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Prospector
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
3159 Posts

Initially Posted - 04/15/2009 : 18:24:55

You know those plugs to hide the screws in your teak? how do you get them out? If you drill them out, what size drill do you use to still have a taper after you've drilled.

To buy replacement plugs, do you have to know what size the originals were? Do you glue them in, or just pound them and let the taper hold?

This is so small and basic, I really feel like a dunce having to ask...

"Iris"
1984 FK/SR #4040
http://frosthaus.blogspot.com/

Take a minute to register your boat with the association!!
http://www.catalina-capri-25s.org/owner_questionnaire.htm

Edited by - on

Peregrine
Admiral

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830 Posts

Response Posted - 04/15/2009 : 18:46:28

Most likely the dowels are glued in so drilling is the only way to get them out cleanly.
I'm not so sure they are tapered and I don't think it is important to replace them with tapered plugs even if they are. They are just decorative.
Teak dowels are sold in 24" and 36" lengths. Teak plugs are sold but I would stay with the longer lengths.
Measure the plug first and only use a drill the size of plug you need, 1/4", 3/8 etc. that way the new plug will fit snugly. Drilling straight will help keep the hole from distorting.
When it is time to replace the plug cut it long, glue it, waterproof for exterior, carpenters glue is fine for below decks and tap it into the hole. Let it dry then cut it off flush with a sharp chisel or saw with fine teeth. Then sand and finish.

Is this a project you would want to share in the Tech Tips? If so take pictures and notes as you go.
Good luck

Edited by - Peregrine on 04/15/2009 18:51:16

Prospector
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
3159 Posts

Response Posted - 04/15/2009 : 18:52:30

Thanks Peregrine, its the handrails I am working on - been done so many times its hardly techtips worthy... I know I'll get lost in details though.

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delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 04/15/2009 : 19:06:30

Chris,
To get them out, you drill a small hole in the center, then drive a screw through the hole. The levering action of the threads will pop them out as the tip of the screw pushes against the top of the screw beneath the plug. Sometimes this doesn't work, so drill a hole a bit smaller in diameter than the plug and pick the rest of the bits out with a dentist's tool or something similar. Usually you don't have to do this.

You can quite easily make new ones with a plug cutter (Lee Valley sells them as do most hardware stores). Do yourself a favor & get a good set, as the teak is tough on tools. Don't try to make them with a hand held drill, you'll just end up writing your name all over the teak, it needs to be done on a drill press with the teak held firmly to the table. To separate them from the teak, bandsaw the teak to cut just at the bottom of the drilled plugs. If you don't have a bandsaw, you can make a paper joint between two pieces of wood, one the teak you're making plugs from, and a sacrificial one that you'll drill into. The paper joint is made with liquid hide glue because it's relatively easy to separate (which is why expensive string instruments are made with it). Just soak the two pieces in water for an hour or two & the joint will come apart leaving you with all your plugs separated from the sacrificial wood. If this didn't make sense, ping me in email & we can discuss it further over the phone.

To install, set the plug with appropriate glue, don't use foaming glue like Gorilla or other polyurethane glues as hydraulic action can force them right back out as the glue cures. Make sure you line up the grain so they disappear into the surrounding wood. Once the glue is dry, use a sharp chisel to cut the heads off, then sand to smooth out edges.

Voila.

Edited by - on

Tom Gauntt
Navigator

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204 Posts

Response Posted - 04/15/2009 : 19:19:00

I've been doing a lot of teak refinishing and repair this winter including removal and replacement of the bungs (or plugs) on several pieces. The easiest way I've found to remove them is to drill a small hole in the middle of the plug (1/16") and then drive a wood screw through the plug. The screw will bottom out on the head of the screw below and will then force the old plug out. To replace the plug, I simply cut my own with a plug cutter and a scrap of teak. Plug cutters are very common (I think my set is from Sears/Craftsman), are relatively cheap, and come in various sizes. Plus the plug cutter cuts a slight taper on the plug to make inserting a little easier. What I've done is take a small block of teak and cut two dozen plugs in it. As I need a new plug, I simply pop one out of the block, put a dab of glue on it, and tap it in the hole. Commercially cut are also readily available and are way cheaper than a plug cutting tool, I just happen to have a plug cutter from other woodworking projects. Once it has dried, I take an old sanding disk (the holes in a sanding disk are the same size as a typical plug), place it over the excess plug, use my fine tooth saw to trim, then either chisel and fine sand, or just fine sand. Once you do one, you get the hang really quick!

