Spent 3 hours trying to fix a crooked cabinet door before I realized the screw was stripped

Had to drill it out and use a threaded insert, which took another 45 minutes, and now I'm wondering how many other quick fixes I've been overthinking.

4 comments

4 Comments

ivan_murphy801mo ago

Dude yeah I used to be the same way. Thought I had to brute force every stripped screw or just keep cranking on it. Now I keep a set of easy outs and threaded inserts handy and it saves so much headache. It's crazy how much time we waste fighting with stuff when the right tool makes it a 10 minute job. I've got a little toolbox just for stripped hardware now because I got sick of overthinking and making things worse.

anna4911mo ago

Actually, the key thing people MISS is that easy outs work best on stripped PHILLIPS heads, not on stripped hex or torx. If you've rounded out a hex socket, an easy out usually just makes it WORSE because the bit binds and spins. You really gotta match the tool to the failure mode.

nancyjones1mo ago

The 3 hours on the first cabinet door sounds familiar, I spent a whole Saturday once on a single hinge before giving up. But here's the thing - easy outs and threaded inserts are great, but I find myself reaching for the screw extractor set maybe once a year. Most of my stripped screw problems come from using the wrong size screwdriver in the first place, and spending money on specialty tools just encourages me to keep making that mistake instead of slowing down and doing it right the first time.

drewr151mo agoMost Upvoted

I did the exact same thing on a dresser drawer three months ago. Spent two hours fighting a stripped Phillips head before I realized I was using a #2 bit when it needed a #1. @anna491 you're totally right about matching the tool to the damage. I made it way worse with the wrong size easy out first. Now I just stop after ten minutes if it's not working and walk away for a bit.