Thread: broken screws..

Are the screws in the waste area of your blank

I normally mark the timber where the broken screw is and rotate the faceplate a bit and re mount. Turn bottom of bowl as per normal then flip over onto chuck. Grab parting tool and carefully cut a groove on both sides off screw then using pliers or old chisel pull or knock out screw.

Next time drill a pilot hole first if you didn't, and use good quality screws

Either that, or drill/chisel away some waste to either side of it and use needle-nose pliers or vice-grips to back the screw out.

Hi Stirlo,

As others have said, wax the screws or use tec screws (the hex head driven screws used to put a colorbond fence together) Chipboard screws are a trifle light,and if you drove them in with an electric screwdriver, the heads snap off them easily.

Now, as to how to get them out, I'd either see if the teacher has an ezy-out in the storeroom (it's a LH thread screw extractor) or, drill around the screw with a 2mm drill (the drill bit touches the screw) and make a hole big enough so that you can grab the screw with a pair of long-nosed pliers and twist it out.

You should be able to fit 6-8 holes around the screw, making a hole about 6mm round in total.

CHeers,

eddie

on the wattle...its about 50mm from the centre on a 200mm blank. on the burl, its way out but its only a small blank that cant really afford to lose any size.

Originally Posted by djstimber

Next time drill a pilot hole first if you didn't, and use good quality screws

i drilled a pilot hole but the screws i use are cheapies. i was thinkin about buying a woodturners pack, probably will now cos of this .

Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!!

Either that, or drill/chisel away some waste to either side of it and use needle-nose pliers or vice-grips to back the screw out.

both are rock hard and dry, the chiselling didnt work but i like the drill idea....could i drill thru the screw? i mean its not that hard of a metal they use in the cheap screws and i got plenty of old drill bits.

Originally Posted by eddie the eagle

Hi Stirlo,
As others have said, wax the screws or use tec screws (the hex head driven screws used to put a colorbond fence together) Chipboard screws are a trifle light,and if you drove them in with an electric screwdriver, the heads snap off them easily.

Now, as to how to get them out, I'd either see if the teacher has an ezy-out in the storeroom (it's a LH thread screw extractor) or, drill around the screw with a 2mm drill (the drill bit touches the screw) and make a hole big enough so that you can grab the screw with a pair of long-nosed pliers and twist it out.

You should be able to fit 6-8 holes around the screw, making a hole about 6mm round in total.

CHeers,

eddie

thanx eddie, i'll try the drilling idea, as i dont think my skool teacher will let me borrow tools ...

Try a plug cutter.

Originally Posted by ss_11000

both are rock hard and dry, the chiselling didnt work but i like the drill idea....could i drill thru the screw? i mean its not that hard of a metal they use in the cheap screws and i got plenty of old drill bits.

Try it! But it won't work... the screw will be harder than the wood and the drill bit will slip to one side or t'other. You only need to remove enough wood to either side of the screw so that you can get a good grip on it with something else to unscrew it.

DJ's method (just mark it and turn a trench to either side when hollowing) is what I do most of the time, but sometimes there just isn't enough waste spare for that so I resort to the above.

It's fiddly, it's a right PITA. But it works.

okay...i will try dj's method on the wattle, cos it flat on both sides, but i'll try the drilling method on the burl...thanx guys

If you drill a hole a tad bigger than the screw, next to the broken screw you will be able to knock the screw into the hole with a fine nail punch. Then just pulll it out with some pliers

Just grind any protruding bit of screw off and remount the block at a slightly different position.

Turn through the screw.
The screw should be within the scrap area.

If your tools are HSS then they are the same as drills and you can turn through a nail or screw with out any problem.

No where near as bad as a high silica piece of wood.

Originally Posted by DavidG

Just grind any protruding bit of screw off and remount the block at a slightly different position.

Turn through the screw.
The screw should be within the scrap area.

If your tools are HSS then they are the same as drills and you can turn through a nail or screw with out any problem.

No where near as bad as a high silica piece of wood.

Not if you want to spend some time regrinding your chisels, some screws are case hardened and can play buggery with your chisels

I would be removing any nails or screws first

Originally Posted by ss_11000

i drilled a pilot hole but the screws i use are cheapies. i was thinkin about buying a woodturners pack, probably will now cos of this .

sounds like the way to go in future. Wasting a blank costs a lot more than a quality screw.

Originally Posted by ss_11000

both are rock hard and dry, the chiselling didnt work

sounds like you need to sharpen your chisel

Originally Posted by ss_11000

i like the drill idea....could i drill thru the screw? i mean its not that hard of a metal they use in the cheap screws and i got plenty of old drill bits.

your old drills are almost certainly blunt! I'd be using a new bit

ian

I would be removing any nails or screws first

Turned a number of bowls, for widows, from parts of old work benches complete with nails etc.
Never a problem.
Yes you need to sharpen more often but I have had worse wood than that before.

The plug cutter (if available) would probably have the least impact on the final shape, and would leave a round hole to be filled with a dowel; repeat at equal (or unequal, I guess) intervals to add a design feature, maybe projecting feet. All of the solutions mentioned for the present problem will need fillling of some sort. Another possibility would be to redesign the piece so that the offending screw, as well as its replacement(s), occurs in a solid part of the work. Then you can just leave it in place, grinding it flush with the bottom if necessary. It'll have a slight effect on balance, but a burl probably won't be perfectly balanced when round anyway.

Joe