Threaded Insert or T-Nut? Also what type of glue????

[Rahul Srivastava]

Hi Everyone. I am making a farmhouse style table out of spruce (Construction Grade White Wood). The table looks just like the one below. In this link.

http://ana-white.com/sites/default/files/3154815748_1348436935.jpg

I want the table top to be able to be removed and reattached, as I am making this for a customer. I am planning on having bolts come from the "X" portion of the table base and so that the threaded portion inserts into either a threaded insert or a T-Nut that is glued into the bottom of the table top. I am just wondering should place a T-Nut, threaded insert, or an insert nut into the bottom of my table top, or should I use something else? Also, what type of glue should I use?

[ken masoumi]

When I made a (very heavy) farmhouse table I had to carry the legs and the top separately from my shop to our living room , the fasteners I used for attaching the heavy top to the legs worked very well ,they are easy to install and remove ,also they can slide when there is wood movement:

http://www.leevalley.com/en/Hardware/page.aspx?p=40146&cat=3,41306,41309&ap=1

http://www.leevalley.com/en/images/item/hardware/fasteners/13k0101s1.jpg

[Rahul Srivastava]

When I made a (very heavy) farmhouse table I had to carry the legs and the top separately from my shop to our living room , the fasteners I used for attaching the heavy top to the legs worked very well ,they are easy to install and remove ,also they can slide when there is wood movement:

http://www.leevalley.com/en/Hardware/page.aspx?p=40146&cat=3,41306,41309&ap=1

http://www.leevalley.com/en/images/item/hardware/fasteners/13k0101s1.jpg

Thanks for the suggestion. My table does not have a skirt so I don't think this method would work very well.

[ken masoumi]

Thanks for the suggestion. My table does not have a skirt so I don't think this method would work very well.
You could build a stretcher between the legs that touches/supports the table top, then cut the groove for the fasteners in the stretcher and the legs.that's how I did mine, worked very well.

[pat warner]

Neither a tee-nut nor an insert will provide more pull strength than a double threaded fastener (a screw).
If the tee-nut's flange was on the table top, (something you might camouflage),
the connection would be forever lasting.

[Matt Day]

Pat, isn't an insert the same as a screw?

[Jerry Miner]

Forget the T-nut. They are intended to be inserted into the receiving piece from the opposite side from the screw---which would mean the T-nut would be on the table top. Gluing it in from the bottom would be a weak connection that would be stressed every time someone tightens the screw/bolt.

Threaded inserts would work. Be sure to use slots or over-size holes in the cross-piece to allow for wood movement.

Side rant: Ana White provides designs that seem very attractive to beginning woodworkers, as they tend to use simple materials, few tools, and little technical skill. But her designs tend to completely ignore wood movement, which is a critical component of woodwork design, IMHO. I suggest that anyone considering building from one of her designs take a critical look and adjust the design to accommodate wood movement. It would be disappointing to put a lot of effort into a project that self-destructs.

[pat warner]

"Pat, isn't an insert the same as a screw? "
******************************************
Very similar & some with very deep threads.
But they're (not all) unusually short, hybrids from the metal and plastic communities, where they don't have to be very long. Moreover, the deep threaded types do plenty of damage on insertion. A double threaded no. 12 or 14 can be screwed almost all the way through the stock and provide more pull strength than an insert. Only & now you have to be a driller. That is, you have to have every insert agree with every hole from that member that receives the head of the screw. Less of a problem with wood or sheet metal screws.
Maybe not a problem at all, but it seems expediency (these days) always takes precedence.

[Rahul Srivastava]

Thanks everyone for the help. I am an extremely new woodworker so I am learning as I go. So far what I am understanding is that I should not use a T-Nut. But a threaded insert would work. Can someone provide a link of the type of threaded insert I should use? I know there are a few types-tapered and un-tapered.

[Rahul Srivastava]

Would the press in insert be the best for soft wood? I found this picture online.

http://images.meredith.com/wood/images/2008/01/p_156_Pg_54.gif

[Jerry Miner]

I would have more trust in a threaded insert than a pressed-in one. Something like this:

Insert (https://www.fastenal.com/products/details/11138963;jsessionid=5F0FE7B46A05C9791C30137FF56524 9C.fcomjvm03?r=~|categoryl1:"600000 Fasteners"|~ ~|categoryl2:"600186 Thread Repair"|~ ~|categoryl3:"600189 Threaded Inserts"|~)

[Keith Westfall]

If you have a big box store anywhere near, they quite often have them. Use the threaded insert.

[Jim Dwight]

I try not to use zinc inserts because zinc creeps. This is a low stress area so it would be OK but I just like brass or steel better. Here is a link to one at Lowe's:

http://www.lowes.com/pd_137397-37672-880551_0__?productId=3012578

You don't really need to glue it in, it has threads to pull itself in. You can get a special driver or you can double nut it and use a ratchet. I've never invested in the driver. If you want, a little 5 minute epoxy will make it go in easier and stay put better but you don't want to use too much or you'll make a mess.

You could also simplify things and just use a screw in a slotted hole. It could be driven a time or two without getting loose and could be repositioned a time or two within the slot. For a limited number of assembly/disassembly, a simple screw would work fine.