# Removing and re-driving a screw?



## Smile_n_Nod (Jan 20, 2011)

If I drive a screw into a piece of wood, and then at a later time I remove the screw and tut the same screw back into the same hole, will the screw always be a bit looser than it was before?


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## bilyo (May 20, 2015)

Highly likely if you are dealing with soft wood like pine or cedar. If the screw is in hardwood like maple or oak and the screw was not over rotated the first time, the threads that were cut by the screw are likely intact and the second time it will probably be just as tight or close enough.


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## splintergroup (Jan 20, 2015)

bilyo said:


> Highly likely if you are dealing with soft wood like pine or cedar. If the screw is in hardwood like maple or oak and the screw was not over rotated the first time, the threads that were cut by the screw are likely intact and the second time it will probably be just as tight or close enough.


Agreed. Just try to get the treads synched up by hand first before hitting it with the driver


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## Lazyman (Aug 8, 2014)

I would not expect it to stay tight if you unscrew and rescrew it over and over but for an occasional thing done a few times, it will usually be just fine. If it is something that needs to be taken apart regularly, then a threaded insert with a machine screw might be a better choice.


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## JCamp (Nov 22, 2016)

Yeah but likely not by much. It’ll be the repeated removal of it that’ll cause it to loosen beyond a probable useable condition. Of course that’s highly subject to whatever it is too.


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## MPython (Nov 30, 2018)

If you're worried about it, put a drop of glue (preferably hide glue) in the screw hole before redriving the screw. The glue will do a number of things: fill the gap in the lose screw hole, swell the wood a little and adhere to the screw. Of course, if you're planning on removing the screw again, this is probably not a great idea, but continuously removing and replacing the screw isn't a good idea either. There used to be a product that was designed to swell the wood on chair spindles to tighten them up. I don't recall the name of it, but others here might. That would probably do the job too.

Found it: Chair Doctor Glue - Lee Valley Tools


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## Lazyman (Aug 8, 2014)

I've just drizzle a couple of drops of thin super glue into the hole to firm up the threads with the screw out, if I know I need to remove the screw occasionally. It is usually absorbed into the wood and makes them a little more resistant to crushing if you over tighten.


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## rwe2156 (May 7, 2014)

If you do it several times, yes it will eventually get loose. But as


Smile_n_Nod said:


> If I drive a screw into a piece of wood, and then at a later time I remove the screw and tut the same screw back into the same hole, will the screw always be a bit looser than it was before?


Not under normal circumstances. Soft wood don't overtorque.

A more common problem is the head compressing the fibers.


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## xeddog (Mar 2, 2010)

If it's a screw that you remove often, try using threaded inserts instead.

As for re-inserting a screw, I have found that if I place the screw into the hole with only enough downward pressure to hold it upright, and then turn it backwards, you can feel it drop into the existing threads and you can then turn it in the proper direction without damaging the threads.


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## JRsgarage (Jan 2, 2017)

As mentioned above, I squeeze in some wood glue and pack it in and break off toothpicks. Usually holds pretty well after


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## Phil32 (Aug 31, 2018)

Is this a question that requires the expertise of the Lumberjocks crowd? If it was "good enough" before, why improve on it?


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## LesB (Dec 21, 2008)

Depending on the type of wood you can usually get away with this a couple of times especially if you can stay in the same thread grooves ....less so on a soft wood. Because you have crushed the wood fibers they will eventually break down and get loose.

If this it something you want to do with that particular screw on a regular basis I would use a brass or steel threaded insert and a machine screw combination.


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## RevAndy (Sep 30, 2021)

JRsgarage said:


> As mentioned above, I squeeze in some wood glue and pack it in and break off toothpicks. Usually holds pretty well after


Yup, my Dad taught me this when I was a kid, now in my 70s. You don’t need to use much glue. Have done it even when all the threads in the hole have been stripped out. When possible, use a coarser thread size.


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## Phil32 (Aug 31, 2018)

Changing the screw size may help, but if counter-sunk (as on door hinges) be sure to check the fit of the screw head in the counter bore.


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

If I need a tighter fit on an existing hole/screw combination, I use a flat toothpic. I stick the pointed end of the toothpic into the hole and break break it off. This tightens the hole up nicely. On larger holes I might use 2-3. Just an idea...


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## bbc557ci (Sep 20, 2012)

Lazyman said:


> I've just drizzle a couple of drops of thin super glue into the hole to firm up the threads with the screw out, if I know I need to remove the screw occasionally. It is usually absorbed into the wood and makes them a little more resistant to crushing if you over tighten.


I've done the same thing with softer woods. Let the thin CA dry on its own, no excelerator, and it will soak into the wood grains.


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