# Best glue for threaded inserts



## DaveLikeGolf (Dec 10, 2007)

Hey folks, I'm new to these parts. I've been admiring the finished prejects section for some time and have finally decided to join in on the fun. 
I'm currently working on a music stand for my sister's Christmas present. In order to raise and lower the stand, I'm planning on putting a thumb knob on the back of the support stem that she can tighten and loosen when she needs to change the position.

The best way to provide the necessary threads for the knob would have been a t-nut inside the shaft. However, I forgot to do this prior to gluing the two halves of the stem together and now have a dilema. I think I've decided to go with a threaded insert like this one:

My question is, what is the best way (glue?) to secure the brass insert to the mahogany? There will be repeated twisting of the inner threads for many years and I don't want the outside threads coming loose and screwing themselves out of the wood. For a clearer understanding of what I'm trying to accomplish, I've attached the model showing the hexagon stem and the square rod that supports the sheet holder and floats up and down in the shaft. (I hope it's clear what I'm trying to accomplish. It was pretty difficult explaining it to the guy at Ace Hardware without a pencil or pictures!)


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## markrules (Feb 18, 2007)

First of all, ignore the flathead slot in the top. Instead, use a bolt that fits inside this insert and lock a nut on top of it. That way you can torque the nut to drive this insert in the mohagany. I didn't do this last time and broke those brass inserts quite easily.


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## Blake (Oct 17, 2007)

*Epoxy* is the glue to use. Make sure it will work for metal and wood.

But also, file one or two grooves ACROSS the threads (lengthwise up and down the insert) which will give the epoxy more to grip. If you can imagine how the epoxy will fill that groove, the threaded insert will never be able to "unscrew" itself out. It is ok to make the hole just a hair too big. You don't want to squeeze all the epoxy out when you screw in the insert.

And like Mark said above, don't use a flat head screwdriver in that slot. It will strip instantly. Put the insert on the end of a bolt, and tighten two nuts together just above it. Use a wrench (on the bolt) to screw the whole thing in to the wood. When the insert is flush, loosen the top nut. Then the bolt will easily unscrew out of the insert.


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## Blake (Oct 17, 2007)

On second thought, that bolt method is good when you are screwing the threaded insert into a tight hole and not using glue… with epoxy and a slightly larger hole you may get away with using that flathead screwdriver.


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## gotmarko (May 10, 2006)

Another option would be to place the threaded insert into a recess (think 1/8" to 3/16" deep) and then place a wooden inlay over the top of the insert with a hole just big enough to allow the brass knob to pass through. That way, the wood to wood glued surface would keep the insert locked into the support stem. And it would hide the insert completely, so they might never know it wasn't inserted from the other side before the stem was glued up.


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## DaveLikeGolf (Dec 10, 2007)

That is an option gotmarko, but I'm not sure what the physical size of the insert is. I'm guessing if it's a 1/4" hole, it's probably only 3/8" outside to outside. Essentially, that would create a 1/16" rim on the mahogany "donut". I'd have to be incredibly accurate cut to get that right, and I'm not sure if the mahogany is dense enough for that type of application. 
I'm not terribly concerned if the brass insert shows from the outside since it's brass and would probably blend in with the knob.


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## BrettUK (Oct 6, 2014)

> First of all, ignore the flathead slot in the top. Instead, use a bolt that fits inside this insert and lock a nut on top of it. That way you can torque the nut to drive this insert in the mohagany. I didn t do this last time and broke those brass inserts quite easily.
> 
> - markrules


I agree with Mark - where are you getting your threaded inserts aswell by the way?


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