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Have you ever worked on something that required wood screws and for some reason, you decided to move to a larger woodscrew? If this plan works in the end, perfect! However, I have recently come across a situation where I needed to go back to the smaller screw. The problem is, after the larger screw was screwed in, it ate away all the wood that the smaller wood screw would need. Therefore, the hole was stripped for the smaller screw.

I did a little research and I found a solution! It’s not a perfect solution, but it is one that works. I also verified and reverified what I read because to me, it seemed crazy. But it did actually work. The answer may surprise you, TOOTHPICKS! This was the solution to my problem!

All you need are toothpicks, wood glue, an awl and a utility knife.

The idea is, you dip the toothpick(s) in glue and shove them in the hole you are needing to reduce in size. Stick as many in the hole as will fit. Even if it’s full and you can only get the tip of the toothpick in, do it. Let it dry for a few hours, to make sure a bond is formed. Take the utility knife and cut flush with your surface. Before you put the smaller screw into its new hole, take the awl and punch a small pilot hole. That’s it, you’re done!

This can be done with other materials, but the toothpicks were readily available and were a soft enough wood to match what I was putting the screw into. Another popular option out there are matchsticks. Make sure that if you’re screwing into a soft wood like pine, you use a material that is also soft. If you use a hardwood filler of any kind, it could cause the softer wood around it to crack.

Hope you find some use for this, I know I did when I had to utilize it!