It’s not uncommon to have to shorten a machine screw, bolt, or other threaded fastener. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to secure the fastener in a vise in order to hacksaw it to length. My solution is to drill a hole in a scrap board using a bit whose diameter exactly matches the outside diameter of the fastener threads. I clamp this “holder board” in my vise, slip the fastener through it, and hold its head while sawing the shank to desired length.
—Alejandro Balbis, Longueuil, Quebec
