These seemingly insignificant small fasteners have an important role in many woodworking projects. From furniture assembly to the construction of sheds, decks and other wooden structures, tee nuts help to keep the wood strong and the project dependable. Contractors like to also use these nuts and bolts as well as other deck fasteners.

What Are Tee Nuts?

This thin nuts are threaded internally and have a flat flange at one end that lends the fastener a “T” shape (hence the name). You’ll also see three or four sharp, slightly curved hooks on the inside of that flange, designed to claw into the wood surface and hold the nut firmly in place.

Although you can find a variety of sizes, tee nuts come commonly in 1/4″ and 5/16″ diameters. They are also available in different materials with most standard jobs making do with Grade 2 steel that is zinc plated for corrosion resistance.

Why Would You Use These Fasteners?

There are a few good reasons to use tee nuts in wood applications. Sometimes when you insert a screw or lag bolt into wood you end up with cracks, splits and a general mess. Depending on the moisture levels in the wood, the torque used and the size of the fastener, these cracks and splits could seriously damage the wood resulting in a lot of waste.

Using tee nuts will completely eliminate this problem. A hole the same size as the diameter of the nut is drilled using good quality wood drill bits. This should result in very little damage when done with care. When the hole is cleared, the tee nut is hammered into it and the hooks turn into the wood and latch on, providing a solid hold.

Now you have a threaded hole to insert your fastener with no fear of that dreaded cracking sound. When you bore a screw into wood it is very easy to cause damage to either the material or the fastener. With tee nuts you can simply drill, hammer and carry on – no counter boring required.

Depending on the strength needed, these fasteners are also available in stainless steel for superior strength and higher grades of steel for a heavier torque. Handy for many wood workers and craftsmen, tee nuts are a small fastener with a big job.