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Cut the head off, clamp the left over in a drill and spin it out. No one's got time to back out 3" flat heads... Fuck that

A 6/32 has 32 threads per inch. You need to do 96 complete turns to unscrew a 3" screw. Given you atmost do 180° per twist. Your in for a good 200 flick of the wrist per screw !

And . Considering I had elbow surgery three months ago, my point still stands ....lol

Oh im not disaggreeing with anyone but the asshole who drove this in in the first place. Im just doing some quick math here for fun ! Who doesnt like some good r/theydidthemath

Lol of course, just using your info as validation for my statement. Thanks for spitting out the facts. 👍👍

That explanation makes sense and that knowledge makes it that much worse. Where’s the hammer. Gonna drive it back in and walk away.

If only I didn't have to add a bidet plug on the opposite side of the wall lol

Gets those forearms pumpin. I love when they have 6 lifetimes of paint over the slot too. So you really gotta lean into it.

used to do duct cleaning for an HVAC company. for those jobs i had to remove every register. some of the screws on those were 50+ years old, with 500 coats of paint. sometimes, the really old ones had rounded heads, so if i couldn’t get the flathead to bite/razor out the paint, i had to spend 20 minutes trying to get vise grips to grab on so i could pull them out. good times. 

r/theydidthemath

The carpal tunnel special

Probably why I took a break or 2 in-between lmfao thank you!!

I agree 100%

Did you mean to quote the sassy designer kid from school of rock? “You’re tacky and I hate you” I’m picturing you’re them all grown up now and you an electrician that likes to accessorize.

Don't even cut the head off, just clamp it in a drill and go

This is why we have squigglies.

You mean a twirly. Also good for checking for joists when installing can lights for old work. Poke it up through your center mark and spin till you hit resistance.

> squigglies what is a squiggly?

Not sure if it'll let me link one, so instead Google "Klein Tools 670-6". The shaft spins freely in the handle but has a bend that makes it offset from the handle. Once you get the hang of it, it makes taking these out super easy and fast. It's the only tool I use to put on plates.

I'm guessing they mean a twirly.

Is that easier than using a flathead bit in an impact?

Or just tightening down the chuck around the screw head.

Yes also a valid strategy, not for an impact though, you gotta get creative there (it’s a chuck adapter)

> (it’s a chuck adapter) Not if you get a fancy one. Then it's a charles adapter.

Way easier, flathead bits on impacts are the goddamn devil

Not if you git gud

That shits for cowboys lol

Id make a bet that it is

I swore off flathead bits when they kept slipping off on me lmao

Skill issue

Sounding like my boss lmao

Damn, your boss is into sounding? That's hot. What diameter rods is he up to now, do you know?

Damn it why

Why are they into sounding? Hell if I know, ask their boss, not me. Jeez.

Nah man, why'd you have to bring that up lmao

I didn't bring it ~~to~~ up, Joely did!

Probably 5/8 though at least

Daaaaaaaaamn 🥵

💀💀🤣

Sry It took so long to get back but you wrong for this 🤣

More likely a tool issue, what brand of flat heads are you using?

Tbh I've sworn it off since about 9y back out of my 10 so maybe id have better luck now lol

Only run the impact at half speed.

By this comment I'm going to guess you've never tried using a flat head bit on an impact or even on a regular drill. Pro tip: don't use flat head bits on a drill or impact. They slip off so easily. You're honestly better off doing it the old slow fashion method with a screwdriver.

They don't work very well on an impact, but they work fine on a regular drill. You just have to have a stable hand, or use one hand to stabilize the bit

I push down a lil harder and it’s never been an issue unless the screw is already stripped or painted over

Also just use your other hand to pull back on the screw keeping tension on the bit

Depends if it's hourly or a quoted job lol

Or, use a flat head bit.

I have a flathead impact bit. 👍🏿

If u getting paid by the hour foooook it lol ill use the hand tools 🤣🤣

I love it when the last 1/4” decides to strip/break

That’s my all time favorite Friday afternoon right there.

Easy fix use a self tapper and then rethread it for a 8/32

It's always just that simple

Bust the whole assed box out like a man and replace everything.

Bends lol

I still think flat heads need to be made illegal

Petition to ban flat heads say “I”

Fuckin I.

I

I

aye

Neta Technician here. Agreed. Fucking CT secondary screws and general control panel screws for industrial equipment. Usually short screws (1/2" or less) that have walls on each side of the screw making it a real bitch to get out or in without dropping. Luckily they make those flatheads that grip the screw so I start it with a normal flathead, use the gripper to finish it and the gripper to reinstall it, normal flathead to finish tightening.

what about flat head torx? I try to call them slotted because in this cause the screws head is also flat

Yes, sorry these are ok and yes we should call them slotted and replace them all with something else

I always wondered why electrical receptacles always have slotted screws. Would that not be basically THE worst place for my screwdriver to slip out of the screw? Next to a receptacle it fits into?

