I shorten screws of any material as follows:
Thread one or (preferably two) nuts of the same size on to the screw to be shortened. Fasten this assembly securely in a vise. Then use a hacksaw or Dremel cutoff wheel to cut just a bit longer than the desired finished length. File the remainder to remove hacksaw or grinding marks. When the screw is removed from the nuts, the threads are restored and can be put back in the bolster (or whatever).
Excellent idea. I’ve just been hacking them off with my Dremel tool but having a few nuts on there first helps restore that little bit of thread that was lost in the hacking process.
Old rail nippers…remember to blink.
David B
Oh, c’mon Dave. You’re not old enough to have gone through a set of rail nippers yet! [;)]
I actually have a wire stripper that has holes for many sizes of screws in the handle . You can thread a screw through it as far as you want chopped off and then just squeeze the handle together and it shears them off. I think electricians have these alot for box installations etc.
I have a crimping tool for solderless connectors that also can be used to strip wire and cut screws. There are threaded holes behind the wire stripping part that you can thread a screw into, cut it off, and then repair the threads as you remove the screw.
Ive gone through my share…nothing quite like a new pair of nippers!
David B
Jeweler’s saw.
Just remember to “Watch your eyes!” [;)]
The first thing I ever learned while working in the tool shop was to put a nut on the bolt you are going to shorten. I do it all the time now and don’t forget to wear your safety glasses.
Do you mean a nut fits on a screw? a tapered screw/ or do you mean a bolt? are we talking wood screws, metal screws, or bolts(bolts are straight-- screws are tapered) seems to be a failure to communicate here Luke.
Luke, The way that I was taught by a tool and die maker was that bolts are machine threads on 1/4’ and larger sizestock. Machine screws are smaller than 1/4" and go down to 00-90 in size. These are the ones I was referring to. The tapered screws are commonly called sheet metal screws if the threads go all the way to the underside of the head. If they stop short of the head they are wood screws. The nuts only go on machine screws or bolts.
Just so that I am clear, one would place the nut a distance toward the head of the screw, and one’s method of shortening the screw would take place outboard of the nut…right? The nut is meant to protect the inner threads from ineptitude, such as of the type that I would impart to it? [8)]. I had not thought of this trick, so I appreciate the mentioning of it. It was something I had understood, though, and that is why I resorted to using an otherwise unused jeweler’s saw since I was no longer making turnouts and having to isolate the frog with it.
I think we are talking about machine screws, not wood or metal screws.
I’ve used several methods over the years.
My preferred is to use my Super Champ (Amp Incorporate Harrisburg, Pa) wire strippers. Mine handles 4-40 through 10-24. I’ve two of them, had them 25 or 30 years I suppose, and I know they have been around for 40 or more years. Only trick to them is having the right size screw and screwing the screw in from the correct side. Screw in so the keeper part of the screw is inside the threaded die of the tool. It just works. I’ve seen cheap dollar bin crimpers with the cutters and they were worthless.
For all others, I use the nut technique already listed and like others, I try to use two of the correct sized nuts with the nuts on the keeper side of the screw. Cutting with a die grinder or dremel is preferred by me, because one can get such a clean cut.
I also have a set of thread chasers that I use for 1/4" - 1/2" bolts. Cut the bolt with die grinder and use the thread chaser to clean up the threads. If one has problems getting the bolt or screw to mate with a nut properly, I use a bench grinder with a fine stone or my belt sander to put a slight taper on the end of the threads.
I’ve never been real successful using dikes or cutters of any kind. Too much thread damage.
My 2 cents worth nothing more,
Joe
My machine shop instructor was of the opinion that screws had round or conical heads and could be turned with a screwdriver, while bolts had square or hexagonal heads that required an appropriately shaped socket or wrench. I can’t recall seeing machine screws larger than 1/4" but I have seen a LOT of hex head bolts smaller than that size.
These days you can get sheet metal screws with a built-in spade drill point. Having used them, I believe they are useless for anything except thin sheet metal, and not much good for that.
My preferred shortening tool is a razor saw for small sizes (up to #8) and a hacksaw for larger, and two nuts are better than one (for reshaping damaged threads.)
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
All I need to know, thanks for the info.
I use the cutter built into my crimping tool. (I’ve always wondered what crimped lugs and shortened bolts had in common to be on the same tool?) Even though the threads on the cutter are supposed to clean out the threads on the bolt/machine screw, I usually thread a nut up onto the bolt and unscrew it after cutting just to make sure the threads are clean. The cutter doesn’t always make a clean cut.