Shopsmith Forums

Can anyone give me any idea how to remove a stuck set screw on an aluminum sanding disc. I finally purchased some sandpaper to try it out on my "brand new" to me greenie and found that the set screw is immovable. I have it sitting in penetrating oil and have already tried heating it with a propane torch with no luck. I noticed that there is another boss on the opposite side of shaft that could be drilled and tapped but it would be tough to get straight with the disc in the way of the drill chuck. The stuck one is not down to the shaft so that would work if I could do it. Any ideas?

How about the whole sanding disk in the oven at 210 for about 20 minutes or less? Alum should expand faster than the screw itself (if it's alum, all of mine are).
Or the set screw was cross threaded.

I tried drilling it out. Got a good bite on it with an easy out! Used an 18" crescent wrench to turn the easy out and CRACK the casting. Who would of thought.

Could try drilling and rethreading or just as good, and easier drill the opposite boss and thread.


Good Luck, be careful out there.

allsas wrote:I tried drilling it out. Got a good bite on it with an easy out! Used an 18" crescent wrench to turn the easy out and CRACK the casting. Who would of thought.

Could try drilling and rethreading or just as good, and easier drill the opposite boss and thread.


Good Luck, be careful out there.

I decided to let it rest tonight and I kind of agree with you, I've already tried heat and the opposite side is available without doing any damage to the disc so I will probably try drilling and tapping before any other avenues of attack. I guess a stainless steel set screw is the real key to not having it happen again.

ljhhontx wrote:I decided to let it rest tonight and I kind of agree with you, I've already tried heat and the opposite side is available without doing any damage to the disc so I will probably try drilling and tapping before any other avenues of attack. I guess a stainless steel set screw is the real key to not having it happen again.

My vote is also drill and tap a new hole and if needed, grind the tip off the old one if it protrudes into the ID.

mickyd wrote:My vote is also drill and tap a new hole and if needed, grind the tip off the old one it is protrudes into the ID.

It does not protrude in the ID, is actually out about 1/16th of an inch so shouldn't be an issue. Now to find a way to drill it straight with the disc so close, may have to improvise a smaller shaft with an old 1/4" chuck. Thanks for the help everyone.

One thing that I've done is to cut the end off a allen wrench so you end up with a straight allen wrench. Then I chuck it in a cordless drill. Sometimes the torque of the drill will break it free.

Sincerely,

Ron309753

Well, I gathered the tap, drill and a new set screw today and drilled and tapped the new hole in the opposite boss, no problem, reasonably straight and already tried out the sanding disc. Thanks for the help guys, I think that is the best solution, kind of like hypocratic oath, "do no harm", because I'm sure if I had kept up the force and heat eventually something would have broken.

I am curious how you got the hole drilled at a right angle to the quill shaft bore from 6" away and so close to the disk. You gots very long drill bits?

I find that with steel set screws and aluminum threads a tiny bit of anti seize compound will stop this from happening again.