Hard Luck Screen Door

Our rickety old screen door takes a lot of abuse from dogs, the kids and frankly us too. I thought I had fixed it last time but the new nails pulled out even though they were thicker than the flimsy little brads that I used the first time.

This time I went through our jar of old screws and pulled out 10 or so matching brass wood screws that were pulled from some rotten windows in a shack on the property. In the picture above you can see I drilled the frame, used my new countersink bit and screwed it back together.


This is the adjustable countersink bit. It creates a space for the screw head to end up flush with the surface. The collar around the outside can be adjusted to the right depth with a set screw at the base of the bit. Pretty handy tool.

Here is the repair in all it's glory. This state of things lasted about 1 week (I meant to post about it sooner).

Here is how I found the screen door at about 2:00 am night before last. That is the inside layer of hardware cloth ripped from the door frame on the ground. Our dog Moxie was worked up by something in the yard. The door latch is a spring loaded twist down kind of thing that I guess she must have inadvertently hit with her paw while bouncing against the door. Next she set to work trying to get through the screen door.

The most amazing thing to me is that the stuff on the ground is hardware cloth - it's tough, and she tore it to pieces with her teeth. In my half sleeping state I managed to step on pieces of it twice, both times puncturing my feet. (oh yeah, and we all have colds right now which is why we slept through so much of the commotion - fun)

The only explanation for Moxie's determination that I can think of is that it must have been one of her arch enemies: a raccoon. Raccoons and tree squirrels are only visiting fauna she hasn't added to her trophy list. (coyotes don't come into the yard).


In this picture you can see that she was gnawing through the door by the time I got there but the screws I had added just a few days prior held. If I hadn't done the repair who knows what might have happened.

I guess I know what I'll be doing next weekend.

Previously:
Fixin' it Good
Window Repair