Thread: how to remove screws

My tool of choice would be a rattle gun (Impact driver). A real one not a driver with a clutch.

There is every chance that you won’t get them out
Might be quicker and easier to cut the timber as close as practical to the fixing

With the hex head screws I have had success with Allen keys and a long lever,worked where the impact driver didn’t
Couldn’t see Details in second picture

Assuming this is treated pine that's gone in green then weathered itself and dried, you're going to have a devil of a time removing a screw of this type.

We had the same problem in a house we bought a couple years ago, but here they'd even used bolts with a decent head size - even those sometimes required great persuasion to remove.

I'm with Beardy - you may well have to cut the timber out.

I reckon Beardy is on the money.

If you can get your hands on a big enough impact driver you will get them out, or break off the heads which will be less messy that cutting. The bigger cordless Makita impact driver can break the heads off 10 mm diameter bolts.

Try the methods mentioned first, if they don't work use a reciprocating saw between the 2 timbers with appropriate metal cutting blade.
If it was green hardwood then the tannin's in the wood effectively bonds/'welds' to the metal screw. If it was CCA pressure treated pine, the chemicals react with the coating on the screw with same result. If the it was treated pine and the screws were NOT galvanised, the chemical eats into to steel and given enough time no more srew.

It's worth trying all the methods mentioned here, sometimes they might work depending on the state of the screws, but chances are you probably will end up cutting the wood in the end.

If you can squeeze a blade between the two pieces it will be neater to cut the screw with a reciprocating saw with a metal blade or a hacksaw.