What type of threaded insert should I use in a soft wood table?

[Rahul Srivastava]

I have made a farmhouse style table like the one in this link http://ana-white.com/sites/default/files/3154825542_1366085631.jpg

I am making the table for someone, and told them that they could take the table top off for easy transport if they ever moved. I am planning on having bolts run up into the table top from the "X" portion of the table leg, and connect to a threaded insert of some sort. The threaded insert would be embedded into the table top and be on the receiving end. I was wondering if someone could point me to the best type of threaded insert for this project. I am planning on using a 5 minute epoxy around the insert.

[Jamie Buxton]

These -- http://www.rockler.com/threaded-brass-inserts-select-size
That's a Rockler page, but everybody sells them.

[Rahul Srivastava]

What about these http://www.leevalley.com/en/hardware/page.aspx?p=44236&cat=3,43576,45375,44236

and these http://www.leevalley.com/en/hardware/page.aspx?p=44237&cat=3,43576,45375,44237

[Jamie Buxton]

What about these http://www.leevalley.com/en/hardware/page.aspx?p=44236&cat=3,43576,45375,44236

and these http://www.leevalley.com/en/hardware/page.aspx?p=44237&cat=3,43576,45375,44237

My experience with those cast-zinc things is that they don't drive into the wood as easily as the brass ones I linked to. They rip out the wood fibers near the entrance.

[David Eisenhauer]

If you have never used the brass inserts as shown from Rockler, you probably should practice on some scrap wood with installing one prior to working on your table. The hole drilled for the insert needs to be the correct diameter and the hole diameter size is somewhat sensitive for harder woods. Too big, the insert pulls out - too small, the insert is a booger to drive to depth. Also, I have found that running a slight countersink around the outer rim of the pre-drilled hole prior to the installation of the brass insert eliminates the ridge raised by the insert as it is driven to depth. The inserts can be difficult to start square to the surface you are driving into and some recommend using a drill press (turned manually by hand, not under power) to start the insert until it is well seated. The large slot in the brass insert used to drive the insert down will not withstand serious driving without twisting out the slot, so you need to use a steel bolt in the brass insert to drive the insert from. Or, you can use one of the Tee wrenches made for the task. I have used a number of the inserts over the years for the exact purpose you want to use them for and purchased a Tee wrench in the size I typically use a few years ago and it definitely aided in the installation process. Softer woods are not nearly as much problem to work with than the harder woods.

[Roger Feeley]

I'm not sure of your application. When I want extreme strength, I don't use a threaded insert. I get some of those long nuts that you use to join two pieces of ready rod. Then I drill a deep hole in the wood so that the threaded part is a press fit. I bury the nut about 3/4" below the surface. then, I glue a dowel rod in over the nut with a hole in the middle. Holds great.

[Myk Rian]

These -- http://www.rockler.com/threaded-brass-inserts-select-size
That's a Rockler page, but everybody sells them.
I used the 5/16" size for a redwood burl table I made. They hold very well. As stated, get the right hole size in scrap first.

[Bill Adamsen]

Whatever you choose ... try it on scraps first. I have had success driving (screwing) them into softwoods (EWP) and failures trying to get them into (and then out of) hardwoods. The solution to get them out - when you can only get them halfway in - is to essentially drill them out. Fortunately, they do seem to work well just glued in with epoxy on oversized holes. Unfortunately, it is hard to glue them in with epoxy without getting as much epoxy on the inside thread as the outside. What I have done is to use "sacrificial" bolts that I remove after partial setup.

The inserts I've used are the Rockler style. I have a manual insert tool, though the chockable Rockler looks like a great solution. It is very difficult to use a screwdriver to install, and a bolt with a lock nut sometimes locks to the insert.

[Pat Barry]

I would screw the inserts and just screw the top on directly. Inserts are great if the frequency. of removal and re-attachment is high but other wise they are more difficult to manage. You could use large wood screws maybe even lag bolts and get a very stron connection and yet those screws can easily be removed and replaced.