Another not Model A..... EZ-Out

Ross/Kzoo

Ross/Kzoo

Well-known member
I need to remove an Allen set screw from a tile cutter. It absolutely will not come out so it drilled it and tried using my HF EZ-out it wouldn't "catch" and smoothed the threads. Any idea what to do or where to get a "decent" EZ-out?

PS. It's about a 1/4" shank.
 
With an Allen head you have great advantage...the hex will nicely center a drill bit. Go to largest bit that will enter the hex, run it through being careful to stay perpendicular.
From here move up one size at a time, letting drill slowly follow the pilot hole until you reach a size where you see the threads just beginning to appear. Then, you attack with a dental pick and shell out the remaing shreds til hole will accept a tap and a new screw.
EZ outs are more dangerous than useful...small ones are very brittle, and if screw is truly stuck and the and the EZ actually grips well, it is going to snap. You then have a hole full of metal that is harder than your drillbit.
 
What Bruce Said!!!

The only good set of easy-outs I've ever seen were the ones I used in the Army. They had a sharp knife edge that would cut into the broken stud and spin it out without trying to wedge itself in deeper and swelling the stud. I don't remember if they had 4 or 6 knife edges, but they had a slight tapper and ran straight up and down.
 
Yep, what the boys said.. Its nice to be able to clean everything up and use the original size again, but, from the sounds of things you can't do that.. Then just drill to the next larger size and tap the hole.. If you do ever break an ez-out both Mac and Snap-on now sell drills that actually will drill out an ez-out..And, they work slick..
 
Working on rusty Ford trucks all day I bought a set of reversible drills with matching e-z outs, not expensive and most times when the drill bites out comes the screw.
 
When all else fails, Take the part to a local Machine shop that has a "Tap Burner"
They can burn it out for you.
Terry
 
Tom Wesenberg said:
What Bruce Said!!!

The only good set of easy-outs I've ever seen were the ones I used in the Army. They had a sharp knife edge that would cut into the broken stud and spin it out without trying to wedge itself in deeper and swelling the stud. I don't remember if they had 4 or 6 knife edges, but they had a slight tapper and ran straight up and down.
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Tom, When I was working, we had the ez-outs you are talking about. They are used on broken pipe. They will not swell and work perfect. Pipe Ez-outs.
 
I encounter this at work from time to time changing dies in the machine I run. Normally when this happens I drill the head on the allen bolt off, remove the dies and grab what is left of the bolt with vice grips and remove it that way. Rod
 
Backawards running drill bits are a great addition to the project. When you drill all or most of the way through a fastener or plug (I've been assuming an Allen setscrew here, entirely in the hole) I believe the removal of the core allows the fastener to relax and slightly shrink, and of course it gets lots of vibration. Frequently a plug that was tight enough to strip out its wrenching area will magically start winding out of the hole under the much gentler torque a spinning revers bit can provide.
And to repeat...small severely tapered EZ outs are an evil trap, leading you into a bad day of screaming, cursing, and driving to the hardware seeking carbide bits and diamond cutters and bandaids and...
 
There are stright flute and multi-spline extractors that don't expand the screw like tapered spiral extractors. These worked better for me as they shear the material and don't wedge the threads tighter in the hole . Also a good rap with hammer will help loosen the threads in the tapped hole.
 
Ross/Kzoo said:
I need to remove an Allen set screw from a tile cutter. It absolutely will not come out so it drilled it and tried using my HF EZ-out it wouldn't "catch" and smoothed the threads. Any idea what to do or where to get a "decent" EZ-out?

PS. It's about a 1/4" shank.
Click to expand...

Thank you stars it did not work. Many have tried and broke the ez-out in the hole.
 
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