Help! Broke a drill bit inside my rafter. How to get it out?

[badutahboy]

Thanks for the suggestions folks. Here's what we did to repair:

We took a dremel and drilled the hole a bit bigger at the roof, through the OSB sheeting (about 3/8" total diameter). As I suspected, the bit broke off above the rafter, so we were able to get a pair of needle nose pliers on it. It was jammed well enough that the needle nose pliers bent before the bit came free, so we expanded the hole a little more (to about 1/2") and got a pair of high leverage pliers on the end, and it popped right out. Finished drilling the hole with a new bit (and a lot more caution), filled the entire 1/2" hole with sealant, put a double loop of sealant on the flashing, and set the mount.

Here's a couple pics, in case they're useful to anyone in the future:

IMG_20170415_114150.jpg
IMG_20170415_114254.jpg
IMG_20170415_120248.jpg

[sdold]

Get a 1" or so hole saw. Cut out a hole in just the OSB sheathing so that it encompasses the broken off bit. Remove the plug and you should have good access to the top of the broken bit. Take a pair of vice grips and clamp on the thing and back it out.

This is a good method and what I would have tried if all else failed, so the hole could be plugged with a round plug. It's a little trickier using a hole saw without the pilot bit, but doable.

[Sunking]

This is a good method and what I would have tried if all else failed, so the hole could be plugged with a round plug. It's a little trickier using a hole saw without the pilot bit, but doable.

Hey Green Mafia how are you?

73's

[sdold]

Hey Green Mafia how are you?

Good! I just bought a pallet of harbor freight panels and pretty soon I'll be off the grid and living on Easy Street, soon as I can figure out how to wire them into the AC. Scored a ton of old UPS batteries too, for just over half the cost of new. All I had to do was rent a truck and pick them up where the guy was installing new ones. I don't like to talk about how smart I am, but if you spread the word,that you're looking for a deal, sometimes guys remember you when a good deal comes along.