Companion way hatchboard frame removal...

[Brian D]

Need advice on how to remove said frame. I see what looks like screw holes with dowel inserts. How does one remove those without busting up the entire frame? I am also guessing that the frame is not glued on but caulked to prevent leaks. At least that is what it looks like.I'm sure someone here has replaced their frame. Thanks.

 

[Ross]

Brian, the "dowels" are bungs and usually

can be removed by drilling a pilot hole in the center and driving a screw in and "jacking" the bung out. If that fails then a small chisel can be used carefully to pry the bung out. There may be glue or caulk in the screw slot.

 

[Brian D]

Nautical terms...

Thanks Ross, for the info and the correct in terms.

 

[KorculaChris]

Ross is quite right

the bungs are sacrificed to access the screws and will need to be replaced.

 

[Rodger]

Bungs

I think that you can buy the bungs at West Marine when you get ready.

 

[Scott]

Brian, you can find the bungs at a marine store ..

You should be able to find 3/8" teak bungs at a marine store. I also found oak bungs at a hardware store. I used a 3/8" bit to drill out the old bungs. Be careful and you might want to try a smaller bit. The ones I drilled out with a 3/8" bit left the holes slightly large and the bungs didn't fit tightly, so I had to use a little filler to get a water tight finish.The other problem is that it is not always very easy to get a good bite on the screw head when you get it exposed. It is very easy to ruin the head when trying to back the screw out (they can get seized very tightly!) which leaves you with the difficult task of trying to drill out the screw. I've also found that screw heads will snap off pretty easily. I feel like it is easier to drill thru the screw head to loosen it rather than snap the head and then try to drill it out. But it is really hard on drill bits and even the cobalt bits don't last long when you are trying to drill out stainless steel.BTW, I have been using PB Blaster lately and found that it has not helped AT ALL! I have been getting very frustrated trying to find ways to loosen stainless steel screws that are seized. This has been by far the most troublesome problem with all of my restoration efforts.

 

[Ross]

Quite often I suggest the use of a carpenters bit

brace for turning screws. They can turn a screw when nothing else will. The other effort to try when dealing with screws that don't want to turn is to fit a good screw driver in the slot and strike the handle sharply two or three times. It jars the screw in the hole and sometimes helps. The problem with trying to drill self tapping screws is they are often hardened and the shank is quite small and threaded all the way to the head. In the case where you just can't remove the screw and don't want to sacrifice the whole piece you can use a hole saw and cut out a core and remove the wood and go after the screw later. You then repair the wood with a large bung that is glued in matching the grain.

 

[Brian D]

Good info, thanks...

I don't plan on replacing the frame. It has a repaired crack that does not look good. If I take the whole frame off I plan on putting a new one on. Thanks for the info so far. Makes it easier where there is a voice of reason available.

 

[Ross]

Brian, if your wood working skills

are up to the job you can use a router to remove the wood in the area of the crack and fit a new piece in. Sometimes when people try to make repairs and they don't have enough clamps, the repair doesn't turnout as nice as you would like. If the crack has been made structurally sound but just doesn't line up right some careful work with a hand plane may dress it up.

 

[Brian D]

I made the repairs, Ross...

And when I test fitted the piece, it was perfect. Applied the glue and the clamps and guess what? The pressure of the clamps caused the piece to slip a bit and now the whole thing looks ugly. Like an amateur did it (which I am). I used that Tite Bond 3 stuff. I'd like to do it over but if I can get the frame off, why not just make a nice one and replace?

 

[Ross]

TiteboneIII is not good for reglueing. If

doesn't hold right the first time you can't reglue the joint without removiing ALL of the old glue.

 

[r.w.landau]

Brian, do you have a picture?

What does yours look like?r.w.landau

 

[Brian D]

R.W. ...

No photos of the repair work. I'd have to take one, but do I **really** want to? Ross, that is what I heard. Even before putting the glue on, I made sure it was a good, clean fit. It was, but the clamps slipped and that is all she wrote. It doesn't look bad, but to me it is a pimple on the end of my nose. If you know what I mean.

 

[Ross]

Brian, It is one of the more difficult

things to avoid. You get everything set the way you want and go away. Then you come back and swear.

 

[Fred]

If you decide to replace the boards,

You might want to buy a plug(bung) cutter and matching drill bit collar. Then you can turn your scrap wood into plugs. It's handy for all kinds of woodwork.It helps to have a drill press, but a hand held drill works fine.It will save you a ton of money on putty.