Hey, I'm building the TF spitfire, it's my first kit build, everything is going great but i was wondering what the best way to thread the nylon wing bolts into the hardwood is. Are there any tricks or tools for this?

Drill and tap then thin CA then tap again to remove any left over glue and swelling of the wood.

Either use a 1/4-20 tap into the wood or use 1/4-20 T nuts. If you go the tap route, after the first run through, wick some thin CA into the threads in the wood. After it cures, run the tap though again. This will strengthen the threads and also prevent the wood from swelling, thus making it tough to turn nylon bolts in them.

Doh! Gray Beard beat me to it!

Drill the hole with a #7 bit. .2010"

I personally like to use the threaded inserts that sig sells. As stated before, drilling and tapping the wood works too.

I find you'll need to run the tap back and forth a few extra times when using Nylon bolts,

I use the Ca method described, But I chuck the tap up in my cordless drill and run it back and forth a lot, adding CA 3-4 times to make sure I've got a completely solid surface inside. Nothing sucks more than getting one binded up in there, or stripping the head of the bolt,

good luck

^

What he said.

Thanks for the suggestions! Help is always appreciated.

I do keep a couple of 1/4-20 steel bolts in my box and run them in the hole a time or two to clean up the threads. Not always but if the nylons are going in too tight. If for any reason I ever strip out the threads in a wood block with nylon bolts that's a sign I'm walking out with a trash bag to pick up all the pieces, hard wood and CA make for a tough mount.

Helicoils?

I have a pencil sharpener in my tool box, the kind that can sharpen #1 pencils. After I cut the 1/4-20 nylon bolts to length, I twist the bolts into the sharpener adding a slight bevel. Makes threading them at the field sooooo simple and less likely to cross-thread the bolts into the CA-hardened wood threads.

Andrew mentioned the brass incerts up top and those are the wood workers helicoils. They have a thick thread on the outside and then threads for bolts on the inside. You just drill the hole then screw in the brass with some epoxy on the outside of them and the next day you have a nice tight wood helicoil type of thing. I have some in my building box and like them if I pull the wood block threads out in a not so soft landing. The require a bit bigger hole so drilling a bit over size doesn't waste the LG block wood. Very cool thingamabobs!!!

Damn if Idon't learn something new everyday!!!!!


Whether Iwant to or not!!!!


Good tip. Thanks

Ken

I love using the threaded inserts. Easy to install and rock solid. [link=http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXK034&P=7]HERE[/link] is a link to the 1/4-20 inserts at Tower.

Joe

The nice part about using the wood tapping-CA method is that after several years if the bolts get a little loose you just re-CA the threads with a little CA, clean them out with the tap and you're all set again-just like new!