Stripped Screws in Door Hinge

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patlaw

Mike
Corporate Member
The screws on a friend's closet door are stripped. The screws are #9 hinge screws. The only longer screws I had were #8 x 2. They didn't work. I know the trick about inserting match sticks and glue, but is there another (or better) way to put wood back in the hole? I have some #9 x 2-1/2" screws, but I want to make sure they're biting into solid material.
 

tarheelz

Dave
Corporate Member
It's hard to imagine a better hole filler than first squirting in some wood glue and then packing that sucker with toothpicks.
 

Hmerkle

Board of Directors, Development Director
Hank
Staff member
Corporate Member
Drill the screw hole larger than the "stripped" hole, to a size that you have a dowel cutter for (I had some #6's for a cabinet hinge) and drilled out to 1/4"
I cut the dowel cross grain in the cabinet wood species, glued it in, drilled the "new" screw hole and VIOLA! hinge is screwed back in place!

(Oh, you don't have dowel cutter set? Time to buy a new tool, ya, gotta fix the stripped screw, right?)
 

Mike Davis

Mike
Corporate Member
I usually drill the hole to 1/4 inch, cut an oak dowel to fit, and glue that in place.

The only way it can be better is if you could drill it from the side so you have cross grain.
 

Wiley's Woodworks

Wiley
Corporate Member
Get your strongest glue; goop up the hole. Rough up the shank of a golf tee; pound it in as far as it will go. Cut it off flush; after the glue dries drill the right size pilot hole into the center of the tee. Golf tees are made of hardwood. They will hold a screw a whole lot better than softwood toothpicks.

Another trick that I used 60 years ago was to pack the hole with lead wool. I can't even find lead wool today, but I bet that steel wool tightly packed would also do the job. Both are a lot less time and effort than all this doweling and packing and gluing.

Wiley's Woodworks
Waynesville
 

nn4jw

New User
Jim
+1 to Hank's suggestion, except I don't bother matching species IF the hinge will cover the dowel and it won't be seen.
 

patlaw

Mike
Corporate Member
Drill the screw hole larger than the "stripped" hole, to a size that you have a dowel cutter for (I had some #6's for a cabinet hinge) and drilled out to 1/4"
I cut the dowel cross grain in the cabinet wood species, glued it in, drilled the "new" screw hole and VIOLA! hinge is screwed back in place!

(Oh, you don't have dowel cutter set? Time to buy a new tool, ya, gotta fix the stripped screw, right?)
Can you provide a link to the dowel cutter you use? I don't see how you make a cross-grain dowel. It would be easy with a plug cutter.
 

Joe Scharle

New User
Joe
Dowels would have the screw going in to end grain, where a plug would have the screw going into long grain.
The screws originally went into long grain :icon_thum
 

JimD

Jim
Senior User
I have multiple 3/8 inch plug cutters. That size will cover the head of the screws I use to assemble informal furniture. They would be plenty big enough for this. I have at least one that is tapered and one that is straight. For softwood, I would probably go with a straight sided plug. Hardwood doesn't yield as easily and a tapered plug goes in easier (would in softwood too but I think you will be able to tap it in).
 

Jeff

New User
Jeff
That stripping out of the screws from the door frame is strange. How many of those #9 hinge screws stripped out and how'd it happen (over time or were they just poorly installed to begin with)?

The golf tee suggestion should work nicely and quickly. Don't overthink the how to fix it ("keep it simple and quick fix it").
 
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Mike Davis

Mike
Corporate Member
I just bought this one at Amazon, will let you know how well it works.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000P4LL72/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

attachment.php
 

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Canuck

Wayne
Corporate Member
When I recently replaced all of the interior doors with very heavy solid panel doors (old doors were hollow luanne) I ran a 3" #8 screw into each hinge that managed to penetrate the stud framing behind the door casing. (I was using the same screw locations as the old hinge so I didn't want any door sag using just using screws in the casing)

Wayne
 

Rwe2156

DrBob
Senior User
Probably considered "hack" but I've dealt with this by replacing hings screw with a long screw directly into 2x4 stud behind jamb and Bob's your uncle ;-).
 

CDPeters

Master of None
Chris
+1 to DrBob and Wayne on the jamb side of the hinge - 1 long screw into the frame member not only keeps the hinge tight but also adds some security. Just be careful not to pull the jamb out of staight/plumb (it may have shims between the jamb and the framing).

On the door side - I agree long grain dowels would be better, but I've had pretty good luck plugging with standard hardwood dowel.
 

JimD

Jim
Senior User
I normally replace one screw per hinge with a 3 inch screw. Even for hollow core doors, hanging it off the jamb isn't great IMHO. I hung my interior doors so they are solid jambs and are shimmed into position. But at the lumber yard I used, I had to pay extra for solid jambs. They sell almost totally split jambs where the casing is attached to the jamb. You split it apart at the door stop (it is a dado joint) and slide the two pieces together over the door opening. The door is held in position by the trim carpenter nailing the casing to the studs. I did this on a couple doors but I didn't like it so I paid a little more to get what I wanted.

I doubt the lumber yard I used is atypical. I think there are a lot of split jamb doors hanging off their casing. A screw into the stud seems like a good idea but deflection of the jamb if you over tighten also seems like a realistic possibility.
 
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