Drill bit cutter fitted with a threaded member

A method for maintaining a drill bit used for drilling a subterranean well, the method including:

• positioning a base end of a cutter within a recess of a drill bit body of the drill bit, where:
• an initial edge of a forward end face of the cutter is positioned at a first location that is a radially outward location relative to a blade of the drill bit, the forward end face of the cutter being an end opposite the base end of the cutter;
• the recess of the drill bit includes a recess profile that includes a radial profile shoulder that extends in a circumferential direction;
• the cutter has a cutter profile that includes a radial cutter shoulder that extends in a circumferential direction;
• and
• the base end of the cutter is positioned so that the radial profile shoulder engages the radial cutter shoulder to prevent relative axial movement between the cutter and the recess of the drill bit;
• rotating a threaded member that extends through a central bore of the cutter in a first direction so that an inner end of the threaded member moves in a direction into a hole of the recess of the drill bit, releasably securing the cutter to the drill bit;
• drilling the subterranean well with the drill bit;
• rotating the threaded member in a second direction so that the inner end of the threaded member moves in a direction out of the hole of the recess of the drill bit, where the threaded member remains in threaded engagement with the hole of the recess of the drill bit;
• rotating the cutter relative to the recess of the drill bit so that the initial edge of the forward end face of the cutter is positioned at a second location that is rotationally offset about an axis of the central bore of the cutter from the first location, where the radial profile shoulder remains engaged with the radial cutter shoulder, preventing relative axial movement between the cutter and the recess of the drill bit as the cutter is rotated;
• rotating the threaded member in the first direction so that the inner end of the threaded member moves in the direction into the hole of the recess of the drill bit, releasably re-securing the cutter to the drill bit to form a maintained drill bit, where the threaded member rotates relative to the central bore of the cutter;
• and
• drilling the subterranean well with the maintained drill bit.

A system for maintaining a drill bit used for drilling a subterranean well, the system including:

• a cutter having a base end located within a recess of a drill bit body of the drill bit so that an initial edge of a forward end face of the cutter is positioned at a first location that is a radially outward location relative to a central axis of the drill bit, where the forward end face of the cutter is an end opposite the base end of the cutter;
• a threaded member extending through a central bore of the cutter, where the threaded member is operable to be rotated the in a first direction so that an inner end of the threaded member moves in a direction into a hole of the recess of the drill bit, releasably securing the cutter to the drill bit, and operable to be rotated in a second direction so that the inner end of the threaded member moves in a direction out of the hole of the recess of the drill bit;
• where
• the recess of the drill bit includes a recess profile that has a radial profile shoulder that extends in a circumferential direction;
• the cutter has a cutter profile that includes a radial cutter shoulder that extends in a circumferential direction;
• the base end of the cutter is positioned so that the radial profile shoulder engages the radial cutter shoulder to prevent relative axial movement between the cutter and the recess of the drill bit;
• and
• the cutter is rotatable relative to the recess of the drill bit so that the initial edge of the forward end face of the cutter is positioned at a second location that is rotationally offset about an axis of the central bore of the cutter from the first location to form a maintained drill bit, where the radial profile shoulder remains engaged with the radial cutter shoulder during rotation of the cutter, preventing relative axial movement between the cutter and the recess of the drill bit as the cutter is rotated.