separated back

Vanderhoofven dkvander@clandjop.com
Wed, 01 Apr 1998 00:24:57 -0600


At 08:12 PM 3/31/98 -0700, you wrote:
>If my memory  serves I believe a carriage bolt has a round head with a
>square shank.  The  purpose of the square shank is  to prevent the bolt from
>turning as the nut is tightened.   My concern would be that the square shank
>might start turning in the wood,  which would prevent the nut from being
>tightened as much as you would prefer.   I would suggest using a  hack saw
>to place a slot in the head before installing.   You could then use a
>screwdriver to hold the bolt while tightening the nut if it became
>necessary.
>
> dcp@sosinc.net
>Don Price

If the hole that is drilled all the way through the back is too large, the
carriage bolt will keep on turning in the hole.  I found that out by
mistake!  If that happens, you can put epoxy in around and underneath the
head of the carriage bolt so that when it hardens, it will stay in place
without turning.

Also, be careful not to tighten the nut too much!  It is possible to strip
out the threads on the carriage bolt so that the nut can't be tightened and
also can't be removed!  Ask me how I know!    

Another time I was just finishing up the repair, and tightened one of the
nuts too much, and the carriage bolt came shooting out of the back of the
piano and made a dent in the wall 3 feet away!  Maybe grade 8 hardened
bolts would be in order?  :-)

Sincerely,
David


David A. Vanderhoofven, RPT
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