Covering protruding screw tips in switch panel

greeny said:
Hmmmmm! Shorter screws?
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In thin wood using shorter screws dramatically decreases the grip, since the portion near the tip counts for very little. This is even worse once they have been installed.

First few posters had it; it's easy to trim them in one of several ways. The next simplest way is to screw a coin-sized scrap of thin ply over the ends, with some glue on them so that they stay ("locally thicken the wood").

I' pretty sure any of the cap or tubing ideas would fall off before long, probably within days, because the stubs are very short.
 
veshengro said:
Local Model shop. Piece of Balsa Wood cut into suitable strips with a little dab of glue and pressed into place.
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Now thats not a bad idea, I have some balsa wood from recoring the deck.
Shorter screws are problematical as the lid of that box is not very thick, and no way do I want to go in there with a grinder, I’m quite likely to cut my busbars :)
 
thinwater said:
In thin wood using shorter screws dramatically decreases the grip, since the portion near the tip counts for very little. This is even worse once they have been installed.

First few posters had it; it's easy to trim them in one of several ways. The next simplest way is to screw a coin-sized scrap of thin ply over the ends, with some glue on them so that they stay ("locally thicken the wood").

I' pretty sure any of the cap or tubing ideas would fall off before long, probably within days, because the stubs are very short.
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Yeah, shorter screws are not a clever option here. I’m going to go with locally thickening by putting a strip of balsa over them as someone earlier suggested, as I have the balsa and its a quick and neat solution. My second preference would have been the blob of CT1 or similar :)

Thanks all.
 
The alternative is not to use any screws at all…double sided tape for example…the 3M pads have incredible hold
 
steve yates said:
Thats okay, a plypad will be bonded to the backside that will be throughbolted from outside. But even then, I would rather cover the metal nuts somehow.
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If your wires are routed clear of the nuts and neatly fastened together with, for example, nylon P clips. they needn't touch the nuts.
 
Poignard said:
If your wires are routed clear of the nuts and neatly fastened together with, for example, nylon P clips. they needn't touch the nuts.
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Thats what I hope to acheive but it will be a bit crowded in there, and there needs to be adequate loops from panel switches to the busbar to allow the lid to drop down open, so, in a moving boat, you know how it is, they will potentially be free to chafe. And sods law says if it could happen, kt will happen eventually.
I may be overthinking it but it just seems sensible to have as little visible metal inside that box as possible. There are covers for busbars and posts etc,its just any fixing screws or bolts I needed a method of dealing with.
 
steve yates said:
Thats what I hope to acheive but it will be a bit crowded in there, and there needs to be adequate loops from panel switches to the busbar to allow the lid to drop down open, so, in a moving boat, you know how it is, they will potentially be free to chafe. And sods law says if it could happen, kt will happen eventually.
I may be overthinking it but it just seems sensible to have as little visible metal inside that box as possible. There are covers for busbars and posts etc,its just any fixing screws or bolts I needed a method of dealing with.
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So I can't sell you any P clips then.

How about some dome nuts, squire?
 
You could use brass inserts: wood screw thread on the outside, M4 (or whatever you need) on the inside. Won't break the bank either!

The Screwfix one's I linked to are a bit 'flat pack furniture' quality, but so is thin and untreated pine in a marine environment so I guess they'll be adequate.
 
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