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  1. #1
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    Default Help/advice for removing broken screws

    I have some old red gum fence posts that I would like to salvage to use as legs for a coffee table I have planned. My old Makita circular saw found some old screws during some initial trimming. This is no big deal particularly as I know of these particular ones. I was thinking about using an ezi-out to remove the balance or maybe even drilling them out. Does anyone have some other particular method for such tasks? What about any nails that I might come across? I have a Wizard metal detecting wand that I will run over the timber before any serious work with my bandsaw or Festool saws.
    Thanks
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  3. #2
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    can you use a hole saw to take a chunk out around them and then get a set of vice grips onto them?

  4. #3
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    I don't like your chances with an ezi-out; after so many years, the timber will have shrunk around the screw and locked it in with pressure and rust.

    I've had good results using a plug cutter to isolate them from the rest of the board; same theory as a hole saw, just smaller. If you have a steady hand you can do it freehand with a drill, otherwise pop it in the drill press.

  5. #4
    rrich Guest

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    There is a device intended to solve just a problem. It is called a screw extractor but the only ones that I know are Imperial.

    Screw Extractor

    The advantage of these are the hole remaining is sized for a dowel. I have used them several times and they work exceptionally well. Although I have broken one or two.

    There is another solution. Get a straight piece of hydraulic brake line. It is important that it is a brake line and not just copper tubing. The brake line is steel.

    Cut a piece of the tubing 50 mm to 75 mm long. Then file teeth into the tubing. Use that to drill around the screw. One out of two things will happen. The plug and screw will snap off and become lodged in the extractor. You'll have to use a nail with the point filed off to knock it out. Or you'll be able to remove the extractor with the screw and plug still in place. Just take a screwdriver with a quick twist in the kerf to snap the plug free.

    I have used the double ended Easy-Out thing. One end drills (Left Hand Drill Bit) a hole that conforms to the shape of the other end which is the Easy-Out. This works well on stripped screw heads rather than broken screws. One bit of advice with these. Use one size smaller than the actual screw. DUNNO but it just seems work better that way.

    One other thing. Using an impact driver rather than just a drill seems to work wonders. I have one of the DeWalt 20 volt models and I was astounded how well it worked with the Easy-Out models.

  6. #5
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    I've used the plug cutter method mentioned by Elanjacobs successfully, but I watched some blokes restoring a boat that had lots of old screws and nails, using the steel tube method suggested by Rrich. Both methods work.
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  7. #6
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    Apr 2016
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    Mooroopna, Victoria, Australia
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    I use a cheap 6mm chisel to dig a hole around it then use some pliers to pull it out. After working in a timber salvage yard, it was the best method I found. Good luck with it all.
    I cut it twice and it's still to short.

  8. #7
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    IF there is any shank protruding above the timber, I have had success by drilling 6 or so very small holes (1.5mm) around the perimeter of the screw thread.
    This removes some timber beside the screw and relieves tension/pressure holding the screw in.
    Then I vice grip the screw shank and untwist it.
    Time consuming, but it works, mostly.

    One of my rules is never use cheap screws or overwork them in too small a pre-drilled hole.

    Old timber is a PiTA, but the rewards can sometimes be worthwhile.

  9. #8
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    May 2018
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    Thanks for all the suggestions.
    As I had a set of ezi-outs to hand I started with them. However, as suggested by Elan, the wood well and truly had hold of them and I didn't wish to excacerbate the problem with a broken ezi-out.
    Plan B, as I now had a nice, centred hole in the screw was to just drill out the screw with incremental drill sizes. I quickly found that there wasn't a lot left of the screw in the timber, maybe 6mm deep so it turned out to be an easy job. Well for the first three anyway. The last one (of course) turned out to be a broken off drill bit, obviously from when the pilot holes were being drilled for the gate hinges. I got around this (literally) by drilling 1mm holes closely together around the outside of the broken drill bit. I then used the 1mm drill like a milling bit to join the drilled holes until I had enough depth to grip the broken bit with pointy nose pliers after firstly loosening the broken bit with a punch.
    Pretty amazingly for me no cursing was required!
    20200326_110228.jpg

  10. #9
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    I use a lot of salvaged timber, and now use Elan's method. Works well. Rich's method should also work well, after you have made the tool.

    Previously I had just chiselled a hole until I could grab the errant screw or nail with small vicegrips. Works just as well, but not as "nice".

    In all cases, I redrill the hole one size larger to ensure it is perfectly round, then I cut a plug from the same timber and glue it in the hole, grain aligned.

    Converts a errant screw hole into a design feature.

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