Preview: Fasteners & Fastening, Part 2 – Countersinking Screws & Setting Bungs in Wood

16 Responses So Far to “Fasteners & Fastening, Part 2 – Countersinking Screws & Setting Bungs in Wood”

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  John Bishop says:

  I often find that when I bottom out my plug cutter, it pulls the plug from out from my scrap piece. I have to turn the drill press off, pick it out, etc. Seems to happen far more than it should. Fuller plug cutter, same problem on soft and hardwoods. Any idea what’s causing this?

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    Ed Howe says:

    your going too deep. stop sooner.

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  Bill Saunders says:

  Steve and Eric, excellent video series, as usual!! When using a fuller bit I have found that it is not a bad idea to put a nut (or several) that will slip over the bit on the bit between the drill chuck and the stop, so there is no space between the drill chuck and the stop. It has been my experience that one cannot always trust the allen screws in the stop not to slip and allow the position of the stop on the drill to change. Getting the allen screws tight enough not to slip when drilling repeated holes can be difficult. If one puts the nuts behind the stop, even if the allen screws don’t hold perfectly the nuts keep your depth setting from changing.

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  George Kruzynski says:

  I have always had trouble bottoming out plugs in varnish as air gets trapped under like a piston in a cylinder. So I drill a tiny hole through the plug before inserting. That way air and varnish have an escape route and the plug seats nicely. Down side is tiny dots in your plugs..but I’m not into furniture finish on our boat nor around the house.

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  RENNY YOUNG says:

  I REALLY ENJOYED THE LESSONS LEARNED FROM YOUR VIDEOS.WE HAVE RECENTLY FORMED THE RALPH MUNROE CHAPTER OF TSCA IN THE BOATHOUSE AT THE BARNACLE STATE PARK ,COCONUT GROVE FL.WE ARE BUILDING A” FLATIRON SKIFF” AS I WRITE THIS.YOUR. INFO ON FASTENERS ETC.WILL HELP US GREATLY.THANK YOU

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  Elizabeth Rhodes says:

  Great video for bung installing. Can you recommend any tips for bungs on an eyebrow, which is very shallow with room for only a fraction of the bung? Sometimes when I get them in and chisel them out, the whole thing comes out.
  thanks

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    Eric Blake says:

    Hey Elizabeth
    In this case I would pull the fastening and sink it a bit deeper with a fuller bit to get a countersink that you can properly plug. Deffinately let the glue set before trimming in a situation like this.

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  Capt. Peter Reich says:

  Great video Eric! If I have a lot of plugs to cut, I don’t snap them out with screwdriver. I tip the board on edge and run through the bandsaw cutting right at the base. They fall right out and top is perfectly flat. I always had waited until glue was dry before trimming plug but am going to try your method of doing right away. Makes good sense. Definitely easier to remove bad plugs before glue dry. Instead of using an ice pick to remove bad plug and risk buggering hole, I nip the head off a 2″ Sheetrock screw, chuck it up in drill, and just screw it into center of bad plug. When the point of Sheetrock screw bottoms out on screw, the turning threads back the plug right out. Keep the great videos coming!!!

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    Eric Blake says:

    Hey Peter,
    Great comments.
    Funny story… the first time I cut bungs with a band saw, I plugged the side of a varnished boat with them, and mistook the saw marks the band saw blade left for the grain of the wood. The next day when I sanded everthing smooth I realized that all of the bungs were set with their grain orientation 90 degrees off. I haven’t cut bungs with a bandsaw since, not to say you shouldn’t….I just shouldn’t

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  martin schulman says:

  This is a great video and an indication of how good you are at imparting your knowledge. OCH should consider a series of in depth videos like this covering various areas and problems encountered in boat construction and carpentry. I think by presenting such a series the viewer base would be substantially expanded benefiting everyone.

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  Larry Cheek says:

  Tap, tap, tap, thud, thud. I really appreciate the level of detail in this video. Wish I’d seen it ten years ago. Curses!— I have three boats with epoxied plugs and may be facing the task of removing some to replace trim pieces this spring.

  I’m wondering if a Forstner bit would be the best tool for drilling out an epoxied plug.

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  Matt Wilkins says:

  These instructional videos are just brilliant. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

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  Dennis Collins says:

  Would have preferred ending with chiseling the bung flush…. tips on using the chisel for that function.

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    Steve Stone says:

    Hi Dennis, good thought. That particular bung was borderline being too flush to chisel, and it was the tail end of a shoot at the end of a long day and the kids needed to be put to bed. Fortunately, you’ll find that operation of chiseling a bung in another video… check it out here:
    Wooden Boat Repair — Refastening, Part 3 — New Screws & Bungs

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  Leo Carling says:

  In exterior applications, slotted wood screws should be set vertical to avoid holding water.

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  Bernard Moore says:

  …so much knowledge in under 20 mins – amazing – thanks