A tapered metal screw that can be driven into wood by a screwdriver. They have varied length and widths and come in a variety of metals. The screw should pass easily through the top of the two boards being joined and the threads should bite into the second piece of wood. To make driving easier a little bees wax scraped across the treads makes life easier. When using brass screws as a decorative finish use regular screws of the same size first and replace them with the brass ones at the end of the project. Tjhis protects the "look" of the softer brass screw and avoids the heads being disfigured or the screw breaking.