Small T-nut for the left side of BT3 rip fence or front of miter fence

[LCHIEN]

I have found a perfect T-nut for the front of the BT3 miter fence and for the left side of the rip fence (same extrusion used both places)

Its actually a weld nut, but fits the T-slot described above.

Weld Nut: #10-24 Thread, Tab, 1/32 in Base Ht, 3/8 in Base Wd, 5/8 in Base Lg, Steel, 50 PK
Item 1LAJ3 Mfr. Model 1LAJ3 (WW Graingers)

The fence slot is .400" high and .200 deep. The T-nuts are 0.375" high so they fit nicely with an adequate but not sloppy clearance. About .1" thick and the protrusion fits in the slot on the fence. The hole is threaded 10-24 a common screw size (10-32 is also common but this is 10-24).
The closed back of the slot means that the screw length is limited.
I use it for attaching a sacrificial rip fence face or a tall fence or a long rip fence. and for the miter fence you can attach a long miter fence with stops.
If you use a 3/4" thick 1x2 or 1x3 or 1x4 board then a counter sunk 3/4 or even 1/2" screw will work nicely.
A countersink of 1/2" depth and a 1/2" screw will bury the head in the fence out of the way. Best to try and adjust deeper if needed.
Final note, I drill the hole for the bolt and nut 15/16ths up from the bottom of the fence being installed. This leaves 1/16th clearance so the fence does not drag.

I bought a pack of 50 of these which is way more than I need, but they're kind of hard to find except at the specialty industrial stores and shipping tends to be high.
If you want 2 or 4 of these, drop me a PM with your address and I'll mail you some in the interest of promoting the saw.
A pair of these nuts should easily hold a auxiliary fence as I described above.

[LCHIEN]

Gallery of pictures attached - click on the images for full size picture

T-nuts and some 10-24 x 1/2" screws I had



T-nut backside



Screw 1/2" long countersunk 1/2"


End-on view of T-nut entering rip fence; note I have one of the metal roller holder replacing the original roller holder. I found it was easiest to take the rip fence off the saw to install the T-nut rather than install in position where you were kind of blindly feeling for the slot.


Mounted sacrificial fence

[LCHIEN]

At the hardware store today I picked up these 10-24 x 3/4" set screws. With a spot of super glue (or even blue loctite) they will turn into true T-bolts.
This will be much easier to thread into the slot in the fence then locate the mounting holes in the auxiliary fence over the jutting out stud. A half inch deep recess maybe 3/4" or 1" diameter will allow me to put a 10-24 nut over it easily.

[Jim Frye]

After all these years of holding nuts and bolts against a grinding wheel! Nice find.

[billysmith]

Bolts are items that are not needed when needed and are not needed when needed

[dbhost]

Could you claify what you mean by that? Bolts are not needed when needed and are not needed when needed? That doesn't make much sense.

[dirtmover]

Doesn't a standard 2020 profile t-nut fit that slot?

[LCHIEN]

Doesn't a standard 2020 profile t-nut fit that slot?

Not familiar with 2020 nuts, seems to be metric, I don't want to be mixing metric stuff in my shop.

Can you recommend a 2020 nut that fits the slot:

The fence slot is .400" high and .200 deep. The slot itself is 0.270" wide.
The T-nuts are 0.375" high so they fit nicely with an adequate but not sloppy clearance. About .1" thick and the protrusion fits in the slot on the fence. The hole is threaded 10-24 a common ANSI screw size (10-32 is also common but this is 10-24).
The closed back of the slot means that the screw length is limited.




Weld Nut: #10-24 Thread, Tab, 1/32 in Base Ht, 3/8 in Base Wd, 5/8 in Base Lg, Steel, 50 PK
Item 1LAJ3 Mfr. Model 1LAJ3 (WW Graingers)

[dirtmover]

Not familiar with 2020 nuts, seems to be metric, I don't want to be mixing metric stuff in my shop.

You're absolutely correct, they won't work for you because they're metric. For reference these are the dimensions. Unless I'm missing something they look like a perfect fit for that slot.

[LCHIEN]

You're absolutely correct, they won't work for you because they're metric. For reference these are the dimensions. Unless I'm missing something they look like a perfect fit for that slot.

Ah, I see designed to fit these:

And it does look like it will fit the small BT3000 slot. available tapped for M3, 4, 5 or 6.
Another alternative, thanks. These are fairly cheap and widely available used for making DIY laser and 3D printer frames

[pagimo6889]

It's always a bit tricky finding the right T-nuts for the BT3 rip fence, but these seem like a solid fit. I appreciate the detailed info on the dimensions and usage – super helpful.

[LCHIEN]

offer still stands if you want a couple or 4, I have some left over.


just PM me your mailing address.
You can provide your own 10-24 x 3/4" screws or studs (10-24 x 3/4" set screw is easy to find at local hardware stores)
to use with 1x lumber fences.

[dirtmover]

BTW, this is the 2020 nut and installed on the cross slide fence. They're an almost perfect fit for that slot and offer another option. They have the advantage of being standardized and probably more globally available than a weld nut that just happens to fit.

[LCHIEN]

That solution absolutely works. Standard holes in the 2020 nuts are tapped for M3, M4, M5 or M6. So you need metric hardware for bolts or studs.