Fixing screw holes in wood

Oct 20, 2003 14 Replies

I've been fixing mauled screw holes in wood stuff for years by mixing some wood shavings and sawdust with a little carpenter's glue, filling the hole, allowing to dry and drilling a pilot hole before reinserting the screw. This has been working fairly well in most cases, but there are a few that just won't respond to this, most notably the false front of my kitchen odds-and-ends drawer. Anyone have some good ways to fix so screws will hold?


My guess is that it is so thin that only a "Molly" type fastener has a chance, unless you want to glue a one inch thick piece of wood to the inside to hold the screw.

There is a thin perforated metal that looks like a miniature cheese grater. You cut off a piece and shove it in the old hole. It works great. Good luck finding it though.

drill out the hole a little deeper and put a dowl into the hole and cut it off flush.. now drill a smaller hole into the dowl or next to it and then you have a new hole to put the screw into...... just make sure the hole is smaller than the screw so it will stay.....

According to Clifton T. Sharp Jr. :

Hey Clifto!

The dowel is a good possibility, but here's an even easier one:

Fill the hole with glue, then jam in as many toothpicks as you can manage. Let dry, shear off toothpick ends, and reinsert screw.

Problem with your current method is that carpenters glue is relatively soft on its own, and inserting shavings or sawdust doesn't give it much additional strength. Toothpicks or dowels are better. Dowel will be stronger, but you may have difficulty excavating the hole properly.

Fluted plastic anchor without lip. Tap it in, cut off flush. They hold hollow core doors on, for what you need it shouldn't be a problem. You should be able to pick them up at any hardware store.

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Hi, What I do is fill the hole with couple tooth picks and glue. Tony

I use toothpicks or wooden kichen matches (cut off the firey end ;)

Erik

Pack the hole tightly with fine sawdust and put Crazy Glue on it until it will absorb no more. It will get hot as it cures. It will also seep into the adoining wood slightly and harden it. The stuff will be hard enough so you can tap it for a bolt if you want.

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Saw it the other day at the local Harbor Freight store...

Any possibility you could just shift the screws and their holes to a slightly different location?

If you can't just move them, I've had good luck in similar circumstances using sawdust mixed in 5 minute epoxy. You'll probably need to drill a small pilot hole in the hardened epoxy to get the screw started, but it'll be very strong and stick to the original wood like sh*t on a blanket.

Jeff

-- Jeff Wisnia (W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

"If you can keep smiling when things go wrong, you've thought of someone to place the blame on."

I also use toothpicks. Never needed to add the glue though.

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