Material source needed

[bugbear6502Participant @bugbear6502]

To remove small, broken screws from wood, there's an ingenious gadget called a screw extractor.

No, not the always breaking, never working "easy out", but a miniature hole saw, which removes a small cylinder of wood with the screw inside it.

Here's a pricy commercial version, with very good pictures and a video showing the use.

http://www.stewmac.com/Luthier_Tools/Types_of_Tools/Routers_and_Bits/Bits/Guitar_Screw_Rescue_Kit.html

I would like to make my own – filing saw teeth ain't rocket science.

The main requirements are that the extractor-saw is big enough to go over the screw stub, but no bigger, and that the interior diameter of the plug-cutter matches the external diameter of the extractor saw. It may be possible to tweak the sizes a little by setting the teeth a little.

For larger screws, a material source recommended is a second hand stepped golf-club shaft, which gives a range of sizes!!

But I'm dealing with very small woodscrews on a guitar (#3 x 3/8&quot.

I have seen people recommending roll pins as suitable – nice steel, available in many sizes.

http://www.drapertools.com/product/63943/120-Piece-Roll-Pin-Assortment

(Chinese sets off ebay are much cheaper…)

But my "dream" material would have thinner walls.

Can anyone put their lateral thinking cap on and suggest something?

BugBear

[bugbear6502Participant @bugbear6502]

[MWParticipant @mw27036]

Maybe a little turn/mill project piece out of some silver steel; Turn the shank/body, drill/bore out the throat of the cutter and mill the teeth on a rotary indexer, finish by hardening?

Michael W

[Mike LightfootParticipant @mikelightfoot72419]

Hi Michael you just beat me to it silver steel for me loads of sizes easy to work and harden as you say

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Yep silver steel, then you can make the OD and ID exactly what you want, I'm assuming you have a lathe.

A tip for starting cutters like this in wood. Drill a hole the same OD in a scrap of say 6mm MDF and then clamp that centrally over the screw, if you are not carful the extractor will skate about on the surface if using in a cordless drill if you try and use it freehand.

[bugbear6502Participant @bugbear6502]

You have both posted an excellent route to making a superb tool "properly".

But antique restorers just get a piece of tube, file some rough teeth, and "have at it". Even brass will work, or at least work well enough for single shot use.

I was considering recycling the telescopic aerial from an old radio (chrome plated brass).

I'm trying to find, not so much raw material, as "blanks", as close to the finished item as possible, with roll pins the current best contender.

BugBear

[Gray62Participant @gray62]

Hi BugBear,

After balking at the price of the stewmac ones, I made my own from silver steel to get a broken roller nut screw out of a strat neck. If you have access to a lathe they are easy to make.

Where in the country/World are you?

[MWParticipant @mw27036]

I think you've got your solution provided you've got access to a lathe!

I was going to add if/once you make this cutter, you could carefully drop a bit of super glue onto a small spring and drop it inside the mouth of the cutter and that way when you reach the end of the cut the spring will ease/eject the waste plug from the center too. Alternatively, you could drill a small hole from the other side that will allow you to poke it out with an appropriately sized pin/rod.

Michael W

 

Edited By Michael Walters on 30/03/2016 13:54:40

[Jon GibbsParticipant @jongibbs59756]

I'm assuming you've tried cheap plug-cutters?

This style starts very easily without wandering and they're pretty cheap.

**LINK**

This picture may help you to make your own if you go down that route…

http://www.axminster.co.uk/ujk-pocket-hole-plug-cutter-506504

HTH

Jon

Edited By Jon Gibbs on 30/03/2016 14:02:00

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

I have used roll-pins, but agree they have rather thick walls

For something more subtle: Hypodermic tubing looks the obvious choice

**LINK**

MichaelG.

[Speedy Builder5Participant @speedybuilder5]

Oh, and by the way, make sure you can get the plug out of the 'tube' once you have cut it. A slightly tapered inside hole helps (use taper reamer ?) – small end at the cutting face.
BobH

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Bugbear, you say you are thinking of using roll pins and also say filing a few teeth is not rocket science but you will finf the spring steel used for the pins is hardened, bit like trying to sharpen a hardpoint saw!

The reasons we have suggested the right material is that it can be worked and then made to keep an edge rather than use something that can't be worked and that will take the edge off your file.

