Replies

1. 
   JohnWW | Nov 25, 2008 01:31am | #1

   The quick and dirty trick is to get a pair of the smallest needle nose Vise-Grips, they're only about 4 to 5 inches long, and use those to grab the head of the stuck bolt. There's a fair chance that they'll work. If needed, you can grind sides of the tips down to get into the slot to grab the bolt's head.

   If that fails get a Dremel type of tool with a cut off disk on an arbor. Get the more expensive fiber reinforced cutting discs, the plain discs are extremely fragile. You'll need a good light, serious eye protection, and you'll have to be very careful about the stream of sparks coming off the disc starting a fire in shavings in the machine. Also try to catch the sparks on a damp rag, they are loaded with abrasive and metal specks that you want to keep out of the machine.

   Cut the bolt off right below the head to leave a stub that you can grab with the Vise-Grips. Usually once the pressure is off the threads the stub will back out easily.

   The gib bolts are standard thread but they have a specially shaped head and are usually of better quality steel than the typical hardware store bolt so you should get a replacement bolt from the machines manufacturer. Get a few spare bolts, if one was seized there are probably a few others that have damaged threads also and they will need replacing at some point.

   Typically bolts seize for one of two reasons, they were over tightened and/or they had no lubrication on the threads. Applying a touch of grease or antiseize compound to the threads before reassembly will solve the first problem, and applying only moderate force when tightening the bolts will solve the second.

   Good luck, John White

1. 
   Pohnpei | Nov 25, 2008 04:28am | #2

   thanks for the great info. I tried the vise grips but they would not turn the bolt head and only began to chew into the bolt head and round it further. I finally drilled a hole into the bolt head and using a nail set angled into the hole tapped tangentially with a hammer until the bolt slowly turned. these bolts have flat top heads-it almost seems as if that's the problem.

1. 
   JohnWW | Nov 25, 2008 03:53pm | #3

   On most machines the top of the bolt has a slight crown in it so that only the center of the bolt head bears against the side of the slot in the head. Flat headed bolts tend to grab and lift the gib as you tighten them up. If you bought the machine used it is possible that someone changed the bolt in the past.John W.