Hi all, does any one know of a company that sells cross dowel nuts & bolts, I want to make a bunk bed for my daughter I will be using mortice & tenon for the head & foot board but need metal fixings so I can knock the rest of the bed down so to speak. The bolts need to be 100 mm long & would like to use M8 but screwfix & such like don't do this, Isac Lord seem to sell in packs of hundreds, any help much appreciated cheers.
Fixings for a bed
- Thread starter Larky
- Start date
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Chris Knight
Established Member
Welcome Larky,
It is quite easy to make your own. Just buy a metal rod of suitable diameter, then drill and tap it for the cross dowel - drilling is best done on the drill press. Bolts you can buy or make up from threaded rod (studding).
It is quite easy to make your own. Just buy a metal rod of suitable diameter, then drill and tap it for the cross dowel - drilling is best done on the drill press. Bolts you can buy or make up from threaded rod (studding).
mahking51
Established Member
Hi
Just Chop a normal mortice and use a normal nut & washer. I usually glue pieces over the nut making it captive after trial fitting. Works well
Regards
Martin
Just Chop a normal mortice and use a normal nut & washer. I usually glue pieces over the nut making it captive after trial fitting. Works well
Regards
Martin
Steve Maskery
Established Member
Hi Larky,
It depends on how much work you want to do, but if you want your hardware to be completely hidden, this is how I go about it. The nut is in the leg, and the bolt is replaced by a length of studding and another nut.
1. I cut a veneer about 3 or 4mm thick off the outside face of the leg.
2. Counterbore a hole the A/F size of the nut. For an M12 nut this is 17mm, if memory serves me correctly. (Not 100% certain on that).
3. Drill right through at 1/2".
4. Pull an M12 nut into the counterbored hole so that it is beneath the surface, and glue the veneer back on. It is now invisible, but you can screw into it from the other side.
5. On the inside face of the leg I rout a channel, about 120mm long and 1/2" wide and 1/4" deeper than the centre of the board. This is then rebated to 1/4" above the cente line of the board and a filler piece glued in over it. This creates a channel 1/2" square, which gives a bit of clearance for 12mm studding.
6. I rout a pocket on the inside face of the board, 120mm from the end, and about 100x50mm in size. I rout to within about 3mm of the far face. This creates a recess big enough to get your second nut into and use a spanner on it.
7. So, insert a length of studding into the leg, slide the rails onto the studding, attach a washer and nut inside the recess and tighten up with a spanner. Very strong, very neat, very cheap.
Cheers
Steve
It depends on how much work you want to do, but if you want your hardware to be completely hidden, this is how I go about it. The nut is in the leg, and the bolt is replaced by a length of studding and another nut.
1. I cut a veneer about 3 or 4mm thick off the outside face of the leg.
2. Counterbore a hole the A/F size of the nut. For an M12 nut this is 17mm, if memory serves me correctly. (Not 100% certain on that).
3. Drill right through at 1/2".
4. Pull an M12 nut into the counterbored hole so that it is beneath the surface, and glue the veneer back on. It is now invisible, but you can screw into it from the other side.
5. On the inside face of the leg I rout a channel, about 120mm long and 1/2" wide and 1/4" deeper than the centre of the board. This is then rebated to 1/4" above the cente line of the board and a filler piece glued in over it. This creates a channel 1/2" square, which gives a bit of clearance for 12mm studding.
6. I rout a pocket on the inside face of the board, 120mm from the end, and about 100x50mm in size. I rout to within about 3mm of the far face. This creates a recess big enough to get your second nut into and use a spanner on it.
7. So, insert a length of studding into the leg, slide the rails onto the studding, attach a washer and nut inside the recess and tighten up with a spanner. Very strong, very neat, very cheap.
Cheers
Steve
llangatwgnedd
Established Member
Why not this type then?
https://www.isaaclord.co.uk/prodData.asp?prodid=1553&SubCat=
https://www.isaaclord.co.uk/prodData.asp?prodid=1553&SubCat=
Steve Maskery
Established Member
Sawdust Producer":1nlpk7hp said:
How long a list do you want?
They rely on a few little screws for their rigidity. The screws soon work loose and the bed goes all wobbly.
At least that's what happened to my wife's bed, purchased before she knew me and better.
Cheers
Steve
PS my drawing appears to have screwed up the thread. Humble apologies, I'll try better next time
Keith Smith
Established Member
There is a more robust version of the fastener Sawdust producer linked to. It is rebated into the frame and makes a very neat job, in fact it is invisible once fitted. The only problem #-o I haven't found anyone that sells them in the UK. I had to get them from Rockler in the States.
Keith
Keith
I used these from Hafele on a recent job (the first pic was of a test fitting rail):
Ray.
Ray.
engineer one
Established Member
there always used to be a kind of lock system that slotted into each other.
and you could still use nuts and bolts instead of screws, and as suggested veneer or plug over it, so you could use he Hafele one.
i wonder if blum or anyone else does such,
paul :wink:
and you could still use nuts and bolts instead of screws, and as suggested veneer or plug over it, so you could use he Hafele one.
i wonder if blum or anyone else does such,
paul :wink:
llangatwgnedd
Established Member
here the one that issac Lord sell similar to the one Ray is showing
https://www.isaaclord.co.uk/prodData.asp?prodid=1552&SubCat=
I have seen a few in the pine shops with just drilled angle iron
https://www.isaaclord.co.uk/prodData.asp?prodid=1552&SubCat=
I have seen a few in the pine shops with just drilled angle iron
engineer one
Established Member
larkey, like you i think that screw fixings into the bed posts is
kind of dodgy.
continual movement of the bed will ALWAYS loosen screws put into the
wood, and with most of the fittings, the screws are a pipper to put in,
and you cannot be sure they will be tight.
even those barrel nuts will move, but the advantage may be easier access to the tightening or re-tightening process.
seems strange that after all this time the items in the lord book for instance are all that are available still.
if you need a knock down bed, check out the various diy items, then
see about modifying the idea.
i wonder whether it is possible to make block tenons in each corner,
then mortices on the bed rails.
just a thought
paul :wink:
kind of dodgy.
continual movement of the bed will ALWAYS loosen screws put into the
wood, and with most of the fittings, the screws are a pipper to put in,
and you cannot be sure they will be tight.
even those barrel nuts will move, but the advantage may be easier access to the tightening or re-tightening process.
seems strange that after all this time the items in the lord book for instance are all that are available still.
if you need a knock down bed, check out the various diy items, then
see about modifying the idea.
i wonder whether it is possible to make block tenons in each corner,
then mortices on the bed rails.
just a thought
paul :wink:
I understand your initial concerns, but - just like hinges - the majority of these fixings should NOT be surface-mounted, but morticed in. They are very reliable if installed correctly.engineer one":2isnhjcw said:
Ray.
