Help identify/source lost hardware for furniture assembly?
I took apart a single bed several years ago and have misplaced the nuts that I need to hold the side bedrails to the head and footboard.
How the bed assembles:
The side bedrails have two bolts screwed into each end. The threaded ends protrude about 2 inches from the end of the bedrail.
The threaded bolt inserts into two holes in the foot or headboard. The holes are countersunk so that when the nut is screwed onto the bolt, the head is flush with the surface of the head or footboard and is minimally visible.
The nut itself was about 1 inch long, with a flanged head, and required a hex wrench to screw it onto the bolt end. Once installed, the silver bolt was not visible; it was capped by the nut. It was a bronze or black finish. There may have been finished wooden buttons that fit into the holes, hiding the top of the nut from the eye, but I’m not concerned with finding those.
I do not want to take the bolts out of the ends of the bedrails and put in longer ones that extend past the surface of the head or footboard so a regular nut will work.
What is the name of the type of nut that I’m looking for, and where should I be able to find it?
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9 Answers
Google some images for “blind nut” and see if that gets you to where you want to be.
From the description you gave it seems that the nut has to be turned (since the bolt won’t be turnable once it’s installed on the side rails). But it’s not clear where the flange on the nut it: closer to the head of the bolt, or to the end? (I’m guessing ‘closer to the bolt head’, since that makes the operation of turning the nut onto the bolt easier, the countersunk hole bigger (and deeper) and a plain socket wrench will turn it.
I don’t see “those” nuts in my search for “blind nut”, so you might also try “flanged nut” and see what that turns up. It may be possible to mimic what you want by using a heavy cupped washer and a pair of nuts. That is, assemble the pieces as you normally would, then screw a nut down onto the bolt as tightly as you can, place the cupped washer so that it cups over the nut you’ve screwed in place and bears on the wood of the head / foot board, and then another nut over that to hold it all in place.
I think the search for “flange nut” will give you what you want. Lowe’s and Home Depot should carry them.
This is sort of one of those “I could kick myself” moments. They sat in a basket in the kitchen for years. The basket started to fall apart, and when I went through the odds and ends in it, I couldn’t remember why they were in there. I think I threw them out when I got rid of the basket.
Do you have a Lowe’s in your area. They have all sorts of hardware by Hillman. I’ll bet they have that piece in plastic, zinc plate, or stainless steel.
Can you tell I love that store?
@worriedguy, LOL. I’ll mention your name. Actually, I’ve been using them for replacement windows. Their installation guy understands old houses.
UPDATE: I went to Lowe’s as @worriedguy suggested, and they have a whole collection of furniture hardware. I found the exact piece that I needed.
That is great news! Surprisingly, many of Hillman’s items are still made in USA.
Enjoy your bed!
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