BROKEN SCREWS

[johnwc812]

Hi all you clever guys (& girls)
I am renovating a Victorian Tunbridge ware box.
Despite lubricating the hinge screws, two screws have broken off.
Any brilliant ideas for removing the broken bits?
Although I will have to use new screws I do not wish to move the hinges along a bit,
or use new ones with a differing hole pattern.

My only idea is to make a minute plug cutter - cut around the screw - snap the wood and remove - replug the larger hole.

Unfortunately my metalworking skills and machinery are non-existant.

Cheers John

 

[Ian]

Hi John

Drill out with a 6mm drill bit (not a wood drill) and then plug with a 6mm dowel.

Ian

 

[Phil Pascoe]

That sounds easy, but it's not - the drill bit will skate off into the softer wood and leave the screw. You might get away with boring a hole (slightly larger than the screw) touching it on one side, just lever the broken end into the new hole and remove. It doesn't matter if you end up with an enlarged hole, just fill it - it's covered by the hinge anyway. If you try to drill it directly you'll probably end up doing that anyway.

 

[Spindle]

Hi

It's all covered here:

how-to-remove-snapped-bronze-screws-in-a-hole-t74554.html

Regards Mick

 

[AndyT]

A method not covered in the bronze screw thread is to use an old fashioned shell bit in a brace. These have a half of a hollow cylinder shape and can be used to drill around the screw, releasing it so you can plug with new wood. If you don't have a suitable bit, a piece of small steel tube will do. File simple teeth in one end and use it as a hollow drill surrounding the broken screw.

 

[RossJarvis]

A method not covered in the bronze screw thread is to use an old fashioned shell bit in a brace. These have a half of a hollow cylinder shape and can be used to drill around the screw, releasing it so you can plug with new wood. If you don't have a suitable bit, a piece of small steel tube will do. File simple teeth in one end and use it as a hollow drill surrounding the broken screw.

Brilliant idea Andy Wish I'd had that a couple of days ago when I ended up moving a latch due to two broken screws .

 

[johnwc812]

A method not covered in the bronze screw thread is to use an old fashioned shell bit in a brace. These have a half of a hollow cylinder shape and can be used to drill around the screw, releasing it so you can plug with new wood. If you don't have a suitable bit, a piece of small steel tube will do. File simple teeth in one end and use it as a hollow drill surrounding the broken screw.

Thanks guys for your suggestions.
Andy's solution of a shell bit looks favourite at the moment.
The screws are probably 1/2" no 2
So just need to find (or scrounge) a short length of 1/8" tube and a
bit of grinding and sharpening. Probably incanal?
Cheers John

 

[CHJ]

....So just need to find (or scrounge) a short length of 1/8" tube and a
bit of grinding and sharpening. Probably incanal?
Cheers John

No need to worry about any finesse of form just notch the end of the tube with a small triangular file to give it some saw teeth, more than good enough to sort out one-off jobs.

 

[nanscombe]

A method not covered in the bronze screw thread is to use an old fashioned shell bit in a brace. These have a half of a hollow cylinder shape and can be used to drill around the screw, releasing it so you can plug with new wood. If you don't have a suitable bit, a piece of small steel tube will do. File simple teeth in one end and use it as a hollow drill surrounding the broken screw.

Thanks guys for your suggestions.
Andy's solution of a shell bit looks favourite at the moment.
The screws are probably 1/2" no 2
So just need to find (or scrounge) a short length of 1/8" tube and a
bit of grinding and sharpening. Probably incanal?
Cheers John

Could you not drill a couple of small diameter holes around the outside, to allow you to release the screw, then drill a slightly bigger hole, plug and redrill it?

If you didn't have a small enough drill bit you could probably use a panel pin, with the head snipped off, instead.