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Prospector
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
3159 Posts

Response Posted - 04/15/2009 : 19:26:37

The ONLY woodworking shop tool I have is a drill press (and it came from a machine shop...)

In any case, I think these are the plug cutters of which you speak:
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=32320&cat=1,180,42288

I actually have some scrap teak, and I think I can cut the plugs with my worksite type table saw. Otherwise, I'll have to find other more creative ways to get them out of the board.

Having read both methods, I'm feeling kinda confident I can do this, of course confidence is the first step toward utter humility. Maybe I'll try getting the plugs out tonight and give an update tomorrow.

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 04/15/2009 : 23:46:35

You can buy teak plugs (bungs) from WM and most other chandleries. WM has five diameters, and 10-15 plugs cost in the range of $4-$7.

When you put the new ones in, don't overdo the glue, and the screw methods described above will work nicely the next time. (Drill all the way down for the screw so it doesn't try to expand the plug too much.)

Edited by - on

Tom Gauntt
Navigator

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204 Posts

Response Posted - 04/16/2009 : 00:35:41

Chris,

That's the animal.

My set actually has matching brad point drill bits to go with the cutter. Makes it easy to mount any wood item that you want to plug the hole later.

Also, I cut the plugs in the teak, and then instead of cutting them out with a bandsaw or table saw, I simply insert a flat head screwdriver in the kerf and pop out a plug. Although the top is uneven, it really doesn't matter since I have to cut it down flush with the trim anyway.

Practice on a few pieces of scrap. After two or three, you'll be a pro!

Edited by - on

Prospector
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
3159 Posts

Response Posted - 04/17/2009 : 12:42:24

I pulled the plugs. It went not well. Full (gory) details are on my blog which is linked in my sig below.

Spoke with th efolks at rigging shoppe yesterday about gettin gnew handrails and they told me how to fix up the ones I have. Details to follow (next week.)

I am not a woodworker. I am beginning to believe that a woodworking course should be a prerequisite to boat ownership.

Edited by - on

Prospector
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
3159 Posts

Response Posted - 04/20/2009 : 06:59:28

Woo Hoo - All is well again.

I took my mangled grab rails to the Rigging Shoppe and they gave me detailed instructions to get them back in shipshape, despite my doubts. it was the cheapest trip I've ever made to a chandlery. $25 for a tube of 4200, some plugs, and new stainless bolts (The old ones were quite bent. Then it was home-again, home again, Jiggity jig.

A friend at the office had told me how glues up split wood, so I blended his advice with what I was told at the rigging shoppe:

1. Open the split with a small (electronics) screwdriver.
2. find a drill bit with a diameter close to how open you have the split, and use it as a wedge across the grain, to hold the split open.
3. Open the split a little more and roll the drill in further.
4. Mix some slow-cure epoxy.
5. Using a small, cheap paint brush, cover the split in epoxy, then angle the wood so the epoxy flows into the crack as much as possible (good end down, split opens to the top) and let the epoxy run into the depths of the split.
6. Give the epoxy a minute or two fill all th enooks and crannies, then pull the drill out of the split, and clamp the split shut.
7. let it sit until the epoxy cures (I waited overnight)
8. Sand off the excess.

Once the splits were fixed, I could find them, but SWMBO had a hard time locating them. I then coated with 4 coats of Cetol, and prepped the boat to receive the wood ( redrillin gholes, etc.)

The wood looks really good right now!

Edited by - on

Happy D
Admiral

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921 Posts

Response Posted - 04/20/2009 : 08:22:51

The way I fix cracks and splits in the wood is to take a piece of scrap teak and taper it down like a knife blade. When it is very thin and tapered like a knife and the same width as the split, I put a little glue on it and push it into the split. After that dries, I cut off the rest of the blade and sand it smooth. Invisible repairs.

Edited by - on

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