Picture Galleries > How to remove a rusty old screw > One rusty No14 screw drilled down the centre

All the screws in the structure which are now 110 years old have to be replaced as they have usually rusted at the joint between the pieces of wood.  Initially we tried cleaning the slot out and then using the largest screwdriver available that would be a tight fit in the slot. A brace and bit was a very effective way of starting the screw turning as it applies a very even torque. If this failed then the following technique had to be applied. The first step is to drill a pilot hole down the centre of the screw after cleaning out the slot and using a centre pop to make a depression for the drill.