T-Bolts
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3 Posts
I use them, too. I also have a bunch of Rockler T-bolts. What I don't like is buying aluminum T-track at about $6-$7.50 per foot. I can't find a t-slot router bit that is 9/16" diameter, which is what the slot needs to be so either the T-bolt or the toilet bolt can be used. (The toilet bowl bolt head is smaller than Rockler's T-bolt, but not by much. The slot bit for the Rockler bolt head is wider and allows the toilet bolt to spin inside the track.) What I've been doing is making T-bolt slots by routing a 9/16" slot at 3/16" deep in the base material (eg 1/2"ply) in 2 passes with a 1/2"diameter straight bit. Then gluing down 1/4" ply. Last, I rout a centered cut through the 1/4" ply at just over 5/16" wide, so either diameter bolt can be used, whether Rockler's or a toilet bolt.
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5,167 Posts
KEO 9/16" Cutter Dia., 9/16" Wide, High Speed Steel T-Slot Cutter | 08-910-800 | Travers Tool Co., Inc.
Keyway & T-Slot End Mills, T-Slot Milling Cutters & 6 Piece Set, NIAGARA, Shank Diameter 1/2"
www.travers.com
Whenever you cant find a router bit in a shape you want, look for milling tools instead. Generally you can run a milling cutter in a router just fine, so long as the shank can be held in your router. Only big thing to watch out for is speed; a lot of milling cutters nowadays are carbide, but theres still a lot of high-speed steel floating around, and HSS cant be run as fast as carbide. Just gotta remember to turn the router speed down though
Oh, and im not recommending that specific cutter, just needed an example. Milling cutters can be found a lot cheaper on eBay, and for woodworking the cheap stuff works just fine
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5,119 Posts
I made my own T track and bolts. I had some square aluminum tubing that I wasn't using for anything else so I made T track out of it. Aluminum will cut just fine on a table saw and miter saw, just use your head for safety sake. For the bolt I use a regular bolt with a washer to ride inside the track. Works for me.
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262 Posts
I bought a whole case of this t-track off of ebay in 4' lengths. Pretty sure they're available on Amazon too. Hex head 14-20 bolts work fine.
www.orangealuminum.com
T-Track
Specialty "T" Track allows you to slide in 1/4"-20 hex head bolts to mount, position, and hang clamps and fixtures. To Reposition Clamps and Fixtures, Loosen the Bolt and Slide to New Position. Ideal for Positioning Jigs, Stops, and Hold-Downs on Table Saws. Multiple Lengths Available. 47/64" W...
www.orangealuminum.com
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262 Posts
Another great site for extruded aluminum products. I've used some of this for fences/jigs etc.
8020.net
80/20 T-slot Aluminum Building System
80/20 Inc. provides a T-slot framing system and resources in your hands to turn dreams into reality. It's easy to assemble and can be configured into endless custom solutions, from DIY project to industrial applications. 80/20 is versatile - from machine guards to robotic arms, racing...
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4,054 Posts
I have learned a lot from other WoodworkingTalk members and want to extend my thanks to everyone for that.
-> One of the things I learned here is that T-tracks from different sources are not alike. I also learned that different hex and T-bolts that fit in one brand of T-track do not always fit in other brands of T-tracks.
Soon after I learned that, I was at my local Rockler store and discovered that they sell two different shapes of T-track. One has a channel down the bottom, and the other has a flat bottom. The size of the dado (height of the outside of the T-track) are different, too. The one with the channel is 3/8 inch deep, and the one with the flat bottom is 1/2 inch deep.
Maybe I am missing something, but there should be an ISO or NIST standard for T-tracks that are commonly used in woodworking (and I presume other industries), and the bolts that fit them, so that everything works together.
Balkanization of T-tracks is absurd. I get so tired of industry "lock-in", whether in woodworking or anything else.
-> One of the things I learned here is that T-tracks from different sources are not alike. I also learned that different hex and T-bolts that fit in one brand of T-track do not always fit in other brands of T-tracks.
Soon after I learned that, I was at my local Rockler store and discovered that they sell two different shapes of T-track. One has a channel down the bottom, and the other has a flat bottom. The size of the dado (height of the outside of the T-track) are different, too. The one with the channel is 3/8 inch deep, and the one with the flat bottom is 1/2 inch deep.
Maybe I am missing something, but there should be an ISO or NIST standard for T-tracks that are commonly used in woodworking (and I presume other industries), and the bolts that fit them, so that everything works together.
Balkanization of T-tracks is absurd. I get so tired of industry "lock-in", whether in woodworking or anything else.
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566 Posts
Bolts and nuts maybe, even then bolt standards have many variations. Many many more than what the average consumer is aware of.
Tee slots milled into the tables and fixtures used for metal working do in fact have an industry standard set of dimensions for each size tee slot. That said, some blueprints will vary from the standard. Tee slots in metal working can be metric or imperial sizing.
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4,054 Posts
The last woodworking show here in California was 5 or 6 years ago at the Orange County Fairgrounds. For the past few years, there haven't been any west of the Mississippi. There is the AWFS Fair in Las Vegas, but I think its focus is more on industry than individuals like me. I may go someday just to see what it has to offer.
When I asked why we haven't had the regular woodworking shows for several years here in California, someone on WoodworkingTalk replied, "Because all your trees burned down." :-(
It's an Internet world. No one really needs the shows anymore unless you go to Georgia and looking for high end equipment
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4,054 Posts
I do. I like those kinds of shows. Not so much for the major vendors with the big space and huge displays. What I enjoy most are the little booths in the back where the inventors show off their new ideas. Sorry, but the internet cannot provide that same experience. Admittedly, I have never been to a woodworking show, but would like to go someday.
... and you may be right. They could be gone forever, a relic of the past. :-(
... and you may be right. They could be gone forever, a relic of the past. :-(
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