How to Remove Wood Glued Inside a Hole Saw

Table of Contents:

You Will Need
Steps to Remove the Wood
Additional Tips

Nola said, “I drilled a hole through foam core board and on through a piece of wood 3/4″ thick with a small circle saw ( like you use to drill a hole for a doorknob).. The foam core had glue in it and now the piece of wood is glued in the saw. I can’t get the wood out. How can I dissolve the glue to remove the wood circle?”

The best way to soften the glue so that the wood can be removed is to use heat. If you use chemicals, you’ll need to soak the glue for several minutes, possibly much longer, and if it soaks too long, the liquid could cause the wood to swell, making it more difficult to remove or possibly even damaging the saw. Follow the steps below to remove the wood.

You Will Need:

A screw
A drill
A hair dryer
A bowl
Warm water
Chemical gloves
A chemical solvent:
- Acetone
- Denatured alcohol
- Hydrogen peroxide (the regular kind, 3%)
Tape
A razor blade, sandpaper or steel wool
Soap

Steps to Remove the Wood:

First, ensure that you can grip the wood so you can pull it out once the glue is soft. An easy way to do this is by partially drilling one or two small screws into it.
Point a hair dryer at the hole saw, holding it a few inches away and moving it around at a steady pace to evenly apply heat to all sides of the saw.
Pull on the screw every few minutes to determine if the glue has softened. When possible, pull out the wood.
If heat is not an option or if it’s not working, another option is to use a chemical solvent. To do so, first remove the hole saw bit from the drill.
Put on chemical gloves, then carefully pour your selected solvent (acetone, denatured alcohol or peroxide) along the edges of the wood so it seeps between the wood and the saw. If your saw piece is plastic, do not use acetone.
Hold the saw bit upright to keep the liquid in it. If you find that it seeps out the bottom, cover the base with some tape. Add more liquid as needed; it will only work to dissolve the glue as long as it is wet.
If you can’t get enough of the liquid into the seams, you will need to soak the entire thing. First, try soaking it in warm water only.
Check the progress every few minutes by pulling on the screws.
If the warm water doesn’t seem to be working, soak the saw bit in your selected chemical solvent.
Check the progress every few minutes by pulling on the screws.
Once the wood is removed, carefully scrape out any remaining glue inside the saw bit with a razor blade. You can also sand out the remaining glue with some sandpaper or steel wool if needed.
Wash the saw piece thoroughly with soap to remove any chemical residue before using it again.

Additional Tips:

If you don’t have denatured alcohol on hand, you can try using isopropyl alcohol instead.
There are commercial superglue removers you can buy that also might work, such as Goof Off or Un-Cure.