How-To: Remove a Stripped Screw
Nothing bugs me as much as stripping a screw. While taking apart this weird and wonderful rocket chair, one of the soft metal screws just wimped out and lost its grip. See how to quickly remove the pesky piece of metal. I also realized how often there's a mini-tutorial within a tutorial if you just look close enough.
Tools:
Drill
Steel drill bit sized to either take out the entire 'X' of a phillips head screw, or small enough to drill right through the center post
Ply-grip or pliers
The Rocket Chair: (Future Upholstery Tutorial)
The chair is screwed together as separately upholstered pieces. Recliners are made like this too.
As you can see, the soft, mushy screw lost it's oomph.
A small, steel drill bit chewed right through the center.
I don't know why but after I drilled out the center, thinning out the screw, it was easier to get a hold of it with the Ply-grips, turn it and remove it. If the head breaks off, just drill out the post of the screw.
Now discard this screw so you don't keep trying to use it when reassembling.
There are other ways to remove stripped screws but this worked really well.
Tagged : stripped-screw, tools, modhomeecteacher, technique, construction, drill-bit, remodeling, ply-grips, upholstery, build, DIY
