From rust, to t-nuts

[craig9]

Hi folks,

Here's my latest mini project, making some T-nuts from this extremely rusty bar of scrap steel:

Thanks!
Craig

[DIYer]

Thanks craig9! We've added your T-Nuts to our Machining category,
as well as to your builder page: craig9's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

T-Nuts by craig9

tags: fasteners

[WmRMeyers]

Hi folks,

Here's my latest mini project, making some T-nuts from this extremely rusty bar of scrap steel:

Thanks!
Craig

Not exactly sure why, but I love watching people make T-nuts! Nicely done!

Bill

[mklotz]

Not exactly sure why, but I love watching people make T-nuts! Nicely done!

Bill

Yes, nicely machined. However, someone needs to tell him that one never taps T-nuts all the way through. If you do and then by accident tighten a bolt through to the point where it bottoms out in the slot and begins to lift the nut against the lips of the slot, you can break the lips out of the table.

A recovery is possible. If he damages the threads near the bottom of the nut so a bolt won't thread through he'll be safe. I'm not sure what the best tool to do that is. First thought is a cold chisel but what do I know?

[WmRMeyers]

Yes, nicely machined. However, someone needs to tell him that one never taps T-nuts all the way through. If you do and then by accident tighten a bolt through to the point where it bottoms out in the slot and begins to lift the nut against the lips of the slot, you can break the lips out of the table.

A recovery is possible. If he damages the threads near the bottom of the nut so a bolt won't thread through he'll be safe. I'm not sure what the best tool to do that is. First thought is a cold chisel but what do I know?

I was taught (from a YouTube video) that you do tap through, and then deform the exit threads to prevent the screw bottoming out and breaking out the t-slot. Method suggested was putting the T-nut in a vise or arbor press with a steel ball bearing slightly larger than the root of the threads, and clamping down on it to get the deformation desired. I cannot swear that is the best way to do it, but seems pretty good to me. Wish I could tell you whose video it was, but that was over a dozen years ago, IIRC. I didn't start subscribing or bookmarking videos until a while after that.

Bill

[mklotz]

I was taught (from a YouTube video) that you do tap through, and then deform the exit threads to prevent the screw bottoming out and breaking out the t-slot. Method suggested was putting the T-nut in a vise or arbor press with a steel ball bearing slightly larger than the root of the threads, and clamping down on it to get the deformation desired. I cannot swear that is the best way to do it, but seems pretty good to me. Wish I could tell you whose video it was, but that was over a dozen years ago, IIRC. I didn't start subscribing or bookmarking videos until a while after that.

Bill

I've never liked the idea of deforming the threads. With good threads to push against, it's too easy for the bolt to break through the deformation if the simian powering the wrench gets excited.

Having an area with no threads at all forces the bolt to cut new threads to get through. Not impossible with some apes but a lot more difficult.

Regardless, a T-nut should never have threads like a conventional nut.