T-Nuts for Wood - amzn.to/3Mqg4Hq Screw-in Inserts for Wood - amzn.to/3sGi9qX Heat Set Inserts - amzn.to/3PwdT7g (NOTE: you want the type with angled grooves - I find straight up and down grooves tend to pull out.) Press-fit Inserts - amzn.to/3wjN0M7 Screw-in Inserts for Metal - amzn.to/3lkZvRm Helical Inserts for Metal - amzn.to/3ljCNsF Rivet Nuts - amzn.to/3NjLQpt Disclaimer: Tested may earn an affiliate commission when you buy through the links here.
Thanks for all the comments and especially the t-nut tips! I have recessed them with a Forstner before - but I love the additional tips of adding some epoxy and/or wood screws between the legs to prevent spin out.
Thank you for the overview of threaded inserts. This was the first video I have seen that incorporated wood, plastic, and metal threaded inserts and their possible uses. Good job!!
More videos like this from Sean please! Great content!! I use a lot of the coarse threaded M6 inserts to add small smooth rolling 1" ball bearing 6mm threaded casters to many things, mainly or soft wood or of plywood or mdf . I drill 9mm blind pilot holes and follow with a quick spin of a large countersink bit to make sure the insert can go 100% flush. Then i carefully thread in each insert by hand , cutting the coarse threads while making sure they are aligned straight perpendicular. i then take them out and squirt in super thin CA glue over all surfaces inside the pilot hole with a micro tip applicator. it soaks into the wood and makes it rock hard and much stronger. i give it 30 secs to soak in then put the insert back in, usually using a power driver with hex bit to make sure it goes in fast enough / all the way , without the glue starting to bind it.
High strength tip for Aluminum or other soft metals: For metal on metal inserts, *IF* you need higher hole strength, but are limited on bolt size, use a helicoil insert. It upsizes the surface area that the soft metal interfaces with.
+1 to this, I've also been told that you shouldn't use timeserts (the other metal inserts) on aluminum in any application where there's heat cycling (so most automotive applications) because the different expansion rates, plus the heat breaking the locktite can cause them to back out. No idea if that's really a huge issue, but I've always avoided timeserts because of it.
@@ianloughney9570 Ive always used time-certs in aluminum oil pans to replace stripped out threads. I haven't seen any return leaking from the time-cert. Maybe the oil provides enough cooling.
@@ericbauer4559 I would guess its one of those things that has a bunch of variables and people just oversimplify out of an abundance of caution. It would be cool to see/do some testing on it though and see if its legit or just an old wives tale.
The downside, I find with helicoils, is if you are taking your fasteners in and out often. I find they don't hold up for this sort of thing. Repairing a damaged helicoil is a bigger pain than repairing an insert. Inserts are easy peasy.
I could watch a fastener of the week series the rest of my life. Seriously handy things with endless solutions for any application you can think of. Run it by the boss. I'm already in the boat. 👍
Those ‘T-nuts’ are used the other way around. You hammer them in the wood on the opposide side of the place where you want to screw something in place. That way it grips through the material and holds it firm in place.
Thank you. I used those all the time when doing stagecraft, and they are *always* put on the other side of the wood from the bolt. If you put them on the same side, they'll pull out the first time you remove the bolt or there is any separation tension.
That's not always possible, as in his example use case of adding threads for leveling feet. Kind of hard to attach them to the "back" of something, when the item is many times further away than the length of a bolt.
@@Tclans Threaded insert AND epoxy. Personally I see no reason to install inserts w/o epoxy. Flanged ones with epoxy are pretty great for any woodworking.
Oh, especially about T-nuts and leveling feet: They do not take lateral forces well. Tried moving a cabinet a couple of inches by sliding it across the floor, tore out nearly all of them. I learned my lesson then and there :'D
Yeah that's a risk. It helps if you make deeper holes and use the threaded portion of those feet for extra stability in those holes. I also tend to add a few layers of wood on the location of those feet so that if you have the feet on their "lowest" position of the cabinet, the T-nut will touch the shoulder of the feet, or actually the floor if you use plain set screws.
For those hammer-in inserts you start out with, they are best suited if the screw force is pulling to the other end of the board. I've used thousands of them, and they've never torn out for me, even when using M10 bolts on ply with quite a bit of torque. And they can create an extremely clean look from the other side. You can also drill (for instance, for M8 thread) a small 8.5 mm hole on the visible side, and a 10mm hole just deep enough for the insert's collar on the backside. And if you want them perfectly straight, don't hammer them in, but use a sacrificial board from the visible side with a similarly sized hole and large washer, and pull them in using a short bolt.
Yep. Put them in on the underside. I have a little fleet of dangling machine bolts which I screw upwards and out of the top of my workbench which I use in combination with nuts and washers to bolt down my drill press, my vise, my dremel tool press as needed. (By necessity, I have a small workbench and can't keep them all out and bolted down at once, so I needed a modular solution.) I installed them basically how you describe and they aren't quite perfectly flush, but they're good - and not going anywhere.
These rivet nuts I have used when I needed to put removable plywood panels onto a welded aluminium square tube frame. It worked great, just a friction fit and flange on the back side did the job.
I’ve had a lot of trouble with rivet nuts when it needs to be mounted again and again, like a set on tour for example. They loose the grip on the frame and just rotate. After half the tour all the rivet nuts have been drilled out and replaced with through bolts. Every time.
I made a workbench out of one of those 2x4 kits from Amazon a couple of years ago. I made a grid on half of the surface with 5" spaced holes (my vice has that spacing, so I just continued the pattern) and put T nuts on the bottom surface. I then got some threaded rods and threaded through hole hand turn knobs and cut some studs with 5", 10", 15", and 20" spaced holes, and now I have a super flexible clamping system on the cheap. It worked out really well.
