Broken Frog Adj. Screw Extraction

Re: Broken Frog Adj. Screw Extraction

Tom MacGregor


>I haven't had this particular problem but have removed a lot of broken-off fasteners, some in difficult places. First I'd submerge the piece in penetrating oil for about a week. I keep a gallon paint can 3/4 full for this purpose. Center punch the frog screw and drill a hole in it. Small hex shank bits will fit in a spade bit extension rod to reach it. Left hand thread machine screws can sometimes be found in hardware store parts bins (Hillman, Jandorf) and with a good well-fitting (preferably square shank)screwdriver can be used for an improvised extractor. Or I might try to figure out how to put an extension on a regular screw extractor.

Re: Broken Frog Adj. Screw Extraction

Moses Yoder in White Pigeon, MI


>I think Tom's advice is pretty good, to soak for a period of time. This is probably key. Is the screw sticking out at all? If you can cut a slot in it with a hack saw blade, enough to get a grip with a flat screwdriver, soak in penetrating oil for a while then heat the screw (really hot) and get a good grip on it with a screw driver sometimes works too.

Re: Broken Frog Adj. Screw Extraction

Vlad


>Moses,

Cut a slot into what was left with a dremel as that was the only thing that would fit into a tight space like that. The quality of the steel screw was terrible and just broke apart.

Will keep soaking it....

Vlad

Perhaps

jim reed @ tallahassee


>the Dremel is the key. Can you use the Dremel to drill a 1/16 hole in the screw? Then you could use a regular screw extractor. If not, keep drilling the hole larger and then retap it. At some point, the old screw will probably just give up. Good luck.

Re: Perhaps

Vlad


>Next to impossible to retap as the sole gets in the way.

Cheers.

v.

Beware

woodburnbob


>I, too, always take these kinds of challenges as a personal dare from the tools gods. But, there comes a time to take a step back.

The frog adjustment screw and tab started with type #10, meaning that all the hundreds of thousands of earlier types were sans that "feature".

Who actually uses that feature much? Not me.

In fact, I've had more problems with it than benefits. To wit: the tab and slot in the screw head fit pretty tight. More than once the capture prevents rotating the frog slightly so I can avoid regrinding an iron. To "fix" this I have to thin the tab down with a file in order to generate some clearance.

Absence of the tab-screw has no practice meaning, if you are using and keeping the plane. In my opinion, it doesn't alter the "value" in the market place. It is a commodity plane, not a high value collector. It is very possible to wind up spending more on extractors, bits, special tools attachments, and so forth...to say nothing of 'time'... in attempts to 'fix this', than the whole plane is worth.

The tools gods prepare great ironies for the sin of pride. Once you show them there's nothing they can present you with that you can't fix, they will arrange to have you fumble the plane and send it crashing to a concrete floor.

This is, of course, all metaphorical. Right?

Just a challenge

jim reed @ tallahassee


>*virtually impossible to retap*

Someone had to tap it in the first place. My guess is that they had some sort of extension. Might not be that hard to make.

Re: Just a challenge

Joe Rogers, Northern Virginia


>True Jim. I have a set of tap sockets made by Lisle. This is a company that makes hand tools for the auto market. The sockets are square drive and square females for the taps and have an O-Ring retainer built in. They fit standard extensions for socket sets 1/4" or 3/8" and add virtually nothing to the diameter of the tap. Add whatever extension you need to get clearance and turn it with a ratchet. Bob's your uncle.JR