Synopsis: Once William Tandy Young started working with threaded inserts, he quickly saw how handy they are. Threaded into a hole, they make it possible to use machine screws to fasten wooden parts; the surrounding wood will fail long before the inserts pull out. He uses them where strength is important, on knockdown furniture and on repairs. He explains the three types of inserts used in woodworking, and how to choose the right driver. He also shares advice on drilling the right size pilot hole and offers supply information.

My friend Any called one day to ask if I wanted to take part in a bulk order of threaded inserts. I’d seen threaded inserts in catalogs but had no experience with them. I asked Andy how he used them, and after a moment of stunned silence he replied, “Where do you want me to start?”. He told me when he used them on everything from tools and jigs to high-end furniture. Threaded inserts are so valuable around his shop that craftsmen working there guard their private stocks. Andy’s never steered me wrong, so I joined the bulk order and got some of my own.

Once I started working with threaded inserts, I quickly saw how handy they are. They look like round nuts with machine-screw threads on the inside and wood-screw threads on the outside. Threaded into a hole, inserts make it possible to use machine screws to fasten wooden parts. Inserts have a large outside diameter and coarse threads, and their surface area is more than 50% greeted than comparable wood screws. The surrounding wood fails long before inserts pull out. Inserts hold so well they can be difficult to remove. Some designs are impossible to remove, short of splitting them out.

Since that first order, I’ve used threaded inserts to replace wood screws where strength was important and on knockdown furniture. I’ve fixed wobbly chairs by replacing stripped wood screws with threaded inserts, and I’ve made all kinds of jigs and fixtures with inserts. I might toss the jig when the job is done, but not before I’ve salvaged the inserts.

From Fine Woodworking #120

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