Help with stripped screw on DW735 planer

[keith micinski]

I agree with you the metal expands and the screw comes right out. Heat is an absolute fail proof method of removing any screw or bolt period. There is no method or lubricant or penetrating oil that works better. Unfortunately you can't always use heat because of the area you are working in but when you can, use it. I have been rebuilding asphalt plants and working on cars for 15 years and whenever I come across something tight I don't even mess around anymore I just grab the torch.

[Dave Sharpe]

I've had this happen twice on my DW 734 (same mechanism I think) and hadn't thought about heat. In both case I grabbed a Dremel tool with a cutoff wheel and spent about 20" cutting away the head of the bolt. Then I could lift off the blade cover and the rest of the bolt could be removed by hand.

I ordered extra bolts so I now have several on hand for the next time this happened. FWIW, Before I ordered the bolts I tried running the planer with all the other bolts in place and just leaving the extra one missing (kinda like missing a lug nut). I found that wood chips and sawdust built up under that section of the blade and created a bit of a divot in the wood. Not worth trying

[Steve Leverich]

Keith's got it - the reason this works so well (usually) is that if you can pinpoint heat mainly just the screw, it heats quicker than the surrounding, larger mass of metal - when metal heats, (most metals, anyway) it tries to expand in BOTH axes - but it's constrained in the short axis by the larger mass it's screwed into so it can only expand in mainly the long axis.

But when it COOLS, it's not constrained in either axis so it also shrinks the DIAMETER of the screw - so now you have a slightly smaller diameter screw with virtually no change in the diameter of the hole it's threaded into, and voila... I've had starter bolts that were so set that the head snapped off before the bolt would move - pinpoint heat with acetylene, cool, shot of penetrant, grind a small slot in the broken bolt with a dremel tool, and a medium screwdriver backs it right out.

I'd keep the flame VERY short though, and centered on the fastener - and you don't need to get the screw red hot - if you see color, even in a dimly lit area, it's more than warm enough to get the shrinkage you need. Just wait til it's pretty cool again before trying to remove it, and use a drop or two of WD40 or Liquid Wrench or similar penetrant.

Good luck... Steve

[Danny Burns]

Old trick for lightly stripped heads is to place some rust in the head, so there is something to grip when turning.
If the screw here is really tight though, this might not work, but it can't hurt.

[Bob Wingard]

Never tried rust, but superfine valve grinding compound has always been my choice .. .. just about any fine grit would work.

[Gary Click]

I had this happen on two screws on my 735 before I changed to a Shellix Head (would never consider going back even if the knives grew on a tree in the back yard).. I would caution on using heat as excessive heat concentrated in one spot could warp the cutter head.

The method I used was quick and easy and poses little risk to the head. I took a very sharp 1/2" cold chisel and placed the cutting edge on the head of the screw tangent to the head. I tapped it kurtly with a small hammer a couple of times until it just rotated and it spun right out with a good wrench. Be sure to block the head with a piece of wood so that it cannot rotate, if you rely on the auto stop it might be damaged.

You might also use caution with the DW supplied wrench. After using it on a rounded or stripped head bolt, the end corners are rounded off. This will tend to strip the next bolt it is used on.

This worked for me, total time about 2 minutes, your mileage may vary. Also remember that there are things down there that bite without warning and leave a blood trail afterwards.

BTW - I have an almost new Cutter Head if the cure is worse than the illness. You would be able to repair a "fixed" unit.

gary

[mreza Salav]

Hmmm....I guess I learned something. Have never tried the heat method (at first it seemed counter intuitive) but based on what you have experienced I'll keep it in mind.
The first time I tried to change blade on my DW734 planer I noticed the screws were super tight to the point I thought I'll snap the head of the bolts.