# Removing a Stuck Circle Jig Pivot Pin



## jdrouin (Feb 5, 2020)

Hello!

I made a volume knob out of padauk for a recent headphone amplifier build, using a circle jig and a router. Now the pin is stuck in the wood and absolutely will not budge.

So far I've tried using pliers to work it out in a circular and left-right pattern. Also straight up. I even put it under the split in my Workmate, stood on the step, and tried to pull it up using pliers with all my might.

The other side is the nice face, so I can't drill into that to knock the pin out from the other side.

There's got to be some old trick to removing this sort of thing but the Internet is coming up short. I'd appreciate any advice, thoughts, or experiences.

Thanks,

Jeff


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## MadMark (Jun 3, 2014)

Grind flats and try a wrench.

Heat with a torch and try while its smoking.

You may be well and truly stuck.

Next time, use a dowel, you could cut it flush and drill it out.


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## Novamr99 (Oct 9, 2020)

Vise grips on the pin and a strap wrench on the knob. And next time, check the fit. How the hell'd ya do that?!
That took some talent.


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## waho6o9 (May 6, 2011)

Put a socket through the pin
Vice grip the top of the pin tight
Suspend the vice grip above a table vise
Tap around the socket with a drift pin and volume knob should drop down.


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## SMP (Aug 29, 2018)

Take it to a bar and bet people $5 they can't do this "puzzle" without damaging the good face.


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## squazo (Nov 23, 2013)

Put it in the freezer. Shrink the metal. Might work. Cant hurt.


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## Novamr99 (Oct 9, 2020)

I don't know about the rest of them but I'm dying out here. Did ya do it? How'd ya do it?

I think it cost you $5 in a bar. I got $10 ridin' on it.


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## Harryn (Apr 25, 2011)

Got a soldering gun? try heating it


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## 280305 (Sep 28, 2008)

I would try making a shallow-angled wooden wedge with a slot in the center to go around the pin. Hold the pin in a metal vise and hammer the wedge between the top of the vise and the bottom of the piece.

Who knows?


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## John Smith_inFL (Dec 15, 2017)

bottle torch - with enough heat, it will fall out by itself.
then, when you make a new knob, put some wax or something around the pin.


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## wichman3 (Sep 12, 2016)

I would use a drill press chuck. Put the pin in the chuck tighten well, then using latex coat gloves (grip) hold the chuck in one hand and rotate the wood with the other.


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## tvrgeek (Nov 19, 2013)

Thread it. Then use a nut and washers to pull it out.


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## jdrouin (Feb 5, 2020)

Thanks for all these suggestions. Wax on the pin next time I cut a circle is a good idea.

I tried freezing, tightening in the drill press chuck, and a few other things. Was going to heat it with my soldering iron but found a pair of vice grips that I didn't know I had.

I slightly opened the work surface panels on the Workmate, placed the knob/pin under the surface, clamped the vise grips to the pin from above the surface, and my neighbor watched me wrestle it like hell to the plaintive tones of the Avett Brothers emanating from her outdoor speaker that looks like a fake rock. But it worked.

No one escapes becoming a knob now and then. ;-)


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## Ocelot (Mar 6, 2011)

All's well that ends well.

By the way, have you seen the new Eagle Grip pliers, made in Dewitt Nebraska - in the original Vice Grip factory that has been brought back to life? Pricy, but I'm tempted to buy one just for the story.

https://www.eaglegripusa.com/products/7-curved-jaw-locking-pliers-wire-cutter/


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## Novamr99 (Oct 9, 2020)

I knew Vice Grips would work. Now, if you had made a Duct Tape strap wrench and used a little WD-40, we'd have had the perfect *********************************** repair job. Just sorry the bar bet didn't work out. I'm down $10. Glad for your success.


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## John Smith_inFL (Dec 15, 2017)

I think you need a new pin !!
any kind of rust or other foreign matter between wood and metal is a no bueno.
if you don't use it much, get a 1/4" stainless or brass bolt and cut it to fit.
looking forward to seeing your finished project.


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