Removing a broken screw

Sand it flat and relocate the hinge slightly.

M

-- Madmark - [email protected] Wiretreefarm.com

MRamsey, sorry that I can’t help you with your current screw challenge. Did you drill a pilot hole and screw in a waxed steel screw before trying attempting to use your brass screws? Did you use a hand screw driver or attempt to use a drill to screw the brass screws in? You might be able to epoxy the broken off heads and the hinge in place, but I have never tried that. Good luck and let us know if you find a great solution because we have all experienced this at one time or another.

-- Art

move the hinge over to cover the old hole, Mark 3 new holes using an awl, drill 3 pilot holes, drive the screws in without the hinge .the holes are now ready to accept the screws/hinge,now you could confidently drive the screws in knowing the holes have all been already threaded.

-- Ken from Ontario, Canada

Art and I must have been typing at the same time,he has valid questions and a great tip about waxing the screws before hand driving them in.

-- Ken from Ontario, Canada

typical engineer thinking. The hollow drill is set for CCW rotation so it will grab and screw the screw out. Turning clockwise will screw the broken part in farther.

-- Bruce, Boise, ID

I did drill a pilot for all the holes and waxed them up before trying to install them. The box is white oak so it’s not the easiest thing in the world to drive a screw in but I’ve never had screws break off like that before.

Bruce, I realize that CCW would turn the screw out and that’s great for an easy out but it shouldn’t matter when you’re cutting a plug like the hollow drills do. It’d be one thing if grabbing the screw would do something other than knock the teeth off the bit.

I may just have to move them over just a bit and hope for the best.

-- Trust me I'm an engineer.

Hard without seeing it but if you cant hide it, I’d chisel it out. (or where you can get ahold of it with pliers and get it out) drill it, plug it and start again. Use soap or wax next time and go slow so it doesn’t heat up the screw. I’ve done that a few times. Mostly because I’m too in a hurry to open the hole up a little bigger and just try to power through what I’m doing and be done. If you can hide it, get a 2 part epoxy to fill the gouged out hole. Something that is workable like wood, just harder than wood filler.

I fixed broken screws in my boxes by drilling a hole Next to the broken screw and pushing the screw over in the hole.To pull out. After that’s done I drill a bigger hole and glue in a plug for a new screw. Sometimes you just cannot move the hinge without the box looking junkie.

-- Aj

These work very well for me.

http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/124210/14-SCREW-EXTRACTOR.aspx?gclid=Cj0KEQiA5oy1BRDQh6Wd572hsfkBEiQAfdTPCgJzoGpC7tP_F6nTu7hwzLrt-2AvBQs4pCvXcBGJH34aAiym8P8HAQ

-- https://www.artisticwoodstudio.com/videos

If You have some solder iron, You can heat the screws to burn wood around them and then easier release them. After that You can drill a hole and plug it with wood and repeat fixing the screws.

These work very well for me.

http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/124210/14-SCREW-EXTRACTOR.aspx?gclid=Cj0KEQiA5oy1BRDQh6Wd572hsfkBEiQAfdTPCgJzoGpC7tP_F6nTu7hwzLrt-2AvBQs4pCvXcBGJH34aAiym8P8HAQ

- a1Jim

I thought those would be the ticket too Jim but here’s what mine looks like after 3 screws. I got one of the 3 out with this.

-- Trust me I'm an engineer.

mramseyISU
That’s strange I’ve used mine a number of times with out problems. Before I bought these I made some out of copper tubing(that’s all I had that would fit) and that even worked,but I did have to keep sharpening it because of the soft metal.

-- https://www.artisticwoodstudio.com/videos

I think I needed to figure out some way to guide it. The bit wanted to walk and when it did that and hit the screw that’s where the problems happened.

-- Trust me I'm an engineer.

I don’t know what size your box is, but here is how I replaced a couple of broken screws. Dang hard maple and cheep screws. I broke one screwing it in and the other when removing it!

I used a 1/4 inch plug cutter to cut around the remaining threads. A gentle tug with a screwdriver and out it came. Then I cut the next size repair piece from some scrap and glued it in place. After a little sanding, I installed the hinge with new screws (and a slightly large pilot hole…and some bar soap for lube), and the repair was complete. And no visible evidence of a repair. :-)

Good luck.
Hope this helps.
Mike

Here are some pics and a link to the plug cutter I found at Lowe’s.

-- Handcrafted by Mike Henderson - Channelview, Texas

mramseyISU
Oh I see,I think I just chucked mine in my drill and turned it by hand to get it started and then used the drill. I think you could also put in the right place and tap it with a hammer then remove and repeat until you feel you have it started properly.

Mike has a good idea,that should work great,you still have to be careful starting it.

I guess for those who are reading this there are ways to avoid this problem in the first place ,first buy quality screws,predrill your hole in harder woods,put wax on the threads of the screws before installing them a toilet bowl wax ring is a great source for wax(preferably new:), If you’re using soft screws like brass do all of the previous steps but install a steel screw first of the same size first and remove it, so less stress is put on the brass screw when installed.

-- https://www.artisticwoodstudio.com/videos