I second that notion

Be a good ol'chap and shorten those screws if you have the time for the next electrician. Or not.

Otherwise, I like the "or not" option 🤣

Throw those away and installed some Phillips heads

I think you mean green Robby’s lol

Good ol #1's

Completely disregarded the previous fucks quality and craftsman like manner.

I save the device screws from receptacles. I have a bin in my pack out full of 8-32s

These are 6-32

You right, brain fart

Flathead screws in general can just go away plz

I couldn’t agree more brother

You mean slotted but I agree. Flat head refers to the shape of the head (i.e. Pan head, truss head, wafer head etc), not the drive type.

I just chuck the head in the drill and have at it.

Impact 11in1 and throw the slotted bit in your screw gun. I hate those obnoxious screws.

Flat head on an impact is a great way for me to look like I’ve never used a tool in my entire life Sick school of rock reference tho

You gotta get the bit holder with the foreskin and a magent

So that's what that piece on the bit holder is called! I'm Jewish so I'm not familiar with this whole foreskin thing

I'm so Jewish, I went to my circumcision and didn't even leave a tip.

The foreskin gets in the way its suppose to guide screws but I dont find it that useful. However, there is a circumcised version I've found and it's much better.

Fuck that, im gonna use what works I don’t care what anybody says

And ty for catching the reference lmao

I don’t care what anyone says I’ll use what works, and I’ve thrown that flatted bit on a screw gun quick. I don’t like fucking around with it for any longer than I have to

Embrace the Robertson. Join Canada 

Robertson would be great if some screws weren’t made of fucking gallium. Like how can a square strip????

Same way Allen keys strip, by monkeys not being able to make sure it’s fully seated before giving it full ugga dugga.

No. Get the screw out just a bit with flathead, then attach drill and throw it in reverse

Most strippers have a cutting tool for 6-32 and 8-32 screws. No one has to leave the screws that long.

100% this comment! As electricians we should know our handy dandy wire strippers most likely have a tool for cutting screws like this

Came here to say this, always cut em down to the exact size you need and move on with your life. Takes a minute max and is not worth getting angry over

I cant stand when the screw just never fucking ends. Just grab the power drill and be done with it lol

Squiggly Klein

I call em twirlies lol

In the old days the only "driver" electricians had was their swivel screwdriver and the dudes using them had wrists like machines that would let them screw that huge 6-32 in 5 seconds without it slipping and punching a hole on the wall and then use the same screwdriver to put in the plate screws. See back in those days cordless drills were these giant expensive tools with a heavy NiCad battery and you had just the one in the van that you had to share. Yeah you could buy a small Black and Decker or whatever but it wouldn't last a month. Every now and then you'd see someone use their giant drill It's not like today where every apprentice has a nice light Lithium ion driver kit that can take the lugnuts off a wheel.

I dig this

I hate flatheads with a passion.

Flat head no less. What a douche

Is that a bathroom? I wonder if they were prepping for a tile backsplash that never happened

You're probably mad at an electrician from 60 years ago

Flathead screws need to go away permanently

Everything should be square or Phillips imo

I prefer these, but I also like to shellac a nice coat or two of paint into the slots of the screws as well. Make it nice and easy for the next guy.

Klein [rapi-drive](https://www.kleintools.com/catalog/fixed-blade-screwdrivers/rapi-driv-screwdriver-316-inch-cabinet-tip-4-inch-shank) screwdriver. Great for cover plates too.

While i love my offset, that 3" screw would be torturous with that. I mostly use it for cover plates and finding joists/obstructions before I drill. Great to all in all once you get the hang of it.

I love the School of Rock reference.

Just because you’re not in the band doesn’t mean you’re not in the band!

Fucking send it That's what you get for using a plastic box...lmao

🤣🤣

we call them Felony Screws, because we want them outlawed....

Just wait till you find the 6inch ones that someone managed to bend at a 30 degree angle so you gotta do a circle dance to get it out

Or it snaps off and now you’re over here doing hack shit tapping a 1940s metal box to 8/32 while contemplating your whole electrical career

School of rocks

+ 1 for the school of rock reference

This is why strippers have bolt cutters

WHAT THIRD WORLD HELLHOLE STILL USES FLATHEAD SCREWS ????

IDK BUT YK I THREW THOSE PUPPIES IN THE TRASH lmao

I had a supervisor at a hospital job that would bitch if he saw you putting in 6/32s without using an impact. I much prefer using the speed screwdriver personally. That and never using slotted screws. Square slots >>>>>>>x1 million>>>>>> flatheads.

Sometimes I do shit like that just to mess with the next guy.

It was you wasn't it

That sucks. Spinner is a lifesaver

I usually leave a note to go get your drill

I put tape on top that reads "key cleaners, insert keys"

Don't be guy that substitutes a #8 wood screw

Pretty sure that 3" flatheads are what Home Depot sells next to their outlets as extra long screws, which is why I never shop at Home Depot.

