How to Remove Wood Bolts

Bolts used to hold wood to steel or wood to wood don't vary compared to other bolts. A bolt pushed through a wood hole has a nut on the other side that allows a wood worker to tighten pieces of wood together. For aesthetic reasons, these bolts often are countersunk. This means that the heads and nuts are fastened beneath the surface of the wood. The hole in which the nuts and bolts sink has enough space for a socket wrench to tighten them down.

2 sockets
2 socket wrench extensions
2 socket wrenches
Narrow center punch
Hammer
Pliers

Instructions

- 1
  Place a socket over the head of the bolt. Try different sizes until you get the right socket.
- 2
  Push a socket extension into the socket drive.
- 3
  Place a socket over the nut side of the bolt. Insert a socket extension if necessary.
- 4
  Place socket wrenches into the drives of the socket extensions.
- 5
  Hold the socket wrench on the bolt head stationary.
- 6
  Turn the socket wrench on the nut head counterclockwise to undo the nut. Continue ratcheting until you can grab the nut with your fingers. Thread the nut off with your finger tips.
- 7
  Place a narrow center punch on the threaded end of the bolt and tap the center punch with a hammer. Tap until the head of the bolt can be grabbed with your fingers.
- 8
  Pull the bolt out of the hole. If you can't get it out with your fingers, grip it with a pair of pliers and pull it out.

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