Shortening Small Screws
Trying not to drop 'em
Not long ago, when I was making my little hand tapper I needed some really short little set screws. Here's the shank of the tool, along with the shortened screw and the size I had on hand:
I knew I could simply grind off the ends, but these little guys are really hard to hang onto, so I hit on this idea for a way to get the job done easily and with a fair bit of precision. First, I took a small piece of steel the same thickness as the length I wanted for my set screws and threaded it to fit them:
Then I threaded a screw up through the plate so the head was flush with the surface:
Using the appropriate size hex key to keep it from rotating, I introduced the screw to my grinding wheel:
No problem to grind it flush with the plate, assuring me of the correct length:
Backing the screw out cleaned up the threads on the end, too.
Here, again, is the result: