Broken lathe screw center screw
Posted: Fri May 22, 2020 5:53 pm
I picked up a couple of clarinet bell blanks, of all things, at Woodcraft, and was setting up to turn a ring holder for my wife. Because the design I have in mind will form a shallow dish near the perimeter, I didn't want to use a regular faceplate, because the screws would intrude into this dish area. So I decided to use the screw center, with which I've had pretty good luck in the past.
However, I didn't figure on just how hard African Blackwood is, so I didn't drill a large enough pilot, and snapped the screw off. This led to two problems: where to get a replacement screw, and how to get the stub out. The latter I solved (sort of) by using a plug cutter to drill around the screw, then using a chisel (a cold chisel - this stuff is really hard!) to split the wood along the screw so I could back it out with vice grips. I'll use a Forstner to clean up the hole, but my original fastening method is shot. Oh well - I have two blanks, so I'll use this one for something else.
The first issue though is my current problem - where do I get a replacement screw for this? It's a #14 x 1-1/8" flat head wood screw, and I'm wondering if it's a special high-strength type (not high enough, obviously), because it's black like the rest of the center, which is definitely hardened somewhat (my vice jaws didn't mark it at all, for example). I'm on my way to Home Depot to get a package of #14 x 1-1/4", but I'm certain they'll be of the cheapest possible Chinese steel, so I've also ordered some stainless screws on Amazon, but what I'd really like is a grade 5 or grade 8 screw (not that wood screws are ever graded that way, of course).
Shopsmith doesn't appear to sell the screw separately - anybody have an idea about sourcing this without buying a whole new center (which I won't do...)?
(Picture of the problem: https://markesystemsinc.box.com/s/ej0ps ... 112kqncfw1)
However, I didn't figure on just how hard African Blackwood is, so I didn't drill a large enough pilot, and snapped the screw off. This led to two problems: where to get a replacement screw, and how to get the stub out. The latter I solved (sort of) by using a plug cutter to drill around the screw, then using a chisel (a cold chisel - this stuff is really hard!) to split the wood along the screw so I could back it out with vice grips. I'll use a Forstner to clean up the hole, but my original fastening method is shot. Oh well - I have two blanks, so I'll use this one for something else.
The first issue though is my current problem - where do I get a replacement screw for this? It's a #14 x 1-1/8" flat head wood screw, and I'm wondering if it's a special high-strength type (not high enough, obviously), because it's black like the rest of the center, which is definitely hardened somewhat (my vice jaws didn't mark it at all, for example). I'm on my way to Home Depot to get a package of #14 x 1-1/4", but I'm certain they'll be of the cheapest possible Chinese steel, so I've also ordered some stainless screws on Amazon, but what I'd really like is a grade 5 or grade 8 screw (not that wood screws are ever graded that way, of course).
Shopsmith doesn't appear to sell the screw separately - anybody have an idea about sourcing this without buying a whole new center (which I won't do...)?
(Picture of the problem: https://markesystemsinc.box.com/s/ej0ps ... 112kqncfw1)