Stupid Cheap Screws

[Matt Woessner]

Ok, I am so close to getting my new workbench done I can't stand it. I was attaching the end aprons last night, and after countersinking and drilling out the hole with the proper drill bit, and applying wax to ease the screw in the head broke off just inside the countersink. Now I have a screw that is broke just inside the hole that spins where I need to have a plug. Does anyone have any suggestions how to remove the screw head without causing damage to the surrounding wood? I have used a biscuit cutter and glue so the screw is not really needed. Also, can anyone recommend a good brand of screw? I thought that the ones I have were a decent brand but I guess not. Thanks for the help.

Oh this is from last weekend but I have attached a pic of the base. I now have the top on, and the shelf in the base.

[Prashun Patel]

Can you use a screw extractor?

What brand of screw did you use?

[David DeCristoforo]

Oops... sorry to hear that. This was discussed extensively in a recent thread. Your "best bet" is to use a "core" type screw "extractor" like this:

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?p...FRpOagodIBI9WA

Which not only drills out the screw but also a "core" of wood which you can plug with a dowel. You can usually get these at local hardware stores.

YM

[Greg Hines, MD]

Some people will use a plug cutter, and cut out the offending screw and a plug of wood around it, and then plug it with an appropriately sized dowel.

I have also use a screw extractor, and for soft-metal screws, it worked great.

I don't really have a recommendation on brands of screws, but would recommend that you use Robertson head bits, as they grab better, and I have not had any problems with them breaking. I generally use deck screws for most of my projects, and the thicker shank seems to hold up well. I would stay away from drywall screws, as they have a tendency to snap off.

Doc

[Joe Chritz]

So far I have only broken one assembly screw from woodworkers supply. I do not know what brand they sell and I assume it may change from time to time.

Quick screw brand has been really good for face frame screws but I always use a clutch setting on the drill to avoid just that problem.

Cordless drills generate a lot of torque and nearly any screw can have the head twisted off. A clearance hole for the shank, a pilot for the threads, a #17 cutting point and a clutched drill are your best defense against screw breakage.

The recommendations for the screw extractors are probably your best bet unless you can relieve the inside of a plug and stick it in.

Joe

[Dave Falkenstein]

McFeely's square drive screws are mighty hard to break. I have given up on Home Depot and Lowe's for screws.

[Peter Quadarella]

I like McFeeleys also.

[Doug Shepard]

They're more money, but if I need something quick from HD or Lowes I'll get stainless steel screws. The zinc ones that they have are only slightly better than drywall screws. Otherwise I'd rather go mail order from McFeeleys. Haven't had any of theirs break yet.

[John Callahan]

GRK has a great line of fasteners. They seldom break, seem to have consistently good quality, and a good choice of styles for different applications. We were hanging cabinets and running low on screws; the boss heads over to the BORG and picks some up. Looked similar to the GRK's but they were junk. Great fun when screws snap when joining stiles. Count me sold on GRK's.

[Danny Thompson]

If you are looking for something you can get from a big box store, I have found two types of screws sold at Lowes to be reliable.

1) Philips head deck screws (typically grey or tan, sold in a cardboard box) and
2) Star-drive Cabinet Screws (brass in color, sold in a plastic box).

All of the wood screws they sell, that I have tried, either have a problem with the heads breaking off (as you described above), or the philips slots tear up to the point that a screwdriver cannot grip them.

The decking screws and cabinet screws do not seem to have this problem, and also seem to drive more easily--i.e., I don't have to be as aggressive about drilling pilot holes.

I have tried varous methods for removing the bum screw, including the Grip-it and the Kobalt screw extractors. The Grip-it did not work at all for me. The screw extractor worked on about 1/3.

Best of luck.

[Matt Woessner]

Thanks for the help. I think I will try one of those extractors, I even just thought if it is just the head that broke I might try super gluing a small dowel to the head let it dry and try to pull it out.

[Doug Shepard]

That hollow bit like on the Rockler link work well but they skate all over the place trying to get them started. Drill a hole through some scrap and clamp it over your screw. Then run the tube saw through that and you should get a nice clean hole that you can plug.

[Prashun Patel]

I've used Deckmate screws from HD with success. They have a modified sq head (which uses a special, included bit). Hard to break them. I've driven them with an impact driver unpiloted into pt wood and they go in well. For kicks, I tried the same with dwall screws and they snapped like the heads off of dandelions.

[J. Z. Guest]

What type of screws were you using?

I wouldn't use drywall OR deck screws, as those are designed for softwoods and their associated torques. I do use them on jigs and in a pinch, but I'm careful to drill the pilot hole big enough.

I use wood screws from Home Depot with no problems. IT sounds like your pilot hole is not big enough. (you did drill a pilot hole and larger shank hole, right?)

Something that has helped me immensely is switching to an impact driver. Square drive screws are no longer necessary. Even brass phillips screws are no problem.

The screw shank that is broken off, you can either back out with a needle nose vise grip, break it off further down, grind it further down, then just put the plug over it. Drill and counterbore another hole next to the first and try again. If you cut your own plugs out of the right type of grain with a plug cutter, it should be all but invisible.

[Greg Hines, MD]

By the way, the product known as the GraBit worked well for me to extract a broken screw from a small piece perfectly. It is a double ended bit, one end that reams out the head, or in my case, the shaft of the broken screw, and then you reverse the bit and the drill, and it unscrews the shaft out.

I did have to drill a small pilot into the end of the shaft, but it works great.

http://www.4grabit.com/Default.asp?bhcp=1

Doc