If you do any work with drills and screws you know that it eventually happens, a stripped head. You know how it goes, driving the screw home and it binds up, slows down and then the bit slips and spins and chews up the head. So you go from a Philips cross to a rounded out hole. Usually it happens just before you get the screw seated. Its to close to the work to use vise grips on it and its not far enough into the wood to just leave it. So now what? Often trying to back it out just strips it the other way so now it doesn't go in or come out. Well there is an ideal Dremel fix for this.

Step 1: Enter the Dremel

Put the cutting wheel on your Dremel and use it to cut a slot into the messed up screw head.
Don't cut it to deep but deep enough so you can get a regular straight bladed screwdriver into it. It should be cut close to the middle but if its a little off don't worry about it. All you want to do is get this screw out, not make it look pretty. Avoid cutting into the wood if you can. And of course don't have anything flammable around when the sparks are flying.

Step 2: Remove the Problem

Now take a big bladed screwdriver and slowly power your screw out. You can use a power driver for this but often straight bits will slip out of the slot and you could end up damaging the wood. Once you get it up a little bit you can use your vise grips on it to take it the rest of the way or just continue on with your screwdriver.

Step 3: Frustration Free Replacement

Now you can drive a new screw in and seat it the way it should be. A nice and easy procedure and it prevents a lot of frustration, damaged wood and even mashed knuckles.

Step 4: Next Challenge

Another problem I have run into is with screws that have been puttied over. It looks great, not having those screw heads showing, but when you need to remove them for any reason it becomes a problem. Fortunately there is a Dremel solution to this also.

Step 5: Use the Burr

Install your carbide burr, the thing that looks like an oversized Dental drill. Use it to remove the filler over the top of the screw. If your trying to preserve the wood them cut carefully as this can take off, jump out of the hole and damage the wood.

Step 6: Clean the Screw Head

Dremel down until you hit the screw head. Polish up the top of the screw but don't try to get the putty out of the screw slots

Step 7: Now Get You Hammer.

Rather than trying to clean the slots in the screw out there is an easier way. Take your bit and your hammer and TAP the bit into the screw head. You will see it sink down into the slots and usually it tightens up the bit in the slots. Just add your drill to the bit and power out the screw. Fast, easy and makes it possible to salvage the wood rather than destroying it.

Another little frustration made better with a Dremel.