You have lots of input. I have one little thing to add, I put a dropp or two of superglue in the hole to strengthen the MDF, then I insert the T-nut or threaded insert.
In Memoriam
You have lots of input. I have one little thing to add, I put a dropp or two of superglue in the hole to strengthen the MDF, then I insert the T-nut or threaded insert.
John Lucas
woodshopdemos
Member
They make a version of the t-nuts that have nail holes for small brads to hold them in. Also you might try drilling the hole out oversized, mixing up some thickened west system epoxy, wetting out the fibers of the hole and packing the hole around the insert with the thickened epoxy. I tried to thread an insert into a piece of laminated mdf this weekend and it just made a mess. I ended up drilling the hole slightly smaller than the threads of what I wanted to screw in and just letting the bolt tap the hole, works great.
Member
Tom - a good bet for driving the pronged T-nuts into hard materials (or in end grain to avoid splitting) is to mark the location of the prongs with a light tap, then drill shallow 1/16" or 3/32" holes to guide them in. Best to straighten up the prongs beforehand. Also, you can get T-nuts with mounting holes in the flange rather than prongs - 3 or 4 times more expensive but also machined instead of being stamped.
FWIW, I use blind T-nuts wherever practical instead of threaded inserts in soft wood or flaky material. Insert a T-nut in the end of a short dowel with hole bored for the bolt, then glue the dowel into a hole bored in the substrate. And the final tip - use old style wooden thread spools for the dowel - the hole being already centered and bored.
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