Bed bolts

[Zach Dillinger]

I'm working on a couple of beds for a customer in Virginia. He's got an antique bed with a unique bed bolt and he wants to replicate this system if possible.

The bolt itself has a cylindrical head, rather than a standard hex or square head. The cylinder has holes drilled through along the outside face, which allows you to insert a screwdriver or similar object to be used as a wrench to tighten the bolt into a captive nut in the footboard stile. With this system, no externally visible fastener is needed and the mortise in the rail for the bolt can be quite small. Does anyone have any idea where I might find a bolt like this? I'm thinking it should be a 1/2" or 5/8" bolt.

My best,

Zach

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

Would something like this work?
http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Truss_rods/Adjusting_nuts/Spoke_Wheel_Truss_Rod_Nut.html?actn=100101&xst=3&xsr=8442

Edit: Never mind; a 10/32 thread probably isn't beefy enough for a bed. Wasn't thinking. Would using a "nut" version (like this) over a "bolt" version work? Seems like it would be easier to fabricate.

[Greg Wease]

Rockler has this kind of fastener:

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=25449&filter=connector%20bolt

[Zach Dillinger]

Josh,

The nut version of what I'm looking for won't work, because it would be impossible to insert the bolt portion into the post. It has to be the nut portion captured in the post and the bolt part in the rail.

Greg,

I saw that but I really don't like the threaded insert part of that. Seems really chintzy. I'll probably just end up buying a regular bed bolt set and drill holes through the faces if I can't find what I'm looking for.

Thanks,

Zach

[Andrew Nemeth]

Zach,

I think I almost understand what your talking about... Almost. How about a drawing of what your thinking about or a photo of what your trying to replicate? Also, you may get more views and responses if you post in the general woodworking forum.

-Andrew

[Stephen Pereira]

I'm working on a couple of beds for a customer in Virginia. He's got an antique bed with a unique bed bolt and he wants to replicate this system if possible.

The bolt itself has a cylindrical head, rather than a standard hex or square head. The cylinder has holes drilled through along the outside face, which allows you to insert a screwdriver or similar object to be used as a wrench to tighten the bolt into a captive nut in the footboard stile. With this system, no externally visible fastener is needed and the mortise in the rail for the bolt can be quite small. Does anyone have any idea where I might find a bolt like this? I'm thinking it should be a 1/2" or 5/8" bolt.

My best,

Zach
Send me a picture or drawing and perhaps I can make them. I make my own bedbolts out of solid brass round. I use them as an accent.

[Johnny Kleso]

I can make what you need but having a hard time seeing what you wrote..
Can you make a sketch with Paint?

Start> All Programs> Accessories> Paint
Draw it on paper first as paint is not the best sketch maker this way you will have a visual picture to follow and not go crazy :)

Opps you al ready have an offer My Appoligies.......

[Zach Dillinger]

Gentleman,

Here is what I'm talking about.

188052

I'm not tied to four through holes. One easy way to do this might be to get an appropriate bolt, drill a hole through each hexagonal face, then turn it round on a metal lathe. I don't have a metal lathe, hence my need to find either a pre-made one or someone who can make it.

[Chris Vandiver]

Zack,
You could drill the holes and then file the hex heads round. Question, does the head need to be round?

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Zach...what about this and you drill the holes? http://www.mcmaster.com/#socket-head-cap-screws/=bkmymc

[Joseph Klosek]

You could probably use hanger bolts. They are threaded from both ends or sometimes one end has a machine thread and the other a screw/lag thread.

I used many of these to put handrail fittings together and long ones for fastening newell posts. L.J. Smith makes the Sure-Tite newell post fastener which is an example.

I assume you are planning on making a mortise in the post for the nut as well?

If you use a hanger bolt with screw thread, you could just drill a hole in the post and install the screw and then just drill out the rail as usual.

J.P.

[ray hampton]

making the bolt is not that hard -I wish that I could remember where I saw the bolt before, maybe a bolt on some type of machine

[John Stankus]

Could it be a Capstan screw (bolt). Found a shorter one on a webpage from the UK name of the part was REKORD CABINET CONN BRASS PL at dowel.co.uk Also saw an old style bed bolt (quite pricey though) at http://www.brasscastings.co.uk/acatalog/Miscellaneous_antique_reproduction_metalware.html

No affliations with either (never heard of them before today) but the question was intriguing to me. The description reminded me of the old sailing ship capstans where you would stick a lever in a hole and turn.

John