Phase II AXA mounting for Craftsman 12"

bloomingtonmike

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Mounting was going to be interesting using the Phase II TNut as it was much larger than the slot.

Today I found a metric ($4?!) Grade8 4" long M14-1.5 bolt at Ace Hardware, hit it on the 6" belt sander for about 30 seconds and it worked perfectly in the Craftsman 12" Tslot and is now my new post's mounting bolt. I just kept the head from spinning in the slot while tightening it. The head was so large there is a lot of surface area and did not need a washer. I wanted to keep as much of the head mass as I could. My other thought was grind it down more and weld on a washer that I ground for the slot. That would keep it from turning.

Pretty quick solution.
 
i went the other way on mine, i took a m14 stud and turned one end to 1/2-13 UNC to use for the original T nut.
just goes to show, there's more than one way to skin a cat....
you're ideas better though:))
 
Those t-nuts are that way on purpose. You have to mill 'em to fit your lathe. You'll be happier in the long run if you get rid of the bolt and go with the t-nut. This is because there are numerous applications where'd you'd want to sit the QCTP at an angle and having the bolt spin everytime will drive you nuts!

Do you have a mill or know someone who does? It's a simple matter of fitting it. The Phase II AXA worked fine on my old Craftsman 12x36...

John
 
Also you are risking breaking out the T slot on the cross slide. :panic:If you don't have a mill to mill the nut then do a serch on here on how to machine it on the lathe.
 
Also you are risking breaking out the T slot on the cross slide. :panic:If you don't have a mill to mill the nut then do a serch on here on how to machine it on the lathe.

Excellent point!

John
 
Re: Phase II AXA mounting for Craftsman 12"

Those t-nuts are that way on purpose. You have to mill 'em to fit your lathe. You'll be happier in the long run if you get rid of the bolt and go with the t-nut. This is because there are numerous applications where'd you'd want to sit the QCTP at an angle and having the bolt spin everytime will drive you nuts!

Do you have a mill or know someone who does? It's a simple matter of fitting it. The Phase II AXA worked fine on my old Craftsman 12x36...

John

I do have a mill but just learning to use it along with learning the lathe. What is a good way to hold that plate to mill it - going to have to make it thinner and narrow it?

I ordered out a M14-1.5 tap and yesterday slotted some 1 X1/2 steel to make a true T nut but did not have a tap large enough for that M14 bolt.

- - - Updated - - -

BTW - both a M14X1.5 nut AND 9/16-18 nut both fit the Phase II AXA bolt. Are they that similar a thread pitch?
 
Mike,

On the M14 versus 9/16" nut question, no. 1.5mm pitch is just shy of 17 TPI. 9/16" dia. is 14.2875mm. So the 9/16-18 nut is enough larger in diameter that it's sloppy enough to engage. But most of the tension will be applied to the outer half of one thread or less. Works but not for long. And it probably won't stay tight, either.

On making a long T-nut out of flat bar, I would first cut the bar to length. Make the length at least twice the finished width to spread the forces that will later be exerted on the compound slot. Then after indicating in your vise, stand the bar up on one side in the vise and narrow it to what you need if you were unable to buy the exact width. Sit it on a spacer if the vise is deep enough to swallow it. Then rotate it in the vise so that the top face is up and support on a spacer thick enough so that you don't cut into your jaws. First thin the bar if needed. Then cut the corners out equally. You might first rotate the bar 180 deg so that an original surface is up, just for cosmetics. Finally, drill and tap the hole.
 
Mike,

Tubalcain has a video on how to make t-nuts on the mill. If I remember correctly it's a two part video - so he covers it pretty thoroughly.

Hope that helps.

Steve

Youtube BTW
 
Re: Phase II AXA mounting for Craftsman 12"

I do have a mill but just learning to use it along with learning the lathe. What is a good way to hold that plate to mill it - going to have to make it thinner and narrow it?

I ordered out a M14-1.5 tap and yesterday slotted some 1 X1/2 steel to make a true T nut but did not have a tap large enough for that M14 bolt.

- - - Updated - - -

BTW - both a M14X1.5 nut AND 9/16-18 nut both fit the Phase II AXA bolt. Are they that similar a thread pitch?



First do you have a vise on your mill. Second does the plate look like a T-nut or is it flat.
 
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