Andy I agree but I think I'll beat Santa Claus to it and place an order. Thanks Sanford!
Eric, a good way to avoid shearing screws of any size is to (1) drill pilot holes and (2) lubricate the threads by dragging them across a lump of bees wax. I don't recommend soap because they can contain oils which will stain your wood and paraffin doesn't stick to the threads very well.
Lee Schierer
USNA '71
Go Navy!
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After I lost the store bought version made from a spring pin (referred to as "roll" pin here), I started making my own, only take a few minutes with a triangle file to file the teeth. The idea is to use the size thats close to the root diameter-the shank- of the screw and start sawing around and down it with the drill running in reverse. The spring pin will expand a little and grip the screw shank and wind it out most,-in my experience, all- of the time, no filler plug needed. And if it doesn't, it'll core around the shank and then pull it out, which has never happened to me. I even backed a broken tap out of some aluminum plate with one once.
I forget the name of the company that was making them commercially, but they are a great little CYA tool!
Installing a dowel and cutting it off flush can result in scarring the adjacent finish. Better to install the right length dowel so it drives just below the surface. A little more prep but then you're done.
Actually it is better to install a plug, not a dowel, with the grain lined up with the parent wood. Cutting it off flush then involves just a few strokes from a chisel, which can usually be done without scarring the surrounding finish. The plug necessarily must be finished. This for making a repair that will show.
Otherwise, if the repair can be hidden beneath the hinge, a dowel will work fine.
Last edited by andy bessette; 10-19-2020 at 12:22 PM.
"Anything seems possible when you don't know what you're doing."
+1 on a hollow screw extractor, then a dowel.
Regards,
Tom
That's what I use, followed by a plug. Makes a very neat job.
I have also had success with "screw extractors" for larger screws. They are effectively a left-handerd drill designed to bite into the screw once started, and back it out. However, the screw extractors are hard to keep centered on small screws & damage the surrounding wood near the surface, again, for small screws.
To prevent delicate screws from breaking, I add a little insurance by pre-screwing the pilot hole with a properly sized gimlet. I rub a little wax on the gimlet which “lubricates“ the threads in the wood for the screw.
- After I ask a stranger if I can pet their dog and they say yes, I like to respond, "I'll keep that in mind" and walk off
- It's above my pay grade. Mongo only pawn in game of life.
Here's another way to back out a broken screw. Use a Dremel tool with an abrasive disc, the thin ones that can cut off metal. Cut a groove in the screw shank that you can fit a flat head screw driver in and give it a try. I know flat head screw drivers aren't the best for turning screws, especially ones that are tight, but it's a 5 minute solution if it works. If it doesn't work, it doesn't burn any bridges and you can go on to something else.