116. Linking wood and steel threading with nuts

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If you plan on making jigs, one of the most important fasteners you’ll want to master is the t-nut. With a t-nut you’re able to create a link between steel threading and the actual jig you create from wood. You might be tempted to think that, due to the spikes tines, all you need to do is cut a center hole out and hammer it in. The problem, as you can see here, is that the splines can deform and become weak. A better method is start with a forstner bit, drill down the depth of the flange thickness and then drill the barrel thickness out with a brad point bit. Place the barrel of the t-nut in the hole you drilled and give it a few taps. Drill a hole slightly smaller than the tines in each of the marks that were made. To attach it, you can either use epoxy around the tines, the barrel and the underside of the flange, or you can add a few screws through the top.

Another consideration when adding these is the pressure you put on them. It is far better to create a pressure with the t-nut pressed into the wood than away from the wood. If I’m making a knob, I would want to put the locking pressure pulling the t-nut into the knob than away from or just on the surface.