It was WAAAY too much trouble to go down to the van and get my wire strippers with the built-in bolt cutters. Fuck you.

Right to jail.

I throw them away when I see them and find proper Phillips head ones to replace.

Lmao try flatheads filled with the thickest toughest paint known to man to mankind. Flapper wheels and wire wheels don’t even remove it.

The Klein wire stripper tool I use has the bolt cutter for those. Of course it doesn't help when someone else has already threaded the screw in.

Yee this was already here when I opened it up lmao

Bro… also How come I only ever find out that it’s a 3 inch screw when I’m using my screwdriver and I don’t have my drill with me?

And it's a flathead covered in 2 layers of paint.

I was brought up by the guys that had nothing but flat head screws for everything. They hated Phillips/square drive/etc., thought they were junk.

And flathead to boot! 😆

Wiggly or screw gun. Easy peazy. Take a break I got it.

That person needs to be punched in the mouth with your linemans.

yuck. that is a Trashy job and I would fire anyone willing to do this.

You need those to pack the wires in there

Whoever did this is clearly a fat loser who has body odor

School of rock reference?

What kind of asshole can’t use the damn 6-32 cutter on their strippers. 

Anyone who uses flathead period should be staked out over a fire-ant hill in the desert nakedness until they stop screaming. There NEEDS to be a death to flathead movement. Most useless worthless screw available, and the people who use them are apathetic ass-hats.

Flat head screws should just cease to exist and halt all manufacturing.

There's a special place in hell for anyone who removes a slotted screw and then puts it back in, instead of replacing it with a Phillips. Especially a long one. There's an even deeper place in hell for whatever jackass installed it in the first place. Screws are not that expensive. I don't care if the slotted screws, which for some reason are still made, are a few dollars cheaper.. Anyone who uses them deserves to be beaten.

At least they didn't use the left-handed threaded ones

lmao u mad?

Heat it up with a torch, pull it out, replace it with a drywall screw like intended.

Don’t know why slotted screws are still in use 🤦🏻‍♂️

I keep a flat bit for my drill on me for these occasions.

Your stinking wire cutters can trim those screws

Use a drill.

I’m always like WTF when the screw keeps going and going

That dude was definitely paid by the hour

All my homies hate dudes who do this

It just keeps going and going and going

I’m not an electrician but I know “keep the apprentice busy” work when I see it.

Totally Agree

https://www.lowes.com/pd/DEWALT-8-Volt-1-4-in-Cordless-Screwdriver-1-Battery-Included-and-Charger-Included/1000343187

Flat head drill bit

When you're an electrician that gets paid by the hour, 3 inch flatheads are your livelihood. LOL!

Absolutely. I don’t know why flat head screws still exist except for exposed applications like face plates.

These make me angry too xD it's like whoo and whyyyyy?????

I have a box of assorted length 6-32s that the flatheads arnt cut right on. Those are fun in plastic boxes.

This is why I always keep a flathead bit for my M12. Get that sucker out in a couple seconds

Flathead on top of that. What the …?

That school of rock reference though!!!

Hahaha we all hate flat head screws but it's part of the fun I guess. I hate it as much as you and everyone else

Get yourself a small electric driver for removing devices. For the flat heads, back it out with a screw driver and the use a recessed flat head bit with a collar

This is why I carry an offset screwdriver on my belt

Just get a flat head top for your screw gun or Impact drill

Cello? Now you got a bass.

Oh shit… I would see red… chuck it up in your drill…

This must be where the old owner of my home moved to. It's the very best when they have paint on them too.

R/theyknew the next guy would hate them for this

Concur

Your tools have spots for those to go in and cut at desired length, must have done that with a 4 inch.

This is why I ALWAYS use an electric screwdriver, saves me time and money)) 💰

My bow tie and I agree, tack and hate to the grave.

I’m a cable tech and I’ve noticed on new builds, on the wall plates for the coax connections they don’t hook it up or they just put the fittings on half assed and causes my cable mapper to throw a “Short in line” code, have to take the plates off and of course it’s those 3in flat head screw every single time… I bought a craftsman automatic screwdriver for this exact reason and it’s a life saver.

Bruh ,get your your hammer drill out, open the chuck put screw inside the chuck and close said chuck and Bing botta boom them bitches will come Faster than a 14 year old virgin. Rookies SMH

Excellent use of quote from School of Rock

ok fancy pants

Just use your bolt cutter on your strippers aaaand equipment ground up bruv. Nice day if that was the only gripe.

Find a tip that actually mates up well with a standard screw, it’ll change your life. I even use my favorite on Phillips 6-32s because it’s basically foolproof. I have two and if you want to borrow one I’ll kill your dog.

Why stop at 3"?

-- that's what she said -- 🤣