Making T-nuts, brackets

[MechanoMan]

I have bought a lot of metric 4590 8020 from a salvage yard. Now I need to worry about the connection hardware and that sounds like a bigger expense than the rails themselves. Finding the metric brackets and gusset plates used/surplus is a bit less common, too.

One thing that caught my eye is there's a raw T-slot nut profile:

8020 T-nut profiled stock

I could see this as useful. See, when you've got a bracket or gusset plate with multiple bolts inline in one T-slot, it sounds helpful to me to have a single, long, multiple-hole nut in back so once one bolt grabs a hole and lines it up, they're all good. Of course if you had a gusset plate for say a leg and thought to install it FIRST, you could thread independent nuts onto the plate then slide the plate and attached nuts through an open end of the T-slot. But if the rest of the frame is already assembled, it sounds like aligning the nuts could be a significant PITA.

BUT, here's the thing. That seller's profile is for FRACTIONAL, I need METRIC, which he doesn't have.

I suppose I could get carbon steel stock and cut it on the Taig. I've done very little steel though. Is aluminum is strong enough to hold the threads properly?

Plus, they've got this:


Cutting corner brackets from this seems like a HUGE money-saver. Are they good? A lot of the "solid" cast pieces seemed quite sturdy, but they're actually zinc-cast, which isn't an enormously sturdy material, but it was thick.

[nateman_doo]

Go to Home depot and get some 3/4" x 1/4" x 3' hot rolled steel.

Take a grinder and "touch" 2 edges of it, and it will slide down VERY nice in there.

[TNUTZ]

Take a look at TNUTZ.com, they have metric hardware, and will not break the bank

[nateman_doo]

Nice and simple sight. I will pick up some stuff for my current 2040 build. Good timing!


No one seems to have gusset plates for 2040. I designed my own if anyone wants.