Abstract: A hanger for attaching a structural beam to a building substructure has a first panel spaced from a second panel with a web extending therebetween. The web includes a bias member or compression member for biasing a beam upward. The web may include an opening through the bias member for receipt of a fastener driven from underneath the web into a beam received by the web, whereby driving of the fastener into the beam pulls the beam downward against the bias of the compression member. Additional versions exist with different leveraging surfaces to assist the fastener in pulling the beam downward. The hanger may also include one or more openings in the side panels, each opening associating with an opening in a rear panel to receive a fastener driven obliquely through a side panel opening into a beam and a building support member to attach the beam.

Abstract: A drilling tool has a working piece retained by a retainer mounted to a collar. The working piece includes a distal shank and a cutting section and is rotationally fixed relative to the retainer. The retainer may include an engagement protrusion positioned outward of the shank with the protrusion engaging an inner surface of the collar or the collar may include an engagement protrusion with the protrusion engaging an inner surface of the retainer to create a quasi-floating relationship between the retainer and collar. The cutting section may have a distal primary bore cutting sub-section and a proximal counterbore cutting sub-section. The collar includes a lower surface for abutment against a building member during drilling operation to halt axial movement of the tool.

Abstract: A hidden fastener assembly facilitates the attachment of grooved deck members to a joist. A body has an upper platform and a lower reference surface and is traversed by a central opening. A pair of tongues project from the body and are positioned and configured for reception in the grooves of the deck members. A pair of legs straddle the joist to aid in positioning. A fastener received in the opening and driven into the joist secures the deck members to the joist at a desired spacing. The fastener assemblies may be collated for usage in automatic driving tools.

Abstract: A self-sealing fastener for sheathing having an integrated water and air resistant barrier employs an activatable sealant which is disposed in a non-activated state on the fastener. Upon driving the fastener into the sheathing, the sealant activates and forms a seal at the fastener/sheathing interface and also functions as a shock absorber to prevent overdriving of the fastener. The sealant may take numerous forms including a deformable gasket, a collar and a washer. In some embodiments, up activation, the sealant exhibits a tint which contrasts with the tint of the sheathing. Collated self-sealing fastener strips or cartridges of various forms provide a matrix of severable fasteners each having a sealant which are sequentially drivable by an automatic driver.

Abstract: A hidden fastener assembly facilitates the attachment of grooved deck members to a joist. A body has an upper platform and a lower reference surface and is traversed by a central opening. A pair of tongues project from the body and are positioned and configured for reception in the grooves of the deck members. A pair of legs straddle the joist to aid in positioning. A fastener received in the opening and driven into the joist secures the deck members to the joist at a desired spacing. The fastener assemblies may be collated for usage in automatic driving tools.

Abstract: A drilling tool has a working piece retained by a retainer mounted to a collar. The working piece includes a distal shank and a cutting section and is rotationally fixed relative to the retainer. The retainer may include an engagement protrusion positioned outward of the shank with the protrusion engaging an inner surface of the collar or the collar may include an engagement protrusion with the protrusion engaging an inner surface of the retainer to create a quasi-floating relationship between the retainer and collar. The cutting section may have a distal primary bore cutting sub-section and a proximal counterbore cutting sub-section. The collar includes a lower surface for abutment against a building member during drilling operation to halt axial movement of the tool.

Abstract: A screw for composite or plastic material comprises a head having a socket which is rotatably couplable for application of a torque. An elongated shank extends from the head and terminates a tapered threaded distal tip. The shank has one portion having an enlarged diameter and a second portion having a reduced diameter. The first portion is traversed by a left hand thread having a first pitch. The second portion is traversed by a right hand thread having a second pitch which is less than the first pitch. An unthreaded land portion adjacent the tip extends at least twice the second pitch. For some embodiments, some thread segments have notches. The fastener is particularly adapted for very dense material.

Abstract: A fastener for composite or plastic material having a dense composition employs a head which has a socket and a recessed underside and a lower rim. In one embodiment, the shank has an upper portion with an enlarged diameter and a left hand thread while the lower portion has a tri-lobed configuration and is traversed by a right hand thread. The right hand thread may have a plurality of notches which, in one embodiment, are arranged in a spiral array. One embodiment of a fastener has longitudinally spaced rings which project from an enlarged diameter portion of the shank. The lower portion of the shank has a thread with a plurality of notches. The rings have a major diameter and spacing greater than the major diameter and spacing of the thread.

Abstract: A screw for composite or plastic material comprises a head having a socket which is rotatably couplable for application of a torque. An elongated shank extends from the head and terminates a tapered threaded distal tip. The shank has one portion having an enlarged diameter and a second portion having a reduced diameter. The first portion is traversed by a left hand thread having a first pitch. The second portion is traversed by a right hand thread having a second pitch which is less than the first pitch. An unthreaded land portion adjacent the tip extends at least twice the second pitch. For some embodiments, some thread segments have notches. The fastener is particularly adapted for very dense material.

Abstract: A fastener for composite or plastic material having a dense composition employs a head which has a socket and a recessed underside and a lower rim. In one embodiment, the shank has an upper portion with an enlarged diameter and a left hand thread while the lower portion has a tri-lobed configuration and is traversed by a right hand thread. The right hand thread may have a plurality of notches which, in one embodiment, are arranged in a spiral array. One embodiment of a fastener has longitudinally spaced rings which project from an enlarged diameter portion of the shank. The lower portion of the shank has a thread with a plurality of notches. The rings have a major diameter and spacing greater than the major diameter and spacing of the thread.