A couple random thoughts.... Wood threaded insert can 'pull-out' the wood as it gets screwed in. This is more likely to happen if you don't drill the correct sized pilot hole and depends on the type of wood as well. T-nuts are effectively clamping the wood - between the head of the "T" and whatever you are screwing to it.This is functionally different from the other inserts shown and I'll argue gives you the strongest screw/mounting. For T-nuts sitting proud of the wood you can counter-bore the "T" so it sits flush with something like a paddle, or Forstner bit. To stop the t-nut from possibly falling out and/or rotating, use a small wood screw between the 'notches' in the head of the "T". Yes this adds more steps but removes the issues mentioned in this video. T-nuts are easily the most used wood insert in the shop I worked at for decades.
I recently started using heat-set inserts for my 3D prints where I need to use screws, and I find that it gives me a much more professional looking product in the end. The way I avoid the "insert pulls out with the tip when you use a regular soldering iron" problem is I don't jam the tip straight into the insert, I put the tip across the top of the insert instead. This requires a bit of finessing to make sure you put the insert in straight, but once you get the hang of it, it's pretty simple. You can also buy special heat-set insert tips for most common soldering iron brands, so there's no need to buy an entirely separate soldering iron.
You could also have some pliers ready after pressing the insert into the plastic, and grab around the tip so that you keep the insert in place if it wants to pull out with the soldering iron
Thanks so much, I never even seen or heard of the threaded rivet inserts, I knew about the others and trying to decide about what kind to get for my 3d prints. You gotta love you tube , just learn so many things that wouldn't happen in this world with out it. They do have attachments that hook up to a regular rivet gun for the smaller rivet inserts
Love this: more please! I think this is my first time seeing Sean(perhaps his first?), regardless, would love to see you more. Exposure to tools, fasteners, i.e. SOLUTIONS is always welcome! I say this as someone who already knew nearly all of these, have actually used most of them, but the rivet nuts; hadn't heard of them. Wish they had been demo'd being mounted in sheet metal, but I can probably find that elsewhere. As Adam mentioned a while back, sometimes it's the "Rumpelstiltskin" effect of learning the name that gives you power. Well done TESTED group!
Sean I have used T nuts and what I found worked for me was I drilled the hole for the threaded portion but I also drilled pilot holes for "dogs" I then mounted it so that the face was just the threaded hole that gives you more support so it doesn't strip out. Also I counter sunk the back so that it would be level so that you didn't have the ridge of the back of the T Nut.
T nuts: As others have suggested, use a forstner bit to make a shallow recess for the rim. I've had problems with T nuts ripping out but found a liberal application of epoxy after thoroughly degreasing and roughing the insert to be pretty effective. The inserts you show for restoring threads in metal: be aware that there is also an insert for wood that looks the same, with a screw slot not a hex fitting - but its made from something like zinc or aluminum and given a brass/gold colored finish - they will strip out over several cycles of use. Rivet nuts (aka Rivnuts) can be inserted inside hollow metal tube with the collapsed end outside (eg for a knob to lock telescoping metal legs) if you make a simple jig from a bit of threaded rod - screw the rod thru the Rivnut when it is in place then place a lock nut on the collapsing end. Drill out a 'joiner nut' so it slides over the rod - one of those really long nuts for joining threaded rod end to end - slide a washer onto the rod, then the long nut, another washer and then a pair of lock nuts. You then use a ring or similar through spanner on the locked nuts to compress the Rivnut until its locked in place - you will need something like Vice Grips to stop the threaded rod from turning until the Rivnut has collapsed enough to lock into its hole. Reverse the process to get the jig out, repeat as needed.
to add to the info about helicoils which are VERY commonly used in aerospace (because aluminum is lighter but softer than steel). helicoils work well, but they are not perfect, so occasionally the inner threads will get damaged. when that happens, pull out the helicoil and replace it - DO NOT USE A TAP ON A HELICOIL! helcoils are made with hardened spring steel - the tap WILL get stuck and break. now you are faced with drilling out hardened steel stuck in an aluminum $$$ part - it won't end well.
That’s how I fixed a stripped oil pan from the last time my mechanic overnighted the stupid aluminum threads thus leaking oil everywhere. I’m not sure it was called that specifically but it was some specialty tool that wasn’t cheap. Slowly drilling into the bottom of my oil pan was a bit scary but it worked great.
T-Nuts are awesome. I usually counterdrill the hole a little with a forstner bit, so that they sit flush. I will also admit to welding up a hole in steel, and then re-drilling and tapping the weld, because I never have helicoils when I need them :D
Wow !! I thought I knew inserts, but this was ultra-informative. I really liked the tip of inserting the flanged insert from behind which will tighten the insert as the bolt is tightened. I'm sorry I did not think of such an easy fix for my project. Many thanks for the video and all its tips.
Helicoils can also be used in soft materials like aluminium with fasteners that are inserted/removed alot. The tread can wear out, but with a helicoil it last longer as it is a harder material. (Example in milling fixtures for example)
My dad and I owned a pulse autocycle and the fiberglass panels on the back were held on with a smaller version of the rivet nuts. We found that you need to use a backer sometimes liker a split washer to keep them from turning in the hole if you take the screws in and out on a regular basis. You can get a pop rivet gun like piece to put them in. These were how the originals were put on but we should have just had a strip of metal and welded nuts on to make it more secure for how many times we took the rear section off.
Besides using inserts in metal to fix a destroyed thread, you also use them when (A) you have a softer metal and will repeatedly use the thread or (B) are using stainless steel and want to avoid seizing of a bolt, especially if it is stainless on stainless. As for other brands than Helicoil, one other is called KATO.
Nice. I just tried a 3D print using a 3/8 nut as the insert. Just designed the hex shaped cavity to hold the nut and configured the slicer to pause so the nut could be inserted and then printed over to hold it in place. I like the options you showed, so thanks for the tips.
I swear last night I was looking for these on the internet, but couldnt think of what they were called. Coincidence? Or is Tested monitoring my Google search history?
Yeah, helicoil are spendy, but I've used them in engine heads/blocks and never had a worry. Not sure they are "maker" friendly, but for hard-use applications they are invaluable. Beats buying a new head or tossing a block....by a LOT. My second favorite is definitely rivnuts. An awesome tool. I found a few more options from this video for 3D printed parts I will 100% be checking out!
