Washers

A washer is a piece of hardware that is forged or fabricated. They are most often circular-shaped with a hole in the center; however, washers come in other shapes and sizes as well. Washers are also called ""spacers"" since they create a space between two surfaces. Washers are usually used between a screw and a piece of material, or between a nut and a bolt. Basically, this type of fastener strengthens the holding power of the other two fasteners. That is, if you were to use a screw and a nut to fasten a thin piece of metal and a pipe together, the head of the screw could be pushed through the thin metal. By using a washer in between the screw and the metal, it helps to create a strong surface for the screw to be tightened against. It also helps to reduce friction as the screw is tightened.