Any K&S stockists should have tubes that telescope inside each other, won't be as durable as a hardened tool but will be close on size and the next size up will make the plug for the extractor below it

 

Edited By JasonB on 30/03/2016 16:28:01

[colin hawesParticipant @colinhawes85982]

Only a few days ago I made a hole saw from a roll pin to work on brass about 1/4" thick. I cut the teeth with a dremmel grinder by hand using a small grinding disk as accuracy is not important. It did the job much easier than I expected and was just as sharp when I finished.

[Les Jones 1Participant @lesjones1]

I though hypodermic needles might do the job so I googled "hypodermic needle sizes" and found this link and this link
The 7 or 6 gauge look about the right but I don't know where to suggest to buy them. The only think I can think of is to see if you could get one from a vet that deals with large animals.

Les.

[frank brownParticipant @frankbrown22225]

Easier said then done, but make your tube out of silver steel as tight as possible to the screws outer diameter, even a bit smaller (.005&quot would not hurt. File the teeth on for reverse rotation and use a battery drill. It should still remove the plug but if you catch the screw it might unscrew it.

Frank

[Frances IoMParticipant @francesiom58905]

using a small soldering iron to heat up the screw normally loosens it enough for easy removal via a lh drill or if any part is proud by gripping with small pliers or side cutter

[bugbear6502Participant @bugbear6502]

Posted by Frances IoM on 30/03/2016 18:38:05:
using a small soldering iron to heat up the screw normally loosens it enough for easy removal via a lh drill or if any part is proud by gripping with small pliers or side cutter

Both the screws I have to remove broke off inside the hole

BugBear

[bugbear6502Participant @bugbear6502]

Posted by colin hawes on 30/03/2016 16:58:28:

Only a few days ago I made a hole saw from a roll pin to work on brass about 1/4" thick. I cut the teeth with a dremmel grinder by hand using a small grinding disk as accuracy is not important. It did the job much easier than I expected and was just as sharp when I finished.

I have neither a Dremel nor a (running) lathe.

On another forum it was reported that a brass tube is (just…) hard enough to take teeth that will cut wood. They won't last very long, but brass tube is (of course) extremely easy to get hold of.

Alternatively, if roll pins are hardened to an extent that a file won't touch them, can try to anneal them on my gas hob.

BugBear

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by bugbear6502 on 31/03/2016 08:50:35:

Alternatively, if roll pins are hardened to an extent that a file won't touch them, can try to anneal them on my gas hob.

BugBear

.

A good needle file should be O.K. on a roll pin … it's only spring steel.

If you haven't got those, buy some cheap diamond-coated 'files'

Aldi, Lidl, and market stalls, often have these for about £5 a set.

MichaelG.

.

Pin sizes here

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 31/03/2016 09:10:48

[Frances IoMParticipant @francesiom58905]

“Both the screws I have to remove broke off inside the hole”
few screws are smaller than 1/16th inch – the tip about 1 inch long of my smallest iron is 1/16th so your screw would have to break a long way down – Maplin/B+Q etc sell “el cheapo” dremel-like (tho not as good) drills often at around ?20.

what size screw are you trying to remove?

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by bugbear6502 on 30/03/2016 13:22:49:

But I'm dealing with very small woodscrews on a guitar (#3 x 3/8".

.

Frances ^^^

MichaelG.

.

P.S. useful list of woodscrew diameters here

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 31/03/2016 09:21:09

[Frances IoMParticipant @francesiom58905]

root dia of a #3 is 1/16 + shank 7/64th – suspect my iron bit would fit – obviously depends on how much of screw is left – suspect even a drop of epoxy on end of a 1/16 rod would give sufficient grip to extract after heat treatment to break any lock on thread

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Sounds like maybe a piece of automotive steel fuel line would be about the right diameter for what you want. You can buy it at auto parts stores or wreckers etc.

[bugbear6502Participant @bugbear6502]

Posted by Hopper on 31/03/2016 13:15:23:

Sounds like maybe a piece of automotive steel fuel line would be about the right diameter for what you want. You can buy it at auto parts stores or wreckers etc.

I'd never heard of it!

BugBear

[Gordon WParticipant @gordonw]

Or steel brake pipe- any car repair place.

[Author]

Posts