How can you remove a 1-inch wood screw with the head broken off with the least amount of damage to the wood?

Answer 1

- If there is any part of it that is sticking out, try to get a bite on it with a pair of vise grips an turn it out.

- If it is broke flush, drill it out or counter sink it and putty over it.

- Use a dremel with a small wheel to cut a groove across the top that you can see. Then use a flatblade screwdriver to unscrew it.

- If the diameter is large enough, drill a hole in the screw and insert a screw extractor which you turn with a wrench.

- Tighten the chuck of the drill around the remaining portion of the broken or stripped out screw then put the drill in reverse. Works every time

There is no easy way around this: purchase a steel 1/4 diameter hole punch from your local Hardware store-- Center the hole punch directly over the screw-body and start knocking the thread-body repeatedly until the hole punch clears all the way through to the other side and then use a vice-grip or a regular pliers to spin and loosen the hole punch for easy removal. Be cautious to maintain the hole punch as straight as possible to keep the punch from veering off of your center point of the thread-body.

As an amateur wood worker, I don't understand how you could drive a hole punch through who knows how much wood without busting a big hole on the other side. Assuming you mean it is 1 inch in length (screw & bolts are sized by diameter): any screw that is tight enough to break off the factory head probably will not come out if you cut your own slot and is too small to drill out as suggested above. I like the drill idea. If if is broken flush, use a plug cutter to remove a circle of wood around the screw about 1/2" deep. Chisel out the remaining wood holding on to the screw. Use the plug cutter to make a plug from the same kind of wood and try to match the grain. Plug your hole and start again. Always drill a pilot hole suitable for the diameter and material of the screw to prevent breakage. Brass requires a larger hole than steel.