Bent T-nuts on new product

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StevenAyres
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Bent T-nuts on new product

Post by StevenAyres »

I bought a fence-mounted featherboard for my 520 from Shopsmith during the recent sale. It looked great in the package and I put it in the featherboard drawer until today, when I had occasion to use it.

I was perplexed to find that the T-nuts wouldn't fit into the slots on the fence or the table, sticking about halfway. First I thought there were manufacturing burrs or something needing cleaning up, so I smoothed edges with a file and did little chamfers on their little noses. No effect. After more monkeying around I put them on a straightedge and found they were both nearly a sixteenth out of square at the centers.

It appears that in swaging the nice fat 5/16" threaded rods into the center holes on the T-nuts, the operator pressed the nuts themselves out of square. Then no one bothered to test the products before packaging.

The material of the T-nuts seems unusually soft for this kind of application as well, close to pot metal. Not worth getting replacements of the same thing, I'm thinking.

This is not the sort of thing I expect in my loyalty to an established American product.
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dusty
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Re: Bent T-nuts on new product

Post by dusty »

Pictures, please.

I have a tough time understanding the alleged defect.

However, I would certainly contact customer service...both to get replacements and to let them know that there is a problem at their end.
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DLB
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Re: Bent T-nuts on new product

Post by DLB »

This will sound like nitpicking, but I just want to make this findable for someone experiencing the same. IIUC, the products in question are actually T-Bolts, not T-Nuts. I share the OP's view on this, I've had quality problems with several purchases this year. My suggestion is to photograph the problem and communicate with CS via email if you have any trouble getting through by phone. Don't be surprised if it takes several days for them to get back with you. But they need to know about the problems in order to resolve them. I have some of these T-Bolts, mine are both straight and plenty strong for this application.

- David
StevenAyres
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Re: Bent T-nuts on new product

Post by StevenAyres »

Pictures, please.
Here's an illustration:
T-nut out of spec.jpg
T-nut out of spec.jpg (98.52 KiB) Viewed 1653 times
edma194
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Re: Bent T-nuts on new product

Post by edma194 »

Ok, so that's the flat head of a T bolt up against a square and the threaded part of the bolt behind the square, right?

That's bent pretty bad, like it was overtightened with a nut while it was in the slot, but that would take some mighty tightening on something normally tightened with a small knob or nut by hand. And you found this on multiple bolts too? At 5 bucks a pop I'd want my money back.

I was wondering whether or not to buy some of these or just make them. I guess I'm leaning towards making them now.
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dusty
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Re: Bent T-nuts on new product

Post by dusty »

StevenAyres wrote: Thu Dec 31, 2020 4:41 pm
Pictures, please.
Here's an illustration:

T-nut out of spec.jpg


WOW. I didn't believe it! That is definitely worth contacting Shopsmith.
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DLB
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Re: Bent T-nuts on new product

Post by DLB »

Unreal! This is what they used to look like, one shown with the optional roll pins used in some applications:
TBolts.jpg
TBolts.jpg (208.21 KiB) Viewed 1636 times
These seem different in every possible way from the OP's new ones.

- David
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jsburger
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Re: Bent T-nuts on new product

Post by jsburger »

DLB wrote: Thu Dec 31, 2020 5:51 pm Unreal! This is what they used to look like, one shown with the optional roll pins used in some applications:

TBolts.jpg

These seem different in every possible way from the OP's new ones.

- David
In the OP's picture the overall thickness is less. But, the stud is on the wrong side. How can that even start into the T track? :confused:
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JPG
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Re: Bent T-nuts on new product

Post by JPG »

jsburger wrote: Thu Dec 31, 2020 6:13 pm
DLB wrote: Thu Dec 31, 2020 5:51 pm Unreal! This is what they used to look like, one shown with the optional roll pins used in some applications:

TBolts.jpg

These seem different in every possible way from the OP's new ones.

- David
In the OP's picture the overall thickness is less. But, the stud is on the wrong side. How can that even start into the T track? :confused:

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reible
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Re: Bent T-nuts on new product

Post by reible »

Yea I was thinking that something didn't look right but after studying it I can see it is right.
edgedetect.jpg
edgedetect.jpg (83.12 KiB) Viewed 1621 times
Wide part is the right as it should be.

And yes contact Shopsmith, that just not right.....

Ed
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