Another tip for rivet nuts; Astro Pneumatic makes a drill adapter for rivet nuts. There are two models that work with various sizes from like M3 up to 3/8-16. I bought both for work where we use a lot of rivet nuts in sheet aluminum. Just set up the tool with the size/thread mandrel you need, chuck it in your drill and set the clutch just high enough to crush the rivet nut, but low enough that you don't break the mandrel. Super easy, but not great for tight spots.
Nice and considerate, dear. Some important tips for folks restoring old piano! You know you have lived in Adam’s lovely world when you just drop the phrase, “these are the sides of my ghost trap” as if talking about a salt shaker, too funny.
Over on Edd China's channel they were using a torque wrench to tighten a bolt on a mini suspension they were installing and a loud crack was the aluminum threads stripping. In the next episode they got a steel threaded insert to put in the aluminum part and that was able to take the proper torque. (Not sure about the long term corrosion implications of steel in aluminum though.)
Sometimes that just happens unfortunately. Luckily in my case I was able to use a longer bolt and the hole was threaded quite a bit deeper. This was for an alternator bracket.
You guys have GOT to get the tool called a “rivet nut tool” and thank me later, it is awesome around my shop, you can drill a hole in anything and with this tool, rivet in a threaded socket and they have like 8-32 all the way up to 1/2 .
Which is an application Helicoils are great for. The spring tightening action is very gentle on aluminum threads, therefore making them ideal for continued use. I.E. changing the plugs more than once
@@XemawthEvo2 Assuming the person removing and rescrewing the spark plug or fastener is careful with the process. I work in an large aluminum extrusion plant maintenance machine shop. I'll put an insert in any day over a helicoil. Simply because I know it will be back in a few days to repair again. And replacing an insert is a breeze compared to a helicoil, for me, at least.
You can get press-in inserts for Aluminum on McMaster Carr (as well as all of the inserts mentioned in this video) that can be pressed in (depending on size) with a vise, arbor press, or even a C-clamp
He's using the "t-nut" as he calls it backwards. The flang side with the teeth goes on the bottom of the wood. It will seat tighter and tighter under torque loading as you tighten the bolt down.
I’m literally waiting for some inserts to arrive which I’ve ordered to add some castors to a work bench. What are the chances you’d post this video right now?! Thanks!
I've found with T-nuts that you can often used them on the BACK side. This works well with non-leveling furniture legs that. Used on the outside, they have a tendency to pull out, but in the back side it just pulls the T-nut tight! sometimes, when joining two parts, you can avoid cutting threads in either part by using a Blind, or Chicago screw; that is a screw and screw cap. Adam did a great episode on these little miracles
There are also pop rivet nuts, works like the rivet nut you showed, but made of alumin(i)um, with a special pop rivet-like tool. Fairly cheap and easy. The small ones (M3) tend to partially strip themselves when riveting though, but they sort of work anyway. (My kit was cheap, so maybe that's why they strip.)
I use rivnuts on my 3d prints, initially because that’s all I could find locally. The flange give you more mechanical advantage than the heat inserts, especially if you’re tightening the screw a bit. Only issue it that the machine screw needs to be longer to make it to the other side of the part compared to a heat insert right near the surface of the screw.
It might help to discuss these options in terms of strength under tension and compression. The t nuts are best used under compression, as that pushed the barbs into the wood whereas under tension you are relying on the friction of those barbs within the wood. Ideally they would be use to put feet onto wooden furniture. The other inserts do better under tension, but not as well under compression unless there is some backing material like a blind hole
I was trying to install thread inserts on my guitar (to accept the pickup mounting screws). The problem I have was I have to drill 2 holes exactly parallel to each other, and exactly perpendicular to the guitar body, otherwise I won't be able to mount the pickups. If I screw up, I would have to plug the hole and try drilling again. With the tools I have I'm not confident enough to execute that. In the end, I used the same wood screws that come with the guitar. The inserts are still with me.
One thing to try is make a custom drill guide jig in a thick piece of wood. Drill your two holes in the jig at the required spacing. Insert the bare drill bit in each hole and use a square to test that they're perpendicular. If not then try again with a new set of holes in the jig. Once you're satisfied then clamp the jig onto the guitar and use it to guide your drill.
At 12:33 Sean is talking about (but not demonstrating) the "rivet-nut" or "riv-net". I use these a lot. These are the only type that will work well on sheet metal where this is not enough thickness to tap the hole or use one of the other types of inserts being shown. Sean mentions "typically" needing to use a pneumatic or hydraulic tool. While this might be true for large bolt sizes M6 / 1/4" or larger, for M5 / 10-32 and smaller bolts a common pop-rivet tool will work just fine. The screw type tool that Sean shows is difficult to keep from spinning while tightening. My $0.02.
A low-buck/get-it-done-tonight option for 3d prints is to model in a slightly undersized hex pocket for the nut corresponding to your needed thread. Then melt in or violence-in the nut. I use that all the time instead of proper threaded inserts. The top and bottom undercut of the nut give it a surprising amount of pull-out resistance. Obviously not as good as a bespoke piece of hardware. I sometimes epoxy over the nuts, too.
This video had exactly what I needed to repair a piece of equipment that had a specific size threaded knob, actually the manufacturer used the heli coil and it had come out,
If you need T-nuts to sit flush just drill the wood out to the level needed. If you encapsulate the T-nut in the wood it will make it much stronger. You can also use rivnuts, which are basically a rivet with a threaded portion down the middle. There is also mixed bolts which gave a machine thread side and a wood thread side; these can be used to make wood products that easily come apart, i.e. removable table legs.
He covered rivnuts, but the mixed thread bolts are an interesting solution too. I've seen them for table legs, but I wonder if there are smaller scale versions that could be used for plastics.
@@belg4mit: I saw that though I already wrote the comment by then; he didn’t hit rivnuts until the end. You can use them on things other than sheet metal, much like rivets. Also like rivets they make plastic rivnuts which can be helpful in some circumstances.
