How can I remove a screw which has snapped?

If the screw is obscured by furniture (door handle or hinge plate), drill a hole at the side of the old screw to release the pressure of surrounding wood. The old screw should remove easily with pliers or similar.

Take a length of dowelling too long for the job and the same diameter as the drill used and apply a smear of wood glue to the length of it. Do not pour glue into the hole, trapped air can become compressed when the dowell is tapped in and may damage the door at the other side if the hole is deep and close to the other face.

Tap the dowel into the drill hole and leave the glue to dry. Using a sharp chisel, tap around the dowel resting the bevelled edge against the door. Snap off the excess dowel and tidy up the remainder and any glue that may have been pushed up out of the hole.

Before you try to use a screw in the original hole, do as suggested and pre-drill the hole to the correct depth, go gently with a power drill having marked the depth you need with electrical tape on the bit or use a hand drill for more control. Or use a steel screw warmed and coated in wax from a candle before using the brass one if used, again as previously suggested.

If the screw hole isn't covered over, there is sufficient screw left sticking out and you need to preserve the finish of the surrounding wood. Mole grips or similar can be adapted by filing a v in the middle of each jaw, before clamping the grips tightly to the screw, take some HDPE from a carton (recycle number 2) big enough to cover the immediate area, make a hole in the middle and slip it over the screw. Say a little prayer and try to turn the grips counter clockwise until the screw loosens at which point remove the grips and finish removing the screw by hand.

Good luck

Tinker
March 2009

Or you could use a screw extractor tool.
Drill a pilot hole in the shaft of the screw, then screw in the extractor counterclockwise.
After it reaches the bottom of the pilot hole it should start turning the screw out.

Big Softy
March 2009

There is a cutting tool for that purpose but I'm buggered if I can remember who sells it.

Bob
March 2009

If there is still some of the screw shaft still protruding, use a vice grips (lock-grip pliers) to unscrew it.
What kind of screw was it? Brass?
This often happens when someone tries to insert brass screws into hardwood like teak etc. You need to make sure that you drill the right size pilot hole and use oil on brass screws - better still screw in a steel screw of the same size first and then remove and insert the brass screw.

JD
March 2009

Dig out the wood around the top of what's left of the screw and use a pair of pliers to turn the screw. You will mess up the wood doing this so you'll need to fill the hole to make good. If you want to put another screw where the old one was drill the hole and glue in a dowel - when glue sets saw off protruding dowel - drill pilot hole for new screw.

Peccavi
March 2009