Threaded Inserts

[Doug Mason]

I'm making some jigs and need to install some threaded inserts into 3/4 maple plywood so that it can accept 5/16 tightening nobs. But I am having problems getting the inserts in straight. Should I tap the maple first (using metal taps?) and then try to put the inserts in? What is the best way to do it?

[Chuck Saunders]

If you have a tap the right size, then go for it. You may need to add some thread locker to the insert as you are removing the compressed wood from the equation. You could also use the tap just to start the hole and let the insert cut in the rest of the way.
Chuck

[Hank Knight]

If the pieces into which you're installing the inserts are small enough to fit on your drill press table, you can install the inserts vertically be chucking a threaded rod that fits the insert into the drill press, threading on a nut to act as a stop for the insert, then thread on the insert. Unplug the drill press. Crank the insert down into the pre-drilled hole in the work and turn the chuck by hand to thread the insert into the workpiece. A chuck wrench or a pin inserted into the chuck-key holes may help with the turning. Clamping the work to the drill press table is a good idea too. When you get the insert set at the proper depth, loosen the nut and unscrew the threaded rod. Voila! A perfectly perpendicular insert.

[Lee Schierer]

You can make a jig out of a piece of wood . YOu first screw the insert into the block, clamp the block in place over the hole and then screw the insert down into the wood. Sometimes stacing up two inserts on a threaded rod will help you keep the first one from tipping.

Apply some beeswax to the insert threads and they will screw in much easier.