At 1:00 Sean describes the T-Nut. These are inexpensive and OK for many applications. They can easily be hammered/pressed into soft woods - but tougher to do into plywood or especially so into hard woods. Importantly, they will stay in place just fine if the load onto the T-Nut continues to press them into the wood (i.e. adjustable cabinet feet) but are REALLY lousy when the load is acting to pull the T-Nut back out of the wood. My $0.02.
the wood spiked t-nuts are easy to make flush if you use a butterfly or forstner bit before drilling the through hole. It also has the advantage of giving you a center drill divot to line up the through hole.
Even a spade bit will do in a pinch, just run it backwards a little bit so the spurs sever the surface fibers of the wood then switch into 'forwards' to remove most of the waste.
When I use T-nuts, I usually drill a shallow hole first to accommodate the diameter and thickness of the top flange of the nut so it's flush with the wood, and then drill the hole for the nut itself.
For the heat set inserts it can be hard to make sure they are put in perfectly straight. One method I have started using is to screw a long machine screw into the insert that I can use as a handle, and use my soldering iron to heat up right where the screw and insert meet. The long screw makes it really easy to see if you have it at the right angle as it sets.
Another good one is rivnuts: they install like regular pop rivets, but they have a threaded hole throughout! Very nice for adding threads to very thin sheet metal, or adding steel threads to e.g. aluminium plates / profiles.
I use key inserts almost daily. They have prongs that have to be hammered into place locking the insert (usually in aluminum) to accept bolts (typically stainless) for aviation uses
I used a helicoil on an Aussie Holden 253 intake- head i accidentally read the torque as the heavier not the lower pound when I first heard of them snapped off the intake manifold bolt, i think it was (was 40 years ago) stressin out not my car me n the owner where extremely impressed with the result.not with the price 🎉 but ive used em ever since .Old cars, lots of motor bolts use to snap off !! Yay to ARP. Thanks for the video.
For the wood ones, the ones you thread with the allen key are my favourite too but those you find usually (and the ones shown here) are cast zinc and not super tough. For furniture and stuff that need to be durable you can get more expensive ones in steel. They’re just a bit harder to find. Also a bit of superglue on the installation can help.
The helicoils can also be used for through holes. Once you screw it in with the special tool, try to unscrew it and the little tab breaks off. Just a little tip that took me a while to discover.
I've never had a problem buying helicoil tools, because when you need them, the price of the part getting fixed far exceeds the price of the tools, and you have them for next time.
To use your everyday iron just slip on a small washer first. This washer sized hole fit a little up the tip. Now the insert won't jam. No need to buy a special tip. Means more money in the pocket for more beer in the fridge.
I'm curious -- you showed screw-in inserts for plywood, but how well do these things work in particle board? Do you have any tips for using them more effectively in particle board?
Is there a special tip for soldering irons for the heat set inserts? I dont know what that would be called and am having trouble finding it. Is it the whole iron or just the tip insert?
I worked at a furniture store fixing furniture that didn’t have these! My 3rd day working there I could have fixed 10 chairs and couches but they threw them out hahahahha
@sean charlesworth I’m actually turning some over sized dice into cabinet knobs and I want to put a threaded insert in them. They are acrylic of course. My initial thought was to drill a hole and use a fluted insert, but after watching I’m thinking maybe that’s not the way to go. Any recommendations for an insert into a thicker acrylic that you can’t come through the back side? I’m doing both D6 dice and d20. I am slightly concerned about them splitting. May just use and oversized hole and some adhesive? Anyway, suggestions from you or the audience are welcome!! - thanks
T-Nuts for Wood - amzn.to/3Mqg4Hq
Screw-in Inserts for Wood - amzn.to/3sGi9qX
Heat Set Inserts - amzn.to/3PwdT7g
(NOTE: you want the type with angled grooves - I find straight up and down grooves tend to pull out.)
Press-fit Inserts - amzn.to/3wjN0M7
Screw-in Inserts for Metal - amzn.to/3lkZvRm
Helical Inserts for Metal - amzn.to/3ljCNsF
Rivet Nuts - amzn.to/3NjLQpt
Disclaimer: Tested may earn an affiliate commission when you buy through the links here.
Thanks for all the comments and especially the t-nut tips! I have recessed them with a Forstner before - but I love the additional tips of adding some epoxy and/or wood screws between the legs to prevent spin out.
If You are ripping the T-nuts out of the wood, You are entering the bolt from the wrong side.
@@qivarebil2149 most of the times I have used these it wasn't possible to get them in from other side
Thank you for the overview of threaded inserts. This was the first video I have seen that incorporated wood, plastic, and metal threaded inserts and their possible uses. Good job!!
More videos like this from Sean please! Great content!!
I use a lot of the coarse threaded M6 inserts to add small smooth rolling 1" ball bearing 6mm threaded casters to many things, mainly or soft wood or of plywood or mdf . I drill 9mm blind pilot holes and follow with a quick spin of a large countersink bit to make sure the insert can go 100% flush. Then i carefully thread in each insert by hand , cutting the coarse threads while making sure they are aligned straight perpendicular. i then take them out and squirt in super thin CA glue over all surfaces inside the pilot hole with a micro tip applicator. it soaks into the wood and makes it rock hard and much stronger. i give it 30 secs to soak in then put the insert back in, usually using a power driver with hex bit to make sure it goes in fast enough / all the way , without the glue starting to bind it.
Thanks for the tips.
High strength tip for Aluminum or other soft metals: For metal on metal inserts, *IF* you need higher hole strength, but are limited on bolt size, use a helicoil insert. It upsizes the surface area that the soft metal interfaces with.
+1 to this, I've also been told that you shouldn't use timeserts (the other metal inserts) on aluminum in any application where there's heat cycling (so most automotive applications) because the different expansion rates, plus the heat breaking the locktite can cause them to back out. No idea if that's really a huge issue, but I've always avoided timeserts because of it.
@@ianloughney9570 Ive always used time-certs in aluminum oil pans to replace stripped out threads. I haven't seen any return leaking from the time-cert. Maybe the oil provides enough cooling.
@@ericbauer4559 I would guess its one of those things that has a bunch of variables and people just oversimplify out of an abundance of caution. It would be cool to see/do some testing on it though and see if its legit or just an old wives tale.
The downside, I find with helicoils, is if you are taking your fasteners in and out often. I find they don't hold up for this sort of thing. Repairing a damaged helicoil is a bigger pain than repairing an insert. Inserts are easy peasy.
I could watch a fastener of the week series the rest of my life. Seriously handy things with endless solutions for any application you can think of. Run it by the boss.
I'm already in the boat. 👍
Those ‘T-nuts’ are used the other way around. You hammer them in the wood on the opposide side of the place where you want to screw something in place.
That way it grips through the material and holds it firm in place.
Thank you. I used those all the time when doing stagecraft, and they are *always* put on the other side of the wood from the bolt. If you put them on the same side, they'll pull out the first time you remove the bolt or there is any separation tension.
That's not always possible, as in his example use case of adding threads for leveling feet. Kind of hard to attach them to the "back" of something, when the item is many times further away than the length of a bolt.
@@belg4mit I that case they are the wrong application. Then the threaded inserts are a better choice.
@@Tclans Threaded insert AND epoxy. Personally I see no reason to install inserts w/o epoxy. Flanged ones with epoxy are pretty great for any woodworking.
Oh, especially about T-nuts and leveling feet: They do not take lateral forces well. Tried moving a cabinet a couple of inches by sliding it across the floor, tore out nearly all of them. I learned my lesson then and there :'D
Yeah that's a risk. It helps if you make deeper holes and use the threaded portion of those feet for extra stability in those holes. I also tend to add a few layers of wood on the location of those feet so that if you have the feet on their "lowest" position of the cabinet, the T-nut will touch the shoulder of the feet, or actually the floor if you use plain set screws.
guys ur doing it backwards, just hard mount a bolt with a nut and use a long "coupling nut" with whatever u want attached to it as the foot
For those hammer-in inserts you start out with, they are best suited if the screw force is pulling to the other end of the board. I've used thousands of them, and they've never torn out for me, even when using M10 bolts on ply with quite a bit of torque. And they can create an extremely clean look from the other side. You can also drill (for instance, for M8 thread) a small 8.5 mm hole on the visible side, and a 10mm hole just deep enough for the insert's collar on the backside. And if you want them perfectly straight, don't hammer them in, but use a sacrificial board from the visible side with a similarly sized hole and large washer, and pull them in using a short bolt.
Exactly, I was going to post he was doing them backassward.
Yep. Put them in on the underside. I have a little fleet of dangling machine bolts which I screw upwards and out of the top of my workbench which I use in combination with nuts and washers to bolt down my drill press, my vise, my dremel tool press as needed. (By necessity, I have a small workbench and can't keep them all out and bolted down at once, so I needed a modular solution.) I installed them basically how you describe and they aren't quite perfectly flush, but they're good - and not going anywhere.
I find it hard to take a person seriously when they make such a fundamental error on using t-nuts.
These rivet nuts I have used when I needed to put removable plywood panels onto a welded aluminium square tube frame. It worked great, just a friction fit and flange on the back side did the job.
I’ve had a lot of trouble with rivet nuts when it needs to be mounted again and again, like a set on tour for example. They loose the grip on the frame and just rotate. After half the tour all the rivet nuts have been drilled out and replaced with through bolts. Every time.
I made a workbench out of one of those 2x4 kits from Amazon a couple of years ago. I made a grid on half of the surface with 5" spaced holes (my vice has that spacing, so I just continued the pattern) and put T nuts on the bottom surface. I then got some threaded rods and threaded through hole hand turn knobs and cut some studs with 5", 10", 15", and 20" spaced holes, and now I have a super flexible clamping system on the cheap. It worked out really well.
Anyone know what the load capacity is of Inserts (non-flanged) into soft wood (pine)?
A couple random thoughts....
Wood threaded insert can 'pull-out' the wood as it gets screwed in. This is more likely to happen if you don't drill the correct sized pilot hole and depends on the type of wood as well.
T-nuts are effectively clamping the wood - between the head of the "T" and whatever you are screwing to it.This is functionally different from the other inserts shown and I'll argue gives you the strongest screw/mounting. For T-nuts sitting proud of the wood you can counter-bore the "T" so it sits flush with something like a paddle, or Forstner bit. To stop the t-nut from possibly falling out and/or rotating, use a small wood screw between the 'notches' in the head of the "T". Yes this adds more steps but removes the issues mentioned in this video. T-nuts are easily the most used wood insert in the shop I worked at for decades.
Good tips - I have done the Forstner trick - love the addition of screws in between the legs.
Another video shows that the shear forces involved for t nuts (or regular nuts) is essentially the same as the inserts.
I recently started using heat-set inserts for my 3D prints where I need to use screws, and I find that it gives me a much more professional looking product in the end.
The way I avoid the "insert pulls out with the tip when you use a regular soldering iron" problem is I don't jam the tip straight into the insert, I put the tip across the top of the insert instead. This requires a bit of finessing to make sure you put the insert in straight, but once you get the hang of it, it's pretty simple.
You can also buy special heat-set insert tips for most common soldering iron brands, so there's no need to buy an entirely separate soldering iron.
You could also have some pliers ready after pressing the insert into the plastic, and grab around the tip so that you keep the insert in place if it wants to pull out with the soldering iron
Thanks so much, I never even seen or heard of the threaded rivet inserts, I knew about the others and trying to decide about what kind to get for my 3d prints. You gotta love you tube , just learn so many things that wouldn't happen in this world with out it.
They do have attachments that hook up to a regular rivet gun for the smaller rivet inserts
Perfect timing. I just yesterday realised I would need some threaded inserts for a project.
Love this: more please! I think this is my first time seeing Sean(perhaps his first?), regardless, would love to see you more. Exposure to tools, fasteners, i.e. SOLUTIONS is always welcome! I say this as someone who already knew nearly all of these, have actually used most of them, but the rivet nuts; hadn't heard of them. Wish they had been demo'd being mounted in sheet metal, but I can probably find that elsewhere. As Adam mentioned a while back, sometimes it's the "Rumpelstiltskin" effect of learning the name that gives you power.
Well done TESTED group!
Sean I have used T nuts and what I found worked for me was I drilled the hole for the threaded portion but I also drilled pilot holes for "dogs" I then mounted it so that the face was just the threaded hole that gives you more support so it doesn't strip out. Also I counter sunk the back so that it would be level so that you didn't have the ridge of the back of the T Nut.
They can be really hard to install in harder materials like MDF that doesn't like to be hammered into. I've used them but really not a fan.
@@F0XD1E if you just drill a fraction larger hole and follow the ways that I mentioned it will work with a little more ease.
Great tips!
Awesome info! Very helpful for current project! Nice Dune shirt!
T nuts: As others have suggested, use a forstner bit to make a shallow recess for the rim. I've had problems with T nuts ripping out but found a liberal application of epoxy after thoroughly degreasing and roughing the insert to be pretty effective. The inserts you show for restoring threads in metal: be aware that there is also an insert for wood that looks the same, with a screw slot not a hex fitting - but its made from something like zinc or aluminum and given a brass/gold colored finish - they will strip out over several cycles of use. Rivet nuts (aka Rivnuts) can be inserted inside hollow metal tube with the collapsed end outside (eg for a knob to lock telescoping metal legs) if you make a simple jig from a bit of threaded rod - screw the rod thru the Rivnut when it is in place then place a lock nut on the collapsing end. Drill out a 'joiner nut' so it slides over the rod - one of those really long nuts for joining threaded rod end to end - slide a washer onto the rod, then the long nut, another washer and then a pair of lock nuts. You then use a ring or similar through spanner on the locked nuts to compress the Rivnut until its locked in place - you will need something like Vice Grips to stop the threaded rod from turning until the Rivnut has collapsed enough to lock into its hole. Reverse the process to get the jig out, repeat as needed.
Excellent tips - thanks!
to add to the info about helicoils which are VERY commonly used in aerospace (because aluminum is lighter but softer than steel). helicoils work well, but they are not perfect, so occasionally the inner threads will get damaged. when that happens, pull out the helicoil and replace it - DO NOT USE A TAP ON A HELICOIL! helcoils are made with hardened spring steel - the tap WILL get stuck and break. now you are faced with drilling out hardened steel stuck in an aluminum $$$ part - it won't end well.
Then the machinist gets called in on overtime lol
That’s how I fixed a stripped oil pan from the last time my mechanic overnighted the stupid aluminum threads thus leaking oil everywhere. I’m not sure it was called that specifically but it was some specialty tool that wasn’t cheap. Slowly drilling into the bottom of my oil pan was a bit scary but it worked great.
Sounding like a fellow crew chief
T-Nuts are awesome. I usually counterdrill the hole a little with a forstner bit, so that they sit flush. I will also admit to welding up a hole in steel, and then re-drilling and tapping the weld, because I never have helicoils when I need them :D
Wow !! I thought I knew inserts, but this was ultra-informative. I really liked the tip of inserting the flanged insert from behind which will tighten the insert as the bolt is tightened. I'm sorry I did not think of such an easy fix for my project. Many thanks for the video and all its tips.
Well done video! Adam, give this guy a raise!
Great tips! Thanks for this. You can never have too much knowledge of tools and options for your shop!
Helicoils can also be used in soft materials like aluminium with fasteners that are inserted/removed alot. The tread can wear out, but with a helicoil it last longer as it is a harder material. (Example in milling fixtures for example)
It's funny I've always found the opposite to be true. And replacing the helicoil is a bigger pain than replacing an insert.
My dad and I owned a pulse autocycle and the fiberglass panels on the back were held on with a smaller version of the rivet nuts. We found that you need to use a backer sometimes liker a split washer to keep them from turning in the hole if you take the screws in and out on a regular basis. You can get a pop rivet gun like piece to put them in. These were how the originals were put on but we should have just had a strip of metal and welded nuts on to make it more secure for how many times we took the rear section off.
Besides using inserts in metal to fix a destroyed thread, you also use them when (A) you have a softer metal and will repeatedly use the thread or (B) are using stainless steel and want to avoid seizing of a bolt, especially if it is stainless on stainless. As for other brands than Helicoil, one other is called KATO.
Nice. I just tried a 3D print using a 3/8 nut as the insert. Just designed the hex shaped cavity to hold the nut and configured the slicer to pause so the nut could be inserted and then printed over to hold it in place. I like the options you showed, so thanks for the tips.
captive nuts have superior pull out strength vs the heat inserts
cnc kitchen did a nice test video
I swear last night I was looking for these on the internet, but couldnt think of what they were called. Coincidence? Or is Tested monitoring my Google search history?
Yeah, helicoil are spendy, but I've used them in engine heads/blocks and never had a worry. Not sure they are "maker" friendly, but for hard-use applications they are invaluable. Beats buying a new head or tossing a block....by a LOT.
My second favorite is definitely rivnuts. An awesome tool.
I found a few more options from this video for 3D printed parts I will 100% be checking out!
Great shop tip again Shawn, keep em coming!
This was the most timely video ever. I was literally about to Google this stuff.
Another tip for rivet nuts; Astro Pneumatic makes a drill adapter for rivet nuts. There are two models that work with various sizes from like M3 up to 3/8-16. I bought both for work where we use a lot of rivet nuts in sheet aluminum. Just set up the tool with the size/thread mandrel you need, chuck it in your drill and set the clutch just high enough to crush the rivet nut, but low enough that you don't break the mandrel. Super easy, but not great for tight spots.
Nice and considerate, dear. Some important tips for folks restoring old piano! You know you have lived in Adam’s lovely world when you just drop the phrase, “these are the sides of my ghost trap” as if talking about a salt shaker, too funny.
Over on Edd China's channel they were using a torque wrench to tighten a bolt on a mini suspension they were installing and a loud crack was the aluminum threads stripping. In the next episode they got a steel threaded insert to put in the aluminum part and that was able to take the proper torque. (Not sure about the long term corrosion implications of steel in aluminum though.)
Sometimes that just happens unfortunately. Luckily in my case I was able to use a longer bolt and the hole was threaded quite a bit deeper. This was for an alternator bracket.
Discovered thread reducers the other day - was so happy! Allowed me to install a classic gear knob in my Scirocco 🙂
Rivet nuts are a game changer - thanks so much!
I use Helical inserts I brought 2 kits for pc case repair, they work great.
Thank you! It was interesting to see the different solutions, all in one video.
You guys have GOT to get the tool called a “rivet nut tool” and thank me later, it is awesome around my shop, you can drill a hole in anything and with this tool, rivet in a threaded socket and they have like 8-32 all the way up to 1/2 .
Time-serts and riv-nuts ftw! ✨✨
Good example for Metal inserts would be to replace the sparkplug threads. (probably the most common place they are used)
Which is an application Helicoils are great for. The spring tightening action is very gentle on aluminum threads, therefore making them ideal for continued use. I.E. changing the plugs more than once
@@XemawthEvo2 Assuming the person removing and rescrewing the spark plug or fastener is careful with the process. I work in an large aluminum extrusion plant maintenance machine shop. I'll put an insert in any day over a helicoil. Simply because I know it will be back in a few days to repair again. And replacing an insert is a breeze compared to a helicoil, for me, at least.
You can get press-in inserts for Aluminum on McMaster Carr (as well as all of the inserts mentioned in this video) that can be pressed in (depending on size) with a vise, arbor press, or even a C-clamp
He's using the "t-nut" as he calls it backwards. The flang side with the teeth goes on the bottom of the wood. It will seat tighter and tighter under torque loading as you tighten the bolt down.
I’m literally waiting for some inserts to arrive which I’ve ordered to add some castors to a work bench. What are the chances you’d post this video right now?! Thanks!
I've found with T-nuts that you can often used them on the BACK side. This works well with non-leveling furniture legs that. Used on the outside, they have a tendency to pull out, but in the back side it just pulls the T-nut tight!
sometimes, when joining two parts, you can avoid cutting threads in either part by using a Blind, or Chicago screw; that is a screw and screw cap. Adam did a great episode on these little miracles
nice overview. Thanks 🙂
There are also pop rivet nuts, works like the rivet nut you showed, but made of alumin(i)um, with a special pop rivet-like tool. Fairly cheap and easy. The small ones (M3) tend to partially strip themselves when riveting though, but they sort of work anyway. (My kit was cheap, so maybe that's why they strip.)
I use rivnuts on my 3d prints, initially because that’s all I could find locally. The flange give you more mechanical advantage than the heat inserts, especially if you’re tightening the screw a bit. Only issue it that the machine screw needs to be longer to make it to the other side of the part compared to a heat insert right near the surface of the screw.
Extremely informative. Thankyou.
It might help to discuss these options in terms of strength under tension and compression.
The t nuts are best used under compression, as that pushed the barbs into the wood whereas under tension you are relying on the friction of those barbs within the wood. Ideally they would be use to put feet onto wooden furniture. The other inserts do better under tension, but not as well under compression unless there is some backing material like a blind hole
thanks, great video, ive been wondering about exactly this for a while
On 3D prints, I'll often embed a nut in the print, that's basically using an ordinary hex nut as an insert.
I do that too - should have included it!
I was trying to install thread inserts on my guitar (to accept the pickup mounting screws). The problem I have was I have to drill 2 holes exactly parallel to each other, and exactly perpendicular to the guitar body, otherwise I won't be able to mount the pickups. If I screw up, I would have to plug the hole and try drilling again.
With the tools I have I'm not confident enough to execute that. In the end, I used the same wood screws that come with the guitar. The inserts are still with me.
One thing to try is make a custom drill guide jig in a thick piece of wood. Drill your two holes in the jig at the required spacing. Insert the bare drill bit in each hole and use a square to test that they're perpendicular. If not then try again with a new set of holes in the jig. Once you're satisfied then clamp the jig onto the guitar and use it to guide your drill.
At 12:33 Sean is talking about (but not demonstrating) the "rivet-nut" or "riv-net". I use these a lot. These are the only type that will work well on sheet metal where this is not enough thickness to tap the hole or use one of the other types of inserts being shown. Sean mentions "typically" needing to use a pneumatic or hydraulic tool. While this might be true for large bolt sizes M6 / 1/4" or larger, for M5 / 10-32 and smaller bolts a common pop-rivet tool will work just fine. The screw type tool that Sean shows is difficult to keep from spinning while tightening. My $0.02.
great video to show the tee nuts and wooden how to fasten.
Love the Dune shirt Sean!
Thankyou so much! perfect tutorial!
A low-buck/get-it-done-tonight option for 3d prints is to model in a slightly undersized hex pocket for the nut corresponding to your needed thread. Then melt in or violence-in the nut. I use that all the time instead of proper threaded inserts. The top and bottom undercut of the nut give it a surprising amount of pull-out resistance. Obviously not as good as a bespoke piece of hardware. I sometimes epoxy over the nuts, too.
violence-in gonna be my word to use this week, ty
Fantastic video, very helpful. Thank you!
I really enjoyed this thanks sean
Insane timing. I've been working on technical drawings for my desk and I need threaded inserts for reinforcement bar because it's 2,5 meters long.
McMaster typically has both the technical drawings and 3D models of inserts!
A very helpful summary! :D
This video had exactly what I needed to repair a piece of equipment that had a specific size threaded knob, actually the manufacturer used the heli coil and it had come out,
Great overview.
If you need T-nuts to sit flush just drill the wood out to the level needed. If you encapsulate the T-nut in the wood it will make it much stronger. You can also use rivnuts, which are basically a rivet with a threaded portion down the middle. There is also mixed bolts which gave a machine thread side and a wood thread side; these can be used to make wood products that easily come apart, i.e. removable table legs.
He covered rivnuts, but the mixed thread bolts are an interesting solution too. I've seen them for table legs, but I wonder if there are smaller scale versions that could be used for plastics.
@@belg4mit: I saw that though I already wrote the comment by then; he didn’t hit rivnuts until the end. You can use them on things other than sheet metal, much like rivets. Also like rivets they make plastic rivnuts which can be helpful in some circumstances.
At 1:00 Sean describes the T-Nut. These are inexpensive and OK for many applications. They can easily be hammered/pressed into soft woods - but tougher to do into plywood or especially so into hard woods. Importantly, they will stay in place just fine if the load onto the T-Nut continues to press them into the wood (i.e. adjustable cabinet feet) but are REALLY lousy when the load is acting to pull the T-Nut back out of the wood. My $0.02.
the wood spiked t-nuts are easy to make flush if you use a butterfly or forstner bit before drilling the through hole. It also has the advantage of giving you a center drill divot to line up the through hole.
Even a spade bit will do in a pinch, just run it backwards a little bit so the spurs sever the surface fibers of the wood then switch into 'forwards' to remove most of the waste.
When I use T-nuts, I usually drill a shallow hole first to accommodate the diameter and thickness of the top flange of the nut so it's flush with the wood, and then drill the hole for the nut itself.
For the heat set inserts it can be hard to make sure they are put in perfectly straight. One method I have started using is to screw a long machine screw into the insert that I can use as a handle, and use my soldering iron to heat up right where the screw and insert meet. The long screw makes it really easy to see if you have it at the right angle as it sets.
Clever.
So true.
Using inserts in metals like aluminum is just good engineering. Aluminum threads tend to be weak, and a steel screw will want to gall all the time.
Not sure if this has been mentioned: I love the t-shirt! Surf Arrakis! Also, great insert advice.
The hammer in inserts are meant to put at the backside of the wood, its really strong, its flush at the front and you can seriously torque stuff down.
Another good one is rivnuts: they install like regular pop rivets, but they have a threaded hole throughout!
Very nice for adding threads to very thin sheet metal, or adding steel threads to e.g. aluminium plates / profiles.
And for the hobbyist, Harbor Freight sells one that works pretty well for aluminum and brass(?).
He covers it on the absolute last segment.
god send for 3d printing
I use key inserts almost daily. They have prongs that have to be hammered into place locking the insert (usually in aluminum) to accept bolts (typically stainless) for aviation uses
I used a helicoil on an Aussie Holden 253 intake- head i accidentally read the torque as the heavier not the lower pound when I first heard of them snapped off the intake manifold bolt, i think it was (was 40 years ago) stressin out not my car me n the owner where extremely impressed with the result.not with the price 🎉 but ive used em ever since .Old cars, lots of motor bolts use to snap off !! Yay to ARP. Thanks for the video.
That's a cool t-shirt!!!
What soldering iron or tip did you use for the 3d printer heated inserts?
What would you recommend for a pressurized container? Is the melting insert best to create the seal? Or would the expanding one suffice? Thanks
For the wood ones, the ones you thread with the allen key are my favourite too but those you find usually (and the ones shown here) are cast zinc and not super tough. For furniture and stuff that need to be durable you can get more expensive ones in steel. They’re just a bit harder to find. Also a bit of superglue on the installation can help.
Thanks for this
The helicoils can also be used for through holes. Once you screw it in with the special tool, try to unscrew it and the little tab breaks off. Just a little tip that took me a while to discover.
I search it, I found it, i got the answer i wanted, I give thumbs up.
Won't those press fit cause cracking in acrylics when bolt expands the insert?
How well do the heat set inserts hold in acrylic?
Anyone have any tips for making sure the insert is installed square in the material (especially into plastic)?
To make it flush and squarer I press the last bit of the insert into the part with a flat metal plate.
Hi, what do you think about key inserts?
Rivnuts have been a life saver when working on my cars interior and body.
I've never had a problem buying helicoil tools, because when you need them, the price of the part getting fixed far exceeds the price of the tools, and you have them for next time.
To use your everyday iron just slip on a small washer first. This washer sized hole fit a little up the tip. Now the insert won't jam. No need to buy a special tip.
Means more money in the pocket for more beer in the fridge.
That's a good one!
I'm curious -- you showed screw-in inserts for plywood, but how well do these things work in particle board? Do you have any tips for using them more effectively in particle board?
Is there a special tip for soldering irons for the heat set inserts? I dont know what that would be called and am having trouble finding it. Is it the whole iron or just the tip insert?
I worked at a furniture store fixing furniture that didn’t have these! My 3rd day working there I could have fixed 10 chairs and couches but they threw them out hahahahha
Whycome no links to various resources to order such threaded inserts? I’m sure there are some places that have great selections or good pricing…
You could search for "threaded inserts".
can i use insert nuts for connecting 2 screws so it would clamp a stacked acrylic?
@sean charlesworth
I’m actually turning some over sized dice into cabinet knobs and I want to put a threaded insert in them. They are acrylic of course. My initial thought was to drill a hole and use a fluted insert, but after watching I’m thinking maybe that’s not the way to go. Any recommendations for an insert into a thicker acrylic that you can’t come through the back side? I’m doing both D6 dice and d20. I am slightly concerned about them splitting. May just use and oversized hole and some adhesive? Anyway, suggestions from you or the audience are welcome!! - thanks
I love your shirt!
I was screwing into square metal tubing and I tightened them down leaving an indentation into the metal, question did I weaken the structure? thanks
Nice comprehensive video. I just wish you had closer shots of the inserts. The smallest ones were kinda difficult to see their particular shapes.
If you do a lot of sheet metal work or thin plastics rivet nuts are really great to have.