Homemade Sliding T-nut

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holsgo
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Post by holsgo »

The x y allows control of the cut. Clamped in tight and the xy secured to the table (mine is bolted on to the Total shop cast iron table with a 3rd leg) it gives you control of the piece as the end mill works it's magic. So, in reference to the above discussion, the whole setup would work quite well for the piece in question. Now, I wouldn't use router bits or hand feed but set up to mill soft metal it should be rather easy. Yo can see my setup in another post for ideas.
charlese
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Post by charlese »

Just wanted to say I have never had a problem with my Shopsmith Miter Gauge. It is always set up with a Shopsmith 20" extension with a sandpaper front. Never any workpiece slippage - never any looseness in the miter slot.

Here is a photo of an 11 piece frame I made to try out my MiterSet segment unit. Just selected the 11 segment hole and turned the Shopsmith Miter Gauge to correspond with the MiterSet pegs. Don't know the angle and really don't care. What I do know is - the segments fit exactly. Red Oak glued and clamped with a band clamp.

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Octogenarian's have an earned right to be a curmudgeon.
Chuck in Lancaster, CA
tdorey
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Re: Homemade Sliding T-nut

Post by tdorey »

I was just searching t-nut and found this post. They do sell them but they are really expensive. Like $10 each in Canada. Be nice if someone machined a bunch and we all did a bulk buy.
CanadianShopSmith
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Re: Homemade Sliding T-nut

Post by CanadianShopSmith »

tdorey wrote:I was just searching t-nut and found this post. They do sell them but they are really expensive. Like $10 each in Canada. Be nice if someone machined a bunch and we all did a bulk buy.
I support this 5 years late!
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rpd
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Re: Homemade Sliding T-nut

Post by rpd »

CanadianShopSmith wrote:
tdorey wrote:I was just searching t-nut and found this post. They do sell them but they are really expensive. Like $10 each in Canada. Be nice if someone machined a bunch and we all did a bulk buy.
I support this 5 years late!
I suspect you could start with 1x1/4 aluminum strip and machine it on your SS. A saw blade will cut aluminum, I have made different parts from aluminum using the table saw, bandsaw, and disk sander functions.

I would use a zero clearance insert.

Temporarily fastening the strip to a piece of wood would give better control. I would cut to width, then the rabbets, then drill and tap, then cross cut the individual "nuts" off the strip.
Ron Dyck
==================================================================
10ER #23430, 10ER #84609, 10ER #94987,two SS A-34 jigsaws for 10ER.
1959 Mark 5 #356595 Greenie, SS Magna Jointer, SS planer, SS bandsaw, SS scroll saw (gray), DC3300,
DLB
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Re: Homemade Sliding T-nut

Post by DLB »

A carbide tipped router bit will also cut or machine aluminum with good results, I've done this on a couple of projects. I've also made some special T-nuts from steel, but I can't endorse that as a cost savings as it was fairly time consuming. I like the Shopsmith T-nuts fairly well, if I had known about the 'old style' with only two threaded holes I would not have made my own.

- David
RichardH
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Elevator Bolt - T-Nut Alternative

Post by RichardH »

Needing a solution faster than shipping allows (and lacking access to a mill at the moment), I'm trying an alternative...

Elevator Bolt.jpg
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Elevator bolts can be found at your local True Value / Ace Hardware store. The 5/16-18 size costs $1 USD and has a flange that's over 1" diameter. Use a cutoff wheel + grinder (or sanding disc) to get two straight parallel edges about 0.9" wide, to fit into the tee without spinning. A few pennies more for a washer and a nut. I'll report back when I've put some mileage on it.

The flange on mine is only 0.09" thick, so this isn't nearly as solid as a real T-nut. But in a pinch this gets my fixture in service today while I wait for the order from Shopsmith.
Original owner... Mark V model 510 (s/n 1002xx) w/ bandsaw, bought at the county fair in 1990
RichardH
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T-Nut Alternatives

Post by RichardH »

The elevator bolt worked like a charm. Just a few seconds at a bench grinder got it close enough to do the job.

Elevator Bolt2.jpg
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When tightened, the square part of the head stuck up above the table maybe 1/32", but enough that you'd need to oversize or counterbore the fixture hole to ~13/32" to get things tight.

I set out for a cleaner solution and came upon tee nuts that many of us have used elsewhere for about $2.75 each. In the 3/8" size, they're big enough to fit the t-slot with just a light kiss on the bench grinder to add flats on the sides. However, they're tall, and about half of the threaded section needs to be ground off to be flush with the table. (Or, oversize your fixture hole and use a washer.) More commentary on nuts vs. studs below...

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Finally, visiting a slightly larger Ace Hardware store yielded something called weld studs. The 3/8" size works well with zero modifications for about $1.60. Bingo!

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The end result:

Pen Vise.jpg
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While this looks odd being askew, I opted for this to make storage compact instead of adding a fixture plate. I can align one axis via the slot, then move the table in/out for the other axis. Both jaws on the vise move in unison, auto-centering different-sized pen blanks under the drill. (This pen vise is by DCT, and I quite like it for the price.)


FWIW, some tidbits I picked up from the world of machining about T-nuts vs. T-bolts (studs)...
When you use a T-nut, there is a good chance that your bolt will be too long and actually poke through the nut, pressing against the bottom of the slot and wedging the nut in the slot but not necessarily pulling your fixture tight to the table. For this reason, T-bolts (studs) are more forgiving because the nut goes on top.

Also, the solutions here aren't kind to the t-slot - definitely for light or temporary use. The pressure is applied to a narrow spot in the slot instead of distributed like the longer, official t-bolts/nuts do. That said, you probably don't need to clamp anywhere near so vigorously as a machinist, so this may not be a practical problem.
Original owner... Mark V model 510 (s/n 1002xx) w/ bandsaw, bought at the county fair in 1990
benmcn
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Re: Homemade Sliding T-nut

Post by benmcn »

For those without the machining skills, I found some T-nuts on Amazon that might be worth looking at.

Amazon Reviewer Stewart C. Wolfe said the following about these T-nuts:
“I needed more T-sliders for my Shopsmith. I wasn't willing to pay $5.99 a piece (plus shipping), so I looked on Amazon. According to my measurements these would fit. Well, they were just a little too wide, but a few minutes with a bastard file and they fit wonderfully. I will buy them again if I need more.”

https://www.amazon.com/BestTeam-T-Slide ... AndDetails
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