screws for stuff thats going to last. nails for stuff thats probs gonna get torn down when its found out.
plus you need a cordless drill for screws
Yes its true you need a cordless drill for screws, but these days most families have one or two cordless drills. Around here everyone uses nails because they tear down a lot of our wood things. But if you have a family member who has a cordless drill def use screws.
screws grip better but they dont have the strength unless u buy the massive ones that kill batteries in 10 min and cost a fortune deck screws only work well for holding stuff down
if build a lot shore in my life and always used 3 1/2 inch spirral nail and its the shiznit! screws will break, nails are gonna bent to the end, buy yourself a good construction hammer and hammer away! they hold as good as screws and are way cheaper! and you`ll develop muscles!
Houses are built out of nails because the bearing load is downward on most joints. this means that the fastener is really holding the stud in place until weight is placed on it. So for putting planking on jumps or drops, nails will be fine. To build your uprights and main weight bearing horizontals use screws or lag bolts. Use deck screws for any 2x material and lag bolts for anything thicker than 2x. You will have to drill for bolts, but they are designed to hold weight. Deck screws are designed so you don't have to predrill.
Note;for free building material use wooden pallets. Try to get hardwood ones with good stringers. Because the have 3 stringers over 40 inches you can ride on the 1 inch planks without any worry. I build with them and am 200 pounds and never have any problems. Join them together with 2x4.
hope you are building some where dry and screws will work. if there is any rain try going with 4 or 6 inch galvinized spiral nails. galvinized spirals are way cheaper and will never rust away. as for material pallets are crap and will have to be replaced every year. use at least 2x4s oh and if its realy wet like the vancouver demensional wood will become realy slipery in a mater of months and you should use cedar if at all possible.