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A wood screw is a pointed metal screw with a sharp, coarse thread designed for insertion into wood. Unlike machine screws that mate with a threaded hole or nut, wood screws deform the wood itself to create a secure fit. To prevent the wood from splitting, especially with larger screws, pilot holes are often drilled. Lag screws are a larger type of wood screw used for fastening heavy objects to wood and typically have square or hexagonal heads.123

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