Make a T nut without a mill

[WmRMeyers]

I totally agree. I do have a mill and carbide tooling but at one time I did not. When somebody told me about making a T nut like this (on the lathe) I had to share it. My YouTube channel is all about alternate method, making tools and machines and doing big stuff with little machines. Check it out. Thanks!

Yep! The improvised mount for your tool post was a good used of available resources, too. The thing that triggered my making my T-nut with the file and hacksaw was that I got the new tool post, and didn't have a functional lathe since the lantern tool post that came with the Atlas was missing the rocker, and I didn't have any toolholders to fit it anyway. The thing showed up Friday evening, and my next class wasn't until the following Monday. I just couldn't wait!

At the time, my shop was actually storage, mostly. I had a bench vise mounted on a very light workbench, but I could not reach it, either. So I set to with the hacksaw and files, and a small steel rule and carbide tipped scriber. That used up Friday evening, and a bit of Saturday. Then I made a rocker from a piece of 1/2" keystock, again using the files. My dad taught me to use a file, and I have a great fondness for them. Lantern tool posts are better than nothing, and for some things, they're really good. Like reaching the outside of stock near the capacity of the lathe. QCTP's are also really good, for some things. Any well-equipped lathe should have both. Particularly if you know you're going to pushing the capacity of the lathe, and I was pretty sure that would be something I'm likely to be doing.

I've read extensively in the old literature about machinists, and the guys who invented the machine tools we often take for granted these days invented and built them with much simpler tools. I didn't feel the need to recreate what they did, but I did want to know how they went about it, in case I ever need to do such a thing. A little quality time with a file can, among other things, teach you to really respect those old guys, and to appreciate the fine things we have today! I've subscribed and liked, and I'll be following some of your adventures. Somehow, I have to figure out how to do that, and all the work I need to do around here, too. You have lots of neat projects!

Bill