Son of a biscuit eater..im screwed!

[rf37]

Help me. I stripped out a screw hole while changing out tailpiece on my km 505. What next. Is this as simple as juct getting a longer screw or is there going to be more to it? Help!

[Jstring]

Well, a longer screw won't help at all...

But if you go to Home Depot and get a slightly WIDER screw, that should do the trick.

If you are more OCD and want to use the original screw, you could:
1.take the tailpiece off again
2.fill the stripped hole ( glueing in a tooth pick should work if the hole isn't too big)
3.carefully start a tiny pilot hole
4.insert original screw

Good luck!

[Paul Busman]

You might have a hard time finding a wider screw whose head looks just like the original, if that matters to you.
The ol' toothpick in the hole trick works just fine.

[rf37]

I may just get 3 matching. does not mean much to match but either way, I am just concerned with snug fit. The tailpiece is a cast piece so it is a bit thicker. I think that was the problem. the screw did not get in as far into hole due to that.

[Denny Gies]

I agree with Paul, the toothpick or something like it, so long as it's wood, will work.

[Ron McMillan]

I'm glad you got the advice you needed. I opened the thread wondering what the biscuits did that caused you so much concern.....

[Mark Wilson]

Glue in some strips of the toothpick. It may seem like a bother but it's easy and highly effective. Plus it doesn't risk causing a problem by screwing larger screws into your mandolin.

I had only the round toothpicks and used a utility knife to shave off strips. A little wood glue and put the original screw back

[MikeEdgerton]

Just get some round toothpicks, cut the very end of the point off, smear any sort of water based white glue on it and push it into the hole. Allow it to dry for a little while, use a razor blade or sharp chisel to cut of the toothpick and put the screw back in the hole. It will hold. Don't use bigger screws just heal the hole. You'll never see the repair.

[DavidKOS]

I agree with Paul, the toothpick or something like it, so long as it's wood, will work.

Glue in some strips of the toothpick..... A little wood glue and put the original screw back

Just get some round toothpicks, cut the very end of the point off, smear any sort of water based white glue on it and push it into the hole. Allow it to dry for a little while, use a razor blade or sharp chisel to cut of the toothpick and put the screw back in the hole. It will hold. Don't use bigger screws just heal the hole. You'll never see the repair.

This is the easy but effective way to go, guys! I've done it many times.

[MikeZito]

. . . and if you don't have a toothpick, you can just drop-fill the hole with plain glue - that will tighten up the grooves in the hole.

[pops1]

+1 for the toothpick.

Forty+years ago I was playing solo when a screw stripped out of the stool I carried with me to sit the same every night. I put some matches in the hole and put the screw back in. That stool is still in my shop with the same repair. Other things have needed repair over the years, but the screw with the matches in is still there.

[wxfloyd]

+2 for the toothpick method. For larger holes (typically for larger instruments), I've also used pieces of unpainted hardwood golf tees. These also work perfect for stripped out door hinge screw holes.

[Steve Ostrander]

Used toothpicks many times but I never thought about the golf tee trick.... "Course I only took up golf about six years ago. Golf is the most fun you can have while being PO'd....

[MikeEdgerton]

I've used wooden match sticks for larger holes like hinge screws on doors. I too never thought of golf tees. I'll also note that jamming multiple toothpicks with glue into larger holes works.

[pops1]

I use about anything that will fit the hole. A bamboo chopstick works well too. Sometimes I will spin a dowel in the drill press and use a file to thin slightly so it fits the hole

[jim simpson]

I have an old time pencil sharpener in my shop. I like to sharpen small diameter dowels and cut the small tips to glue in. I'll trim off the excess after the glue has dried. The sharpened plugs allow me to insert them tightly enough before they get trimmed.

[Jim Garber]

The ol' toothpick in the hole trick works just fine.

Interesting to see the variants on the tootpick method. The simplest (to me, anyway) is to get a flat toothpick (available at your local supermarket) or shave a round one down to flatness and stick a small bit of carpenter glue on the tip, stick it in the hole and then screw the tailpiece screw into that hole. No redrilling needed and it is good to go.

I am not sure if the other methods are any better, but if they are I would love to know why. It worked for me multiple times.

In the meantime, any good biscuit recipes?

[Jeff Mando]

The "son of a biscuit eater" is what us small town folks called "legal cussing!" I've heard my Dad say that many times. Similar to "shoot", "heck", "jeesh", "oh fudge!", "gol durn", "dad gummit", etc. Clever wording that avoided getting the paddle, (many times) as a kid, while still allowing me to express myself. It was kinda nice back when the world was G-rated.

[rf37]

Thanks for all the advice. I did the toothpicany times with chairs, cabinets, doorknobs etc. I tryed that here but the issue was thickness of tailpiece. It was much thicker than original so it did not leave much threads to grab ahold of wood. I ended up using screws that were just a hair longer. That seemed to do the trick and now it seems all is well with my 505 . very hapy with results of this little adventure lol. Thank you all.

[Ivan Kelsall]

I know that it might be a bit fiddly on very small screws,but i've used the PTFE tape that plumbers use. It's ultra thin & clings to the threads of a screw like a 'skin'. It adds just enough extra 'width' to the thread to make it a tight fit,
Ivan

[G7MOF]

I use match sticks as they are sometimes a little thicker than tooth picks!

[Shelagh Moore]

I've done dozens of these... toothpicks, bamboo skewers or matchsticks all work just fine!