Threaded Stem Caster Installation Tips

Today, I’m gonna insert a threaded stem caster into a wooden furniture leg. We’ve got our leg that we’ll use and a T nut caster with a threaded stem. We’ll need a pencil and a straight edge, a 3/8 inch drill bit, a 1/8 inch bit and we’ll need a hammer to finish it off. You should always use quality tools like Irwin or Klein drill bits and hammers and a Ryobi or Dewalt Power Drill. Also, don’t forget the safety equipment. ANSI approved safety glasses are a must. All of these can be bought online from Amazon or from Menards, Lowe’s, Northern Tool, or Home Depot.

The first thing we’re going to need to do is mark the center on the leg. Take your straight edge and you want to align it with opposite corners and just make a light pencil mark. Then we’ll do the same for the adjacent opposite corners and this point will be our center. Using the 1/8 inch drill bit I’m going to drill a hole at that center point then we’ll switch to the 3/8 inch bit. If you have a concern about getting the proper depth for drilling, measure the stem, I get about 1 1/8 inches. We can mark that on the drill with a piece of tape and we’ll proceed with drilling the 3/8 inch hole. I’ll check to see that this stem will fit before putting the T nut in the hole. Next, we’ll insert the T nut and use a hammer to finish this task and drive the T nut until it is flush. Next, simply take the caster and thread the stem into the T nut. There is usually a swivel and a hexagon shaped nut at the top and that’s what you’ll grip to tighten it. T nuts come in handy when replacing broken or damaged feet or fittings on the bottom of furniture legs. They are especially handy when they are part of a full set that includes a floor glide that threads into the T nut. Typically, the hole for this set involves a 3/8 inch diameter hole for the T nut roughly 3/8 of an inch deep, and then extending deeper than that a ¼ inch hole 2 -3 inches deep. This allows the T nut to get set in place, and the caster to adjust up and down. These are made by several companies such as: Stanley, Homax, Clear Style, K-Dub, Rok Hardware, Kiboko, Speed Square, Shepherd, and Tech Team https://techteamproducts.com/. We happen to like Tech Team’s 746 https://www.amazon.com/Tech-Team-Replacement-Protect-Flooring/dp/B07CVP83MZ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=tech+team+t+nut&qid=1566332319&s=gateway&sr=8-1 the best because it has high quality steel with a high quality zinc plating, and a solid nylon surface on the caster. You might want to do a Hey Alexa or Hey Siri search for “How to repair a sofa leg” for some additional ideas.