# Looking for alternatives for T-Slot Bolts



## Sleeper (Mar 24, 2009)

I need some long T-Slot bolts and I am just blown away at how much they cost. I have a bunch of short ones that I bought years ago and I know I did not pay that much for them.:no:

When I built my Table saw sled, I used dimensions from a YouTube video that said I could use standard carriage bolts in the slots, but that was wrong. The carriage bolts just turn and are hard to tighten up. :furious:

I found some “T”-slot bolts that aren’t too badly priced but the shipping is 3 times the amount of the bolts. There is nothing else on the site that I’m interested in to make the shipping a little more reasonable so I’m now looking at elevator bolts which are a fraction of the cost and depending on the actual head size, I might be able to grind two sides to make it more T shaped.:shifty:

So my question is if anybody has used elevator bolts or possibly another idea for T-Slots?


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## NickB (Sep 24, 2013)

I use mini T-Track from Orange Aluminum that accepts standard 1/4" bolt heads.

http://www.orangealuminum.com/t-slot-framing-systems-and-tracks/t-track.html


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## philmy (Aug 11, 2013)

Larger carriage bolts?
Grind the head flat on two sides to match the square part of bolt. Leave enough to catch the underside of T track.


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## Sleeper (Mar 24, 2009)

well I just stumbled onto these toilet flange bolts on eBay for a $1.92, but there is no way I'm paying $7.69 for shipping.








Anyway I kept the bolts from replacing a toilet last October and I can use them as soon as I remember where I put them, but I need to look for more locally so I don't need to pay shipping.

I think I'll keep my eyes open the next time I go to the flea market.:shifty:


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## FrankC (Aug 24, 2012)

Find some t-nuts that fit in your track and some ready rod that fit them, you will be set up for ever.


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## Sleeper (Mar 24, 2009)

FrankC said:


> Find some t-nuts that fit in your track and some ready rod that fit them, you will be set up for ever.


Well thanks Frank, but that kind of defeats my purpose. I don't want to pay the price. :shifty:

I refuse to pay $2 for a bolt that cost 5 cents to make.:no:


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## Sleeper (Mar 24, 2009)

Wow I just bought a 10-Pack Brass Toilet Bolts at Walmart clearance for $7 and free shipping. They are 2 1/4" long although I was hopping for 3 1/2, but I think I can make them work. :smile:


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## SingleCarGarage (Nov 10, 2014)

Buy standard bolts at the length you need by the pound and grind the heads.


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## Sleeper (Mar 24, 2009)

I found some 5/16-18" brass toilet bolts in a box in my garage which turned out to be the perfect size. So I bought some T-Bar Knob that were 5/16-18" and really cheap, but when I got them I discovered that the threads don’t go all the way through. :surprise2:

I have no idea what you would use them for but they only cost $1.56 for 4 so I can’t really send them back. I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m going to try to drill a hole down through the top and hope that they don’t fall apart.:|


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

What is the application? You know there isn't a great deal of strength with a brass bolt.


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## Sleeper (Mar 24, 2009)

Steve Neul said:


> What is the application? You know there isn't a great deal of strength with a brass bolt.


Well I think it was last week or maybe the week before, I was trying to clamp down a small piece of wood to my sled and none of my bolts was long enough to use a Rockler Hold Down Clamp. 

I tried using a large carriage bolt, but it would not fit through the Hold Down hole and a long 1/4" carriage bolt just spins in my sled slot. I finally got discussed and completed it on my band saw, but it would have made a better job if I could have done it on the table saw.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

The brass bolts should work fine for that.


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## thewalnutguy (Oct 31, 2010)

As I understand it, you're looking for a bolt that will register in the recessed area on the underside of the sled. How about a piece of flat bar stock of the correct width, of if you can't find that then hacksaw off a section of flat mild steel, drill and tape a hole in the center and then screw in a piece of threaded rod with some thread locking compound. An alternative might be to get some fender washers, grind flat sides to just fit into the recessed area width, then enlarge and thread the hole. 
Hope I correctly understood what you're after.
What's the width of the recessed area?


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## Brian(J) (Feb 22, 2016)

The idea of building T-slots into a sled I hadn't seen before- great idea.

To overcome the problem you've run into I have some rod couplings for each thread size of T-bolt and use them to extend the short bolt using whatever I have lying around in that thread size. 

A bit off topic perhaps, but I have a T-slot on my sliding table that works similar to your sled and I built several hold-downs for it using KREG bench clamps. The clamps are bolted onto aluminum bases with just enough slop they can rotate, then the base connects to a T-bolt with the knob.

The KREG clamp pressure is quick to adjust, it auto adjusts for the thickness of the work, and the whole clamp in very fast to move and operate. I probably use them 90% of the time to keep my hands away from the blade.

It also helps to have a couple 90 degree angle plates, as shown.


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## frostdude (Jul 10, 2015)

I went on line and found 1/4" and 5/16" toilet flange bolts in varying lengths that work in the different T-tracks. Bought in bulk and use them all the time. Check a plumbing supply house.


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