Problem with stuck nuts on bolts....?

Question

today i bought an old store table from Dollar General in hopes of turning it into a cage for my lizard....i is perfect for what i have in mind except it has four crude metal legs on the bottom....they are icky so i planned on taking them of.....they are attached with basic nuts and bolts (four to each leg) the top of the bolts are flat....i have gotten one leg off and two bolts out of the other three the remaining bolts though are really hard to unscrew...they are flat instead of phillips or flat head so i am reduced to removing the nuts and everytime i try no matter what i use the bolts spin with the nuts and no progress is made....does anyone have any simple suggestions? im not about to go spend a lot of money just to get the stupid legs off a 5 dollar table but anything i can do with household items???? PLEASE its taken me about two hours to do what i have and i am not gonna quit please help

Answer 1

Take either a flat bar or large flat head screw driver and force it in between the 2 pieces of metal that the bolt is going through and apply pressure by tilting the bar or screw driver as you turn the nut with a wrench counter clockwise. The pressure that you apply will hold the head of the Lag bolt in place so that you can start turning of the nut. After you get the nut turning a few times remove the bar or screw driver and try to lock onto the head of the lag bolt with vice grips or pliers to hold it so that you can completely remove the nut. If the head of the bolt i big enough to get the jaws of a vice grip or pliers to lock onto then forget prying to apply pressure.
If the above is not an option then you must resort to drilling the screw head off. Lock the nut with a box wrench or pliers so that it will not spin. Start with a 3/32"" metal cutting drill bit and start drilling into the center of the bolt head about 1/4" deep. Next replace the bit with a 3/16" and drill using the first hole as a pilot. Push the table leg gently to see if the screw head will snap off. If not drill a little deeper. Good luck.

Answer 2

You say they are "flat instead of Phillip’s or flat head"
What's the difference between flat & flat head?
If they have oval heads they're called carriage bolts in which case you can’t hold on to them.
Anyway, all that aside my suggestions would be;

1. If you haven’t tried WD-40, do so. (It probably won’t work)

2. Hold onto the nut with a pair of pliers and drill dead center in the head with a drill bit that’s just a little bigger than the shank of the bolt. When you have drilled through the head and down to the shank the head will fall off.

Good luck,
Bruce

Answer 3

I assume you have tried wd40 and all that stuff!
the saw idea is a good one if you can get the saw in position to saw the bolt.
you may also be able to carefully drill the bolt out, hold the nut with a wrench or pliers to prevent it turning while you drill out the bolt.

If the cabinet is metal you can also have a local welding repair shop cut the nuts of using a cutting torch.

Answer 4

so i would probably get an angle grinder, cut it as close as i can to the knuckle so you don't have to beat the threads through, and then get a nice thick punch and whack the crap out of it with a hammer. Drilling might be an issue because you wont want to scar up the inside of the knuckle. Also, make sure there's no weight from the car on it. What i would do is lift the car so the wheels off the ground throw some jack stands under it, and then put your jack under your tire and lightly lift up on it so it frees up any weight on that bolt. Good luck!

Answer 5

Use two wrenches or a wrench and a pliers. Hold the screw with one and turn with the other. Spray a little W-D 40 to make the bolt move a little easier, or put a little vegetable oil on it.

Answer 6

Try using some deep penetrating oil, or WD40, then use a nut driver to hole the nut in place while you try to unscrew the bolt

Answer 7

Go get a can of good penetrating oil and spray it on the nuts.
Let it sit for a few minuettes and then try.
If that does not work then you might have to get a torch and heat them so the metal will get cherry and expand.
Remove while hot.

Answer 8

find guy who likes home cooked meals invite to dinner and while he's waiting, of course it took a Little more prep time than expected, You say well if you wouldn't care doing me a big favor while were waiting on dinner.....get the picture. and if your smart you have him over with a honey do list every now and then. Handy men make good best friend.

Answer 9

spray WD40 on nut wait a minute hold nut with adjustable wrench or pliers turn screw with screwdriver

Answer 10

Try spraying WD-40.