[Elecraft] Nuts and Bolts (WAS:] KX-1 KXBD1 KEYER ISSUE)

[Ron D'Eau Claire]

Dave W5SV wrote:

I am guessing, but my understanding is that to fasten a screw, you turn 
the screw; to fasten a bolt, you turn the nut (not the bolt)... at 
least, that is how I differentiate between the two, rather than on what 
kind of hear they have.

------------------------

With regards to fasteners (since there are other types of nuts, bolts and
screws): 

A "nut" is the part of a fastener with the threaded hole. 

A "screw" is the part of the fastener with a threaded shaft. Unless it is an
integral part of some larger assembly, it always has a head larger than the
shaft. The shaft may be cylindrical, such as a screw that mates with a nut,
or the shaft may be conical, such as a wood screw or self-tapping metal
screw that does not take a nut. Obviously, a conical screw must be turned to
tighten it since there is no "nut". 

A "bolt" is specifically a screw that is cylindrical: it always takes a nut.
In the common vernacular, "bolt" is most often used to describe a large
screw, (e.g. we usually refer to a "10/32 screw" but usually a "1/4-inch
bolt"). Some bolts, like "stove bolts", have heads specifically designed to
grip the material being fastened. They have a smoothly rounded top that is
not designed to be gripped by a tool, so in that special case the nut is the
part of the fastener that must be tightened.

Egad! Even nuts, bolts and screws can get complicated!  

Ron AC7AC