Plug cutter to remove broken, rusted screw shanks?

[John Brown]

I'm attempting to replace a couple of broken hinges in a little oak cabinet. The screws were very badly rusted on the lower hinge, and the heads have all broken off, leaving the the rest of the screw behind. I will probably have to remove some of the surrounding timber to remove the residual screws. I wondered if a plug cutter might be useful for this job. I was thinking that I might be able to remove a plug surrounding the broken screw, and then use a larger plug cutter on a piece of scrap to make some inserts.
Alternatively, I may just have to do some chiseling. ANy suggestions welcome.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

It has been suggested before to get a piece of broken car aerial or similar and file some teeth into the end to make a cutter. An alternative would be to use a larger hinge, putting the screws on different centes.

 

[Neil S]

Or perhaps a length of mild steel tube from B&Q it has a wall thickness of about 1mm . saw and file some teeth into the end then place in a drill / drill press. The press would be better if possible.

-Neil

 

[Mike Jordan]

In the absence of bits of radio aerial, a suitably sized roll pin from an engineering supplier can have teeth ground at the end and be used in the same way.

 

[Ttrees]

I always drill a hole one side of the screw, and depending how long or aggressive the threads are...
Possibly drill another the other side of it.
Sometimes though, especially on short'uns, I try and push the screw into the hole with an awl....
made from a sharp steel nail which is handled.
This/these holes are drilled so the hole left will be along the length, as its better looking because the grain lines on the
timber will make it less noticeable.

 

[tomatwark]

You can buy them

https://woodworkersworkshop.co.uk/produ ... ctor-1-4in

But a bit of steel car brake pipe with teeth filed in works as well depending on the size of screw.

 

[Kev]

Surely the real answer is throw and the cabinet away and build a new one!

 

[John Brown]

I always drill a hole one side of the screw, and depending how long or aggressive the threads are...
Possibly drill another the other side of it.
Sometimes though, especially on short'uns, I try and push the screw into the hole with an awl....
made from a sharp steel nail which is handled.
This/these holes are drilled so the hole left will be along the length, as its better looking because the grain lines on the
timber will make it less noticeable.

Not sure I quite understand: Do you mean that you drill a hole parallel with the broken screw, and then try to push the broken screw into the new hole?

I've made a tool, of sorts, but clamping a guide block in place is well nigh impossible, as the front "corners" of the unit are curved.
Anyway, I've decided the only thing to do is to move the hinge up by 10mm.
I'll have to fill the gap with something, but being on the underside of the bottom hinge it won't be very visible.

Thanks for the replies and suggestions.

 

[ColeyS1]

In the absence of bits of radio aerial, a suitably sized roll pin from an engineering supplier can have teeth ground at the end and be used in the same way.

I do similar with a stainless steel drinking straw. Turns into a little holesaw. I really couldn't be without it now- should probably stop snapping screws ! [SMILING FACE WITH OPEN MOUTH AND COLD SWEAT]

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

 

[John Brown]

In the absence of bits of radio aerial, a suitably sized roll pin from an engineering supplier can have teeth ground at the end and be used in the same way.

I do similar with a stainless steel drinking straw. Turns into a little holesaw. I really couldn't be without it now- should probably stop snapping screws ! [SMILING FACE WITH OPEN MOUTH AND COLD SWEAT]

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

Gosh! I had no idea you could buy stainless steel drinking straws! I may have to get a handful to add to the junk box.
I'm still going with moving the hinge, in this case, as even if I had the real tool, that somebody linked to, I'd still have the problem of clamping a guide block to a curved surface. The only way I can think of would be to make a guide block with all three guide holes and screw it to the piece I'm trying to repair. Seems like way too much bother for an uncertain outcome.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

If you make up a cutter or even use a holesaw you can usually keep them on centre by running them backwards first, once there is a groove the cutter won't jump badly.

 

[John Brown]

If you make up a cutter or even use a holesaw you can usually keep them on centre by running them backwards first, once there is a groove the cutter won't jump badly.

Interesting. I'll try that on a piece of scrap. Thanks.

 

[scholar]

Absolutely, this is my tried and tested way of removing rusted or broken nails and screws that I cannot get at with pincers etc.

I have an old plug cutter that has done good service and that is the one I use for this job, thinking that nothing is lost if it hits some hard metal - in fact, I don’t think this has ever happened - sometimes you get some old rust getting cut through, but that does no harm.

It is obviously easier to do this on a drill press, but I do sometimes just use a hand held drill (this usually ends up being my dewalt right angle drill that I find easy to control on starting the plug cut.

Usually the plug cutter will leave the offending screw or nail with a core of wood around it - this can be twisted off with some long-nose pliers then the screw/nail removed.

The old plug cutter is a Stanley 3/8” and the outside diameter is a convenient 15mm so I fill the hole with a 15mm plug from my metric set.

 

[Ttrees]

Not sure I quite understand: Do you mean that you drill a hole parallel with the broken screw, and then try to push the broken screw into the new hole?

I've made a tool, of sorts, but clamping a guide block in place is well nigh impossible, as the front "corners" of the unit are curved.
Anyway, I've decided the only thing to do is to move the hinge up by 10mm.
I'll have to fill the gap with something, but being on the underside of the bottom hinge it won't be very visible.

Thanks for the replies and suggestions.

This is probably for longer screws, I had to take out a load of sheared hinge screws from exterior iroko doors recently.
so the plug cutters might not work.
A bit hard to explain for such a simple thing, but I think you know what I mean...
You would end up making a rectangular plug that would be parallel with the grain, so it would not have the jarring
effect of cross grain severed fibres.
Another thing is the end grain doesn't compress if you were to lever that broken screw into the drilled hole. cheap metal bits are only used for the job.
More gluing surface, and it may not protrude from a hinge in this case.


Saying that those straws sound interesting.
Another thing you can do if your into wrecking a set of pliers
Is gripping the screw that you have been trying to pick at/lever into a drilled hole,for some time
and gripping the pliers with a mole grips and levering on that(with a protector underneath), or a jimmy bar.
Tom

 

[John Brown]

Well I moved the hinge yesterday. It's virtually invisible.
Thanks to all.