Stepped Screw Plate
© Frank Ford 2005; Photos by FF
Before cleaning up after I finish a small project, I try to find time to make a small improvement in my shop - a tool holder, or a fixture, or whatever. Today's item was a little device for shortening cap screws. I keep a fair number of them around, but often enough I need to saw a few to a particular length, so I made up this little device.
It's just a piece of cold rolled steel I milled with steps at 1/4", 3/8", 1/2", 5/8" and 3/4".
Then I drilled and tapped each step with the screw sizes I use most often, #10, 1/4" and 5/16" both NC and NF:
Now, to shorten a screw to a convenient size, I simply thread it into the plate:
And, hack it off using the plate as a guide:
Backing the screw out straightens that last thread so most of the time I don't need to clean it up at all:
