How do I make all my Tee nuts the same?

[John Rudd]

I'm just finishing off a small 3 inch (well it started out as a piece of 3in dia bar ) rotary table for machining raduissed ends on conrods and the like....

I've made some Tee nuts from 1/2 in bar tapped to take an M5 thread ( nothing like mixing units    )
the job I'm left with is making sure they are all the same length....They are too small to be held in the vice, they cant be clamped to the mill table because they are too small again....

I need some lateral thinking gents...

So any offers of advice on how to machine them so they are all the same?

[Darren]

Screw them down to a flat sacrificial bar .... first drilled with a line of holes of course.

[Jasonb]

Can't see why they are too small to fit in the vice? I was machining a 1/16" square onto a 3/4" length of 3/32 rod yesterday and that was easy enough to hold. Then I cross drilled some 3/8 long 3/32 pins to take 1/32 split pins again fitted in the vice OK

Jason

[John Rudd]

Screw them down to a flat sacrificial bar .... first drilled with a line of holes of course.

Yeah I thought of that, was hoping for an easier way out...  (I'm getting lazy.... )

[AdeV]

Can you rest a whole bunch of them on a parallel in the vice, on their ends, then mill them all to the same height at the same time? The threaded portion may end up slightly off-centre, but is that particularly important on a T-nut?

[Jasonb]

If you stick the tapping drill back through the hole you can use that to keep the nuts all at a set height above the vice jaws and just set them square with a tri-square.

Jason

[Darren]

Can you rest a whole bunch of them on a parallel in the vice, on their ends, then mill them all to the same height at the same time? The threaded portion may end up slightly off-centre, but is that particularly important on a T-nut?

Run them onto a threaded bar, or bolt.

Do they need to be the same length 

[John Rudd]

Can you rest a whole bunch of them on a parallel in the vice, on their ends, then mill them all to the same height at the same time? The threaded portion may end up slightly off-centre, but is that particularly important on a T-nut?

Do they need to be the same length 

Yes...I'm a purist.. 

I'll sleep on the suggestions thus far and see how tomorrow turns out..

Thanks for all your input..

[mklotz]

If you're a purist then you should know that T-nuts should not be tapped all the way through.  A small untapped bit prevents the stud from going all the way through and pulling the nut up if the stud should turn while tightening down.  If the nut pulls up there's a possibility that you can break out the T-slots on the table.

[John Rudd]

Thanx Marv..... .

Its unlikely the nuts will break out from the table...its made from steel...

I think the tensile strength of the 5mm studs isnt high enough...Probably shear or strip if I over tighten

[andyf]

Thanx Marv..... .

Its unlikely the nuts will break out from the table...its made from steel...

I think the tensile strength of the 5mm studs isnt high enough...Probably shear or strip if I over tighten

Do we deduce that you have already threaded them right through (like I did)? If so, it can do no harm to spoil the last thread on the underside with three or four centrepunch marks close to the edge of the hole, in case you ever use them in a cast iron slot.

Andy

Andy

[John Rudd]

Andy,

Thnx for the tip...Filed away for future reference

[SAM in LA]

If you're a purist then you should know that T-nuts should not be tapped all the way through.  A small untapped bit prevents the stud from going all the way through and pulling the nut up if the stud should turn while tightening down.  If the nut pulls up there's a possibility that you can break out the T-slots on the table.

I thought my tee nuts were not made correctly.  I had a tough time tapping that last thread in them.   

[Darren]

I thought my tee nuts were not made correctly.  I had a tough time tapping that last thread in them.   

 

[Davo J]

If you're a purist then you should know that T-nuts should not be tapped all the way through.  A small untapped bit prevents the stud from going all the way through and pulling the nut up if the stud should turn while tightening down.  If the nut pulls up there's a possibility that you can break out the T-slots on the table.

I thought my tee nuts were not made correctly.  I had a tough time tapping that last thread in them.   

Now you have another job closing the threads back up.
We all have to learn somewhere, and this is a great place for it
Dave

[No1_sonuk]

they cant be clamped to the mill table because they are too small again....

How about clamping them to the rotary table you made them for?  Put a sacrificial packing piece underneath (like card) and push them against a reference bar to get them all the same length.

[John Rudd]

Job done now fellas....

I put them all on a piece of threaded bar, lined up in the vice and milled the tops levels...

QED...

That just about wraps up the rotary table job...I'll try and post up a couple of piccies if I can get the camera to play nice( grrrrr...)