-drill cleanly into medium-gauge steel without the timber binding and stalling it first - but swaps the drive for hexalobular. That matters more than it might seem on this particular screw: fixing timber over steel in one pass already demands higher torque than a straightforward timber or steel fixing on its own, since the point has to clear the timber and then immediately start drilling, and a hexalobular drive resists cam-out under that load noticeably better than a Phillips cross-head, particularly with repeated impact-driver use. Applications are identical to the Phillips wing-drill Tek 3 screw: timber battens, boards, or sub-structure fixed directly to medium-gauge steel purlins or structural sections in a single operation, without a separate pre-drilling step for the timber. The bi-metal principle applies in the same way across this whole sub-family - a stainless body and thread resist the weathering and treated-timber exposure typical of this kind of fixing, while a hardened carbon-steel point, wings included, does the combined job of clearing timber and drilling steel that a solid stainless point can't manage. Point rating logic is unchanged from the rest of the range: Tek 3 suits medium-gauge purlins and structural sections once the wings have cleared the timber, and where the steel is heavier, a Tek 5 wing-drill screw is the correct choice rather than this Tek 3 version. Choosing between this and the Phillips-drive equivalent is really a choice about drive preference and torque rather than performance - installers driving large quantities with a powered driver, or working into denser timber, tend to prefer the hexalobular drive's extra grip, while Phillips remains the more universally stocked bit.

FAQs
How does the hexalobular drive compare with Phillips for this application?
Hexalobular gives a more positive bit engagement and better resistance to cam-out under the higher torque needed to clear timber and then self-drill into steel, which matters for repeated or powered installation.

What do the wings on the point do?
They ream a clearance hole through the timber ahead of the Tek 3 point, then shear off once they reach the steel substrate, preventing the timber from binding the point before it starts drilling.

When would the Tek 5 version of this hexalobular wing-drill screw be needed instead?
Where the steel structure behind the timber is a heavier section than Tek 3 is rated to clear, signalled by the point stalling or taking excessive time to drill once the wings have cleared the timber.