Alright, fess up...who here has bought knobs at Hobby Lobby, TJMaxx, Ross, World Market...and then gotten frustrated when you realized the screws are about 4,000 inches too long. 😆 Typically if you get knobs from Lowe's or Home Depot, the knob itself has the recess and a screw goes into it. You'll usually have two different length screws that come with your knob and about 95% of the time, one will fit your drawer perfectly. (On those rare occasions that you still have an eighth of an inch overhang, adding a washer or two will do the trick!)
But for all of us who love painted, ceramic, porcelain, glass, or wooden knobs, then Lowe's or Home Depot just won't cut it. There are plenty of places to buy gorgeous knobs for a steal, but they do come at a cost...those dreaded LOOOOOONG screws that are attached right to the knob itself. In the past, I've used a Dremel to try to saw the excess off, while desperately trying to not cut off my fingers. I've also used comically gigantic bolt cutters to snip off the end...and when I say comically gigantic, I mean it. I had bolt cutters that we bought to cut a truck's tie rod in half...these things were like 3 feet long. Talk about overkill for a teeny little drawer knob screw. Not only are both of these approaches dangerous, but they also usually result in the knob falling to the surface below, which, if you are cutting the screw off a breakable knob...well, having it go crashing to the ground is the last thing you want.
Guess what? None of that, including all the danger that accompanies it, is necessary. Go run to your toolbox and grab your wire strippers. Right now. Seriously, I'll wait.
Got them? Ok, now look at the holes in the center...yeah, the holes that say "Insert screw". Yep, that's a screw cutter. Open the handles a little bit to line up the holes, find the one that fits your screw, pop it in there, and squeeeeeeze. It takes a little muscle, but in a few seconds, the pressure will give way and the excess chunk of the screw will fall out. Your delicate knob will still be safely attached to the tool until you unscrew it. Clean up the end of your no shorter screw with a metal file, pinch it with some pliers, or even just screw it in and out of the tool a few times to get it nicely rethreaded. That's it. Easy, peasy.
If your wire strippers don't have this fancy screw cutting option? Or if your toolbox is lacking altogether? No worries. This little lifesaver costs less than ten bucks. (And as a bonus, it also does a bunch of other helpful stuff)
Need the wire stripper / screw cutter? You can find one here amzn.to/3cBIyhK (Affiliate links don't cost you a penny, but help my small business in huge ways! Thank you!)
29 сен 2024
