What are these grooves in my pillar drill table pls

[Noods]

I'm no engineer .. But I purchased this old pillar drill and have been setting about bringing it back to life.. The drills table has these two grooves cut in the surface, I'm guessing it's for a engineers vice, hopefully like the one I have here.. If this is the case, are there special bolts required to mount vice to table ?

Your advice is appreciated thank you..

 

[brightspark]

there tee slots u need to know the size before u buy any t nuts or clamps they will probably be imperial sizehttps://www.google.co.uk/search?q=tee+nut+sizes&rlz=1C1CHNU_enGB369GB369&oq=tee+nut+sizes+&aqs=chrome..69i57.6507j0j8&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=122&ie=UTF-8#q=t+slot+nut+sizes&revid=2094859025

 

[dobbslc]

there tee slots u need to know the size before u buy any t nuts or clamps they will probably be imperial sizehttps://www.google.co.uk/search?q=tee+nut+sizes&rlz=1C1CHNU_enGB369GB369&oq=tee+nut+sizes+&aqs=chrome..69i57.6507j0j8&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=122&ie=UTF-8#q=t+slot+nut+sizes&revid=2094859025

Yep T slots, usually 8,10 or 12 mm. I think you measure the slot in the face of the table not the wider bit. Bolt your vice down and no worries about the work spinning around.

 

[julianthegypsy]

Also useful for holding toggle clamps or any other piece of work with T slot bolts and a bit of plate with a hole in to clamp things down. Important when you have big bits of work as it can get nasty if the drill snatches and things start flying around...

 

[711jrp]

One thing to note when messing with "t" slots is to make sure the bolt is not too long, if it goes through the nut and bottoms out in the slot it is not too hard to burst the top of the slot out of the table.

 

[phill d]

you put the bolt heads under the slots, you don't put nuts under there

 

[MattF]

you put the bolt heads under the slots, you don't put nuts under there

The T shaped portions are nuts, drilled and tapped to accept studs/bolts.

 

[phill d]

or you just put bolts in upside down with studs facing upwards, you would not put "normal" nuts in the slots or would be asking for trouble.
ive seen all sorts of things used , but never just nuts that allow thread to go through, I think that would of been obvious not to be normal nuts.

phill

 

[711jrp]

But then you would have to slide the fixture to the end of the slots to remove the bolts, that is why it isn't done that way in general.

 

[MattF]

But then you would have to slide the fixture to the end of the slots to remove the bolts, that is why it isn't done that way in general.

Depends what you're mounting, I suppose. If it's something which you've made the T bolts for specifically, so they're exactly to length, that's all well and good, but for general use, it's easier to just have the studded nuts and drop whatever you're using onto them or slide them in/out. You can't bottom out in the slot that way. Less farting around trying to get the nut in the right spot for the bolt too. Can't see as it would make more than a few moments difference whichever way it's done unless you're working with extremely long slots or swapping stuff out constantly.

 

[MattF]

or you just put bolts in upside down with studs facing upwards, you would not put "normal" nuts in the slots or would be asking for trouble.
ive seen all sorts of things used , but never just nuts that allow thread to go through, I think that would of been obvious not to be normal nuts.

You're making this sound a lot more confusing than it is. The T nut obviously goes in the slot. That's why it's shaped like it is. No-one has mentioned placing hex nuts in the slot.

 

[brightspark]

you put the bolt heads under the slots, you don't put nuts under there

u put the tee nuts under and can get diffrent lengths of threaded studs and put the hexagon nuts on top so theres not much chance of forcing the stud in to the base and chipping the table

 

[Spark plug]

As bright spark says the nut, stud, nut method is the accepted method for general clamping. The will be special circumstances when other methods will work better, or be required.

 

[mr migwire]

only ever used these
I would imagine putting the nut in the slot could lead to trouble, I always put the T bolt head in the slot and run the nut down the thread to clamp whatever. also I have several different thread lengths for different jobs.

 

[MrFluffy]

I use T bolts, yes you have to slide them off the end of the slot to remove, but it stops the issue with the stud inside the T nut overtightening and forcing into the table, and forcing the tslot up outwards under the pressure.
I also use T nuts because I got a ruck of them in a clamping set like everyone else, but I like to use the bolts when I can for the above reason.
I've got some T dovetail nuts, but thats for the shaper which is so old it has dovetail slots instead of T slots...

 

[roofman]

another rampaging thread....(silence of the lambs voice from Mr Lecter)>>> "He puts the T-nuts into the slots and then screws down the stud" this enables you to mount the workpiece and hold down with another normal nut and stepped clamp

 

[MrFluffy]

yarp, but on my mill table the locknut gets in the way as the top of the teenut doesnt come level with the table slot upper surface and the el cheapo studs don't have a feature they bottom on. You can distress the thread (ie thwack it with a hammer and punch to mess it up) just above where its fully home to go into the teenut to stop it overscrewing, but thats a bit hit and miss. I suppose I could take make a spacer sleeve to go between the teenut and locknut to get it past the table bit and might use that trick in future now I've thought about it. However for mounting the vice I have two perfectly sized t bolts, and when I was happy with it, I milled off the sticky out bits in situ with it all clamped so it doesnt protrude out higher than the lowest part of the vice jaw in use and those two live with the vice itself when its on the shelf not in use.

But... confession, I can count on the fingers of one hand the amount of times I've bolted things the table on the drill.

 

[optima21]

when I was looking for T bolts for my milling machine years ago, they were too large for my milling machine, so I made up a set of clamps etc for holding parts, the threads are M6.

also that vices for holding anything more than 3" long just dwarf the milling machine, so I made one many years ago that uses the milling machine table as the base, and it clamps on the T slot.

I was using it today for fly cutting some steel blocks

the end on the left has a plate under it which is a sliding fit in the t slots so the clamping face will be square

both methods of work holding work well for me, although I'd be weary of using them if I had an industrial sized machine.

 

[roofman]

when I was looking for T bolts for my milling machine years ago, they were too large for my milling machine, so I made up a set of clamps etc for holding parts, the threads are M6.

View attachment 59821

also that vices for holding anything more than 3" long just dwarf the milling machine, so I made one many years ago that uses the milling machine table as the base, and it clamps on the T slot.

I was using it today for fly cutting some steel blocks

View attachment 59822

the end on the left has a plate under it which is a sliding fit in the t slots so the clamping face will be square

View attachment 59824

View attachment 59823

both methods of work holding work well for me, although I'd be weary of using them if I had an industrial sized machine.

great idea...got to be better than a vice but with out the clamping hassles