Very nice video! But I have one comment: When I tighten lug nuts or bolts on a car, I always follow the service manual instructions, which often specify a special pattern for tightening. This is generally to install all the fasteners loosely, then tighten from the center outward. On a wheel, tighten the opposite nut (or the one closest to opposite, clockwise, for odd-numbered patterns.)

The logic of this is that if you tighten each fastener as you install it, as Nate did, you fix each point firmly in place. If the panel holes are slightly off, or the panel is slightly warped, you introduce strain and warping as you tighten the other fasteners. Leaving the screws loose and tightening in two steps (or more) takes only a few more seconds, and lets the panel, or wheel, or motherboard float into the optimum position. Maybe not a big deal for a computer case, but very important when the surfaces have to stay dead flat, like a cylinder head.

BTW: There is an optimum amount to tighten a fastener, depending on size, strength, and the application. Too much torque and the stress may break a bolt or damage threads; too loose and the fastener may loosen and be lost. Good mechanics and high-quality assembly lines use torque-measuring tools to get this right. I don’t go quite that far in computer work.

Giving a moment of thought to the lowly fastener is just a good habit to get into. As is making one last tightening pass to make sure you haven’t missed any fasteners!

Bob K.

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