UKC

I've inherited some bits of 8x4 ply with a few stuck t-nuts (with holds attached). Any advice on how remove these without making a total mess of the ply?

Thanks.

In reply to AndrewW:

Is it possible to put the bolt in from the other side and tap it out?

In reply to AndrewW:

Not sure that'll work as there's already a bolt in each of the stuck ones, but I'll give it a try anyway. Thanks for the suggestion.

In reply to AndrewW:

I imagined you could take those out, access the back of the panel and replace them in the reverse side.

In reply to woppo:

Unfortunately not - the t-nuts just revolve when you try to remove the in-situ bolts. Tried pinch nosed pliers, etc. in attempt to loosen these, but without success.

In reply to AndrewW:

Put a wedge between the hold and the plywood until the T-Nut is held captive and then hopefully remove the bolt as normal.

In reply to AndrewW:



I'd grind the back off the t-nuts.

In reply to AndrewW:

Trying to wedge the spinning t-nut can gouge into the ply quite badly. Cutting the bolt with an angle grinder will be the cleanest way, but if there isn't enough room to get at the shaft of the bolt, you might have to smash the holds and then cut the bolt below the head on the other side to the t-nut (this is how I've ended up dealing with spinning t-nuts on a wall with no access to the back of the panels)

In reply to AndrewW:

Try a pipe wrench. There might be enough on the back of the T-nut to get a pipe wrench in. If you can, this will stop it rotating so you should be able to undo the bolt normally.

If not, angle grinder.

In reply to timjones:

Same here, or possibly grind or drill the head off the bolt.

If grinding the back off the t-nut, it might be helpful to clamp a pair of mole-grips onto the head of the bolt before flipping the board over face-down to hold it steady while chopping the nut off the back.

If you (the OP) want to take your time and be a bit more delicate about it, you might find a dremel is a viable alternative to an angle grinder. (It'd definitely be the angle grinder for me though.) Either way, it'd be a very good idea to wear eye protection.

In reply to dsgarner:


Chances are the bolt is cross-threaded, and that's why the nut started rotating in the first place. Doesn't necessarily mean it wont be possible to unscrew it, but could be a bit of a struggle. If you're going to try this, it couldn't hurt to give the nuts & bolts a squirt of Plus Gas (or some other penetrating oil) and give it a wee while to soak in.

In reply to AndrewW:

So the T-nuts spin when you try to undo the hold?

As you have access to the back of the board you can drive a short screw in right beside the T-nut fouling one of the 4 spikes to stop it turning.

jk

In reply to jkarran: Beat me to it. Gotta love the way that people reach for the "DIY tool of mass destruction" aka angle grinder at the slightest difficulty. (Back in the day, when everyone and his dog didn't have an angle grinder, it was "hit it with a big hammer". Actually, I sometimes still prefer this approach, if only because it's a quicker and more satisfying way to relieve the frustration!)

In reply to Martin W:


In simple terms time is money. It's often cheaper to grind and replace, if you're wise you're already going to bin the nut and bolt and fit a new ones to make life easier next time you come to undo them.

In reply to AndrewW:

Thanks all for the tips. I'll try them, starting from those liable to result in least destruction and see how I get on.

In reply to AndrewW:

Molegrips clamped onto the Tnut while undoing the nut with a decent allen key has worked for me. You might need long arms or someone to help.