Homemade Sliding T-nut

pennview · Post by **pennview** » Fri Jul 15, 2011 5:15 pm

A few months back there was another thread on T-Nuts and, if you can find it, perhaps it will give you some ideas on making your own. You likely can machine aluminum with router bits or end mills on the Shopsmith, mounting the bits in the router chuck. Also, you could make some out of maple or birch, drill and tap the holes, and strengthen the threads with thin CA glue.

onetrack · Post by **onetrack** » Fri Jul 15, 2011 6:23 pm

They had some in stock when I was in their store last, a couple weeks ago.

onetrack

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Fri Jul 15, 2011 6:27 pm

pennview wrote:A few months back there was another thread on T-Nuts and, if you can find it, perhaps it will give you some ideas on making your own. You likely can machine aluminum with router bits or end mills on the Shopsmith, mounting the bits in the router chuck. Also, you could make some out of maple or birch, drill and tap the holes, and strengthen the threads with thin CA glue.

The simple thought of milling aluminum on my Shopsmith scares the puddin outa me. I cut sheet aluminum on the table saw and band saw and I drill aluminum regularly but I could not make myself push a piece of aluminum into a router bit.

If I thought it could be done safely, I would have done it long ago; as long as I have been waiting for a young, busy nephew in Montana to mill some miter bars for me.

pennview · Post by **pennview** » Fri Jul 15, 2011 9:51 pm

You may have a point there, Dusty. It would be difficult to carry out by hand if you just tried pushing the aluminum strip past the cutter. I have a light weight milling table that was sold some years back by Sears with x and y movement that I can clamp to the Shopsmith table. Attach a small vise to it to hold the aluminum and it works just like a milling machine. Even with out the x-y table, if you affix the aluminum to a piece of wood of sufficient size, you could trim the aluminum safely. Drill the holes in the aluminum stock that you'll later thread with a tap and then use a couple of screws to secure it to the wood. Just square the aluminum to the edge of the wood and then take light passes.

onetrack · Post by **onetrack** » Sat Jul 16, 2011 7:10 am

If you were to make these sliding t-nuts out of aluminum, I would definitely recommend installing Heli-Coils in the threaded holes, or they would likely strip. With Heli-Coils, I think aluminum t-nuts would be just fine.

onetrack

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Sat Jul 16, 2011 7:47 am

onetrack wrote:If you were to make these sliding t-nuts out of aluminum, I would definitely recommend installing Heli-Coils in the threaded holes, or they would likely strip. With Heli-Coils, I think aluminum t-nuts would be just fine.

onetrack

Do you need special tools to install heli-coils?

chucks · Post by **chucks** » Sat Jul 16, 2011 10:15 am

dusty wrote:Do you need special tools to install heli-coils?

Yes you do...kinda. You can make your own installation tool from a screw(same thread as the heli-coil)

holsgo · Post by **holsgo** » Sat Jul 16, 2011 1:03 pm

dusty-
It shouldn't scare you to mill alum. I posted my way of doing it and it's very easy. Now I say that after setting up specifically to do it but the Shopsmith can handle it. But I use an xy cross slide and end mills.

Ed in Tampa · Post by **Ed in Tampa** » Sat Jul 16, 2011 3:14 pm

holsgo wrote:dusty-
It shouldn't scare you to mill alum. I posted my way of doing it and it's very easy. Now I say that after setting up specifically to do it but the Shopsmith can handle it. But I use an xy cross slide and end mills.

I don't doubt it can be done safely as you are saying but I kind of side with Dusty it sure sounds scarey.

However I did mill my fence with the drill chuck. Who knew that interesting noise was the drill chuck tightening teeth slowly milling the side of my fence?

Seriously I was drilling into something and had the fence in place to keep whatever I was drilling from moving or spinning. I started drilling and I could see the drill bit had plenty of clearance. As I started to feed the drill I started to hear a funny noise. And it got harder to feed the bit. I figured the bit I was using was slightly dull. After I got all done I looked as my fence and on the edge toward the work starting at top and coming down nearly half inch I had milled a very shallow cove in it. I then realized the drill chuck tightening teeth had been cutting that cove. Needless to say I was a little embarassed and resolved never to tell anyone what happened. So remember you didn't hear this from me.

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Sat Jul 16, 2011 3:18 pm

holsgo wrote:dusty-
It shouldn't scare you to mill alum. I posted my way of doing it and it's very easy. Now I say that after setting up specifically to do it but the Shopsmith can handle it. But I use an xy cross slide and end mills.

The advantage of an end mill I totally understand.

Does the xy cross slide do anything for the process other than secure the material being milled and maintain the cut line?