Hanger bolts are specially designed fasteners with wood screw / lag screw threads at one end, and machine screw threads at the other. One end is screwed into wood leaving the exposed machine screw threaded end available to attach a nut or any other mating component. Hanger bolts are designed to be wrenched into a predrilled pilot hole. This part wood screw, part machine screw is also known as table leg bolts and often used in furniture manufacturing. Other uses include storm proofing windows where plywood or other protective materials can be easily placed over a window and held in place with zinc die cast wing nuts.
Hanger Bolts – Installation
Specialized hanger bolt installation tools are available. Alternatively an easy way to install hanger bolts without such a tools is:
Drill a pilot hole into the wood that is slightly smaller than the diameter of the wood screw thread of the hanger bolt. This will make screwing the bolt into the wood a much easier.
Take two regular hex nuts that will thread onto the machine thread side of the bolt and tighten them against each other
Once the two nuts are tightened so that they no longer turn on the hanger bolt, easy installation is possible. Place the bolt over the pilot hole and begin to turn it. Use a wrench and place it on the nuts that were tightened on the bolt. Using the nuts as the wrenching surface on the bolt, turn the hanger bolt with the wrench until the wood screw treads are fully engaged in the mating material. Once the bolt is in place, remove the two nuts using the wrench.
Stocked in diameters from #6-32 to 1/2″ and lengths up to 14″ in steel with zinc finish. Click here for the offerings. Hanger bolts with plain center (unthreaded center) to make installation easier also available. Full thread and plain center hanger bolts also available in stainless steel 18-8 for additional protection against corrosion. Click here for stainless.
For technical specifications of hanger bolts click here.
