Nut / Bolt Id Board

[Make Things]

You don't have to remove all the screws/nuts to check an unknown. Measure the unknown diameter and pick the reference screws/nuts that come close to the matching diameter.

There's another factor at work here too. Like you, I've sorted a lot of screws. I find that I very quickly come to the point where I can identify an unknown by eye. Oh, there may be the occasional confusion (e.g., 8-32 and 8-36), but, having found one of each I lay them out and from then on a visual comparison is all I need.

Nevertheless, each to his own. I wasn't suggesting that my approach should replace yours; merely a variation to be evaluated. In fact, I have several homemade gauges similar to yours but done in all metal.

In planning one's personal approach it helps to see what others have done.

I love a good debate, especially with this type of topic. It's something you can't find on reddit...or anywhere really. People get too defensive. To get down to the nuts and bolts (pardon the pun) and find great solutions, we have to communicate. Your post was an inspiration...it's an idea that I can use to better this board in the future. If I came across as defensive, I didn't mean to be. Thanks for the communication and the inspiration.

[mklotz]

...More on screw identification...

If it's a numbered screw (in inferial land most smaller than 1/4" are), it helps to know the number. I made a gauge for this purpose...

DIY Screw size gage

but if you don't do it often it may be easier to just work it out mathematically. For numbered screws the diameter is computed from...

D = 0.060 + 0.013 * N

where N is the screw number. Solving for N, we have...

N = (D - 0.060) / 0.013

so measure the diameter of your unknown, plug it into the above and solve for N.

If you don't already own thread pitch gauges (inferial and metric), remember that any screw of known pitch can be used as a pitch gauge.