Extracting Screws from Reclaimed Wood, Part 3: Cutting Around Stubbor…

In my previous entry, I explored various tools for grabbing and unscrewing sunken fasteners, like screws or bolts, to liberate them from reclaimed wood boards. In the final part of “Tales of Extractions,” I’ll discuss the most drastic solution: cutting around stubborn fasteners and removing both the fastener and the surrounding wood.

Sometimes, all the more surgical extraction methods fail, and your last resort is to cut around the fastener and remove it with the wood surrounding it. Depending on the fastener’s size, a few tools can help with this process.

Small Tacks, Screws, and Nails

A High-Speed Steel (HSS) toothed boring cylinder is highly effective for smaller fasteners. This tool’s utility spans from removing fasteners that break off inside furniture parts to fasteners embedded in reclaimed boards. Learning how to use it correctly will help you across the woodworking…