insert t nuts

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mhtplsh

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#1
When making big subwoofer cabinets t nuts & insert nuts r used.
HI hv attached the picture of the 3 different type of inserts used in box making.
Which is better among this?
 

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#2
I would expect all of these to work adequately.
The two with the 4tang arrangement may need pilot holes if the board is particularly hard. Some grades of MDF (HDF?) seem to always bend the tangs.

All of them are inserted from the back and very effectively clamp the board between Tnut and driver frame.
 
#5
mhtplsh said:
When making big subwoofer cabinets t nuts & insert nuts r used.
HI hv attached the picture of the 3 different type of inserts used in box making.
Which is better among this?
Click to expand...


All three could work, but as said the tangs can bend over. The kind in the middle is my preferred type, but I augment the holding power by putting a drop of epoxy in the hole before press fitting the insert nut.

I don't like the screw in kind (not shown) because they never go in orthogonal to the work piece without setting up a jig and using the drill press to screw them in. Which...is annoying.

-Scott
 
#7
Re: Re: insert t nuts

SpeakerScott said:



All three could work, but as said the tangs can bend over. The kind in the middle is my preferred type, but I augment the holding power by putting a drop of epoxy in the hole before press fitting the insert nut.
Click to expand...

We use the ones in the middle -- "thickified" epoxy or cyano-acrylate adhesive with poly fibers in it works extremely well. The CA can cure almost instantly.
 
#8
Hi

I would expect them all to work.

However in practice I use a nut with a plastic insert and glue that to the cabinet. If I can not use that I use a very small amount of car gasket compound and add it to the bolt thread to stop the nuts working loose with use.

Don
 
#10
The one in the is not actually a t-nut, it is called a threaded insert. These are more reliable than a t-nut. I'll only use a t-nut in an application where i can get at both sides without removing the device it is holding (only 1 experience with having to find a way to remove a driver after the t-nut spins loose was convincement enuff)

When installing these i use 1 or more sacrificial bolts & some washers to slowly pull the t-nut or threaded insert into position. This ensures a square fit and a more secure installation.

dave
 
#11
planet10 said:
The one in the is not actually a t-nut, it is called a threaded insert. These are more reliable than a t-nut. I'll only use a t-nut in an application where i can get at both sides without removing the device it is holding (only 1 experience with having to find a way to remove a driver after the t-nut spins loose was convincement enuff)
Click to expand...

You can also use a wood screw (pan-head, etc.) overlapping a corner of the T-nut to hold it in from the inside.

Simpler just to use the threaded insert.
 
#13
I've said this elsewhere, but I'm willing to risk boring Planet10 and other knowledgeable folk (it won't be the first time 😀 ) so I'll repeat it here.

If you use something solid like baltic birch for your panel, you can drill and tap it directly; add insurance by painting the threads with a bit of thin epoxy and re-tap to clean it up.

Advantages: cheap, effective, no metal in there to wreck your router bit if you chamfer later, no t-nuts to buy or come loose.

Disadvantages: time-consuming (both to do and in waiting for the epoxy to dry) and a bit tedious.

So don't do it if you're in production mode - but for one-offs it works well, it lets you use whatever size of machine screw you like, and it's plenty durable.

Regards.

Aengus

[edit] grammar [/edit]
 
#15
planet10 said:
The one in the is not actually a t-nut, it is called a threaded insert. These are more reliable than a t-nut. I'll only use a t-nut in an application where i can get at both sides without removing the device it is holding (only 1 experience with having to find a way to remove a driver after the t-nut spins loose was convincement enuff)

When installing these i use 1 or more sacrificial bolts & some washers to slowly pull the t-nut or threaded insert into position. This ensures a square fit and a more secure installation.

dave
Click to expand...


I would not use T-nuts without Gorilla Glue on the flange to hold in place http://www.htguide.com/forum/attachment.php4?attachmentid=12613 . I had much trouble trying to pull the T-nut into place and found that tapping into place from behind was easier and caused less damage to the MDF from washers etc. In any case I would use a tap and die as I described in the links above to make sure that the bolts thread properly.

Mike
 
#16
mhtplsh said:
From the above discussion here, it seems that the center insert type nut is the best.
Only precaution : it is to be installed/fixed with some glue.
Click to expand...

mhtplsh,

I would definitely use glue to prevent the nut from possibly working loose and creating a situation. Installation is also much easier if you are using something like a T-nut that has less bite. The adhesive makes it as reliable as any other fastener from potential loosening as far as I'm concerned. I will also reiterate that using a tap & die to clean the threads will ensure that you don't cross thread.

Mike
 
#18
Grumpy_Git said:
I find that running the bolts through the nuts a few times before mounting loosens things nicely and makes re-tapping the bolts pointless.

Nick.
Click to expand...


Yeah, I thought so too, until it nearly resulted in a disaster for me. I'm sure it depends on the manufacturer but using a tap & die is cheap insurance against unintended galling.
 
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