DZUS fasteners alternatives?

[JonE]

I'm trying to get a way of having a clear loadbay bed in the back of the woodie, but yet I am advised that the top board over the spare wheel and wooden subframe should be fixed securely enough to act as a brace for the frame. As I want to be able to access underneath, I dont want to screw it down as this will just gradually wear the wood hole if its opened every few months. I also dont want to drill through the structural members (only of about 2" x 1 3/4")  if at all possible.

Dzus 1/4 turn fasteners do a rare bracket which can fasten onto the side of a wooden member, but does anyone have an suggestions as to whether they would give enough tension for it to be structural... or indeed for a cheaper way of doing it with more easily-found fittings...?

[bob46320]

Could you still use the DZUS fasteners but make some brass dowels and flanged bushings to provide the stiffness location that is required. DZUS on their own are "Sloppy"

[JonE]

I think you've given me the assurance that I probably wont be using DZUS, Bob! My work list is still long and flanged bushings are probably beyond my pay grade... I can see that having more locators will help, but the fixings are going to have to be robust. Also suggested was having stout hinges one end... and I wondered about those tailgate locators/latches which have a tightening effect when you knock the catch home? Not flush obviously.

[Robert Foreman]

Jon, 
have a look at Bighead Fasteners. These are for bonding in or fiberglass work but could easily be modified to screw fixing and are not expensive.

["Slack Alice" Simon]

Without pictures, I am not sure I understand quite what the problem is.

But - it sounds like the kind of thing I would solve with one of the threaded metal fasteners used in the furniture business, amongst others.

There is a T nut, an insert nut, or even a threaded cross dowel.   Available in different lengths and threads, and will take a countersunk setscrew to fasten your floor to the frame underneath,

in a blind hole if you use the insert nut.

[JonE]

Thanks - I'll investigate Bigheads. And oddly Simon, I was just thinking of those things you mention. The reason I'd discounted is that they push down with little teeth into the wood, which would be fine but wouldn't allow one to pull back/tension against it. But I'd kinda thought that if you put a few small wood screws around the edge into the surround, then they might hold nicely.

...aha... the bigheads are indeed similar and they too could be screwed rather than bonded. Very lovely things. In this instance, I'll try the other things first as I think they may be easier to get hold of, if I can get in a large enough thread.

.....
looking at the threaded cross dowels aka barrel nuts aka what you get in an ikea flatpack for assembling most of their stock, the barrel nut might do less disturbance in the beam than faffing screwing into the top. I have good side access and they would also self drain?

[dickie65]

Hi,
We use stainless big heads at work we bond them to the substrate with epoxy.
We also use Tappex Threadserts which come in brass or stainless they will cut a course thread into timber plastic or GRP and have a metric internal thread, in effect its a captive nut insert into your panel.
You can also get countersunk inserts which are inserted into timber which will stop the screw from damaging it with repeated use.
They will be harder to source but used in boatbuilding.

[Spex]

T nuts are put in from the reverse.  The flange takes the pull, and the spikes stop the twist.
I used these on door hinges of my coupe and they have been trouble free since 1995. Done 25000 miles.
Cheers, Peter

["Slack Alice" Simon]

I don't use the push in ones.

The kind I use have a coarse wood-biting thread on the outside.   I use a drill half a millimetre under the specified size so as to get a really good fix, though if into a hard hardwood the fitting can break up instead of screwing in.

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I like them because you can't tell from the outside that you haven't used a woodscrew, and you have, in effect, bolted something into timber.

I would also build in a bit of "give" into the assembly - you cannot make a wood on metal system as rigid as metal on metal, so go with the flow and put a thin piece of rubbery stuff between the two.   The joint will last longer, whilst still providing stiffness.

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I like them because you can't tell from the outside that you haven't used a woodscrew, and you have, in effect, bolted something into timber.

I would also build in a bit of "give" into the assembly - you cannot make a wood on metal system as rigid as metal on metal, so go with the flow and put a thin piece of rubbery stuff between the two.   The joint will last longer, whilst still providing stiffness.

[JonE]

what brand be they, Simon? Nothing comes up on my "just show him things on ebay" woodworking google search...