Hex Shaped Punch

[Bob D.]

Does anyone know of a hex shaped punch.

I was thinking of making wood knobs and while I know the pocket for  a hex nut or hex head bolt can be cut with a chisel it seems faster and more accurate to make them with a proper sized punch.

When I make knobs it's usually for 1/4", or dual-purpose M8 & 5/16" sizes, but also occasionally 3/8".

I've looked online but not come across a hex shaped punch that would work for wood.

What got me thinking of this was the set that Lee Valley sells for square plugs.
https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/hand-tools/punches/65380-square-hole-punches

Is something like this worth looking for? If you do only a couple now and then I guess not needed, but if you wanted to make a couple dozen then maybe this is worthwhile. Or is there an easier way I'm not seeing.

 

[rmwarren]

literally watched this around 2AM when I couldn't sleep.


RMW

 

[GoingMyWay]

Here's the video from the previous post:

The full URL (youtube.com) and not the shortened URL (youtu.be) needs to be used in order for the video to load properly on the forum.

 

[Cheese]

For small quantities I’d start with some hex stock and sharpen and carve it like the Lee Valley item or a mortising bit.

 

[rmwarren]

Here's the video from the previous post:

The full URL (youtube.com) and not the shortened URL (youtu.be) needs to be used in order for the video to load properly on the forum.

Thanks, just spent the last 10 minutes cutting and pasting to try to get that to show up.

RMW

 

[Bob D.]

Amazing, that's what I was thinking of.

He makes some amazing tools. I have watched his videos before.

But nothing available commercially? I was looking at tools for
leather work where I thought something would turn up but I
didn't find any hex shaped.

 

[Alanbach]

There are a number of sellers of hex punches for leather work on Etsy.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/807313...135222460_81776259722171_pla-4585375810933315la-4585375810933315_c__807313346&utm_custom2=412372913&msclkid=6bd700b5c0e61763d58a63962eec4561

 

[Bob D.]

Yes, I saw those on Etsy and similar ones on Amazon, but they are not sturdy enough for chopping out a hex shape in wood to fit the head of a bolt or a hex nut when making a knob or when you want to embed a nut for knock-down type of construction.

Also, their size is too large for any of the hex pockets I would want to make. I'm looking for punches to fit 1/4, 5/16, and 3/8" hardware, and also M6 and M8.

 

[Steve1]

Is something like this worth looking for?

If I need a steel female thread in a piece of wood, I use insert nuts.

I have started using the Rampa insert nuts.  They are steel rather than the much more common zinc alloy nuts.  The zinc insert nuts are OK for particle board or plywood, but for hard wood are likely to split at the hex drive during insertion.

 

[Packard]

This guy (in the video) makes these knobs.  (He also made the home-made drill press he uses in the video).

I bought knobs with 1/4-20 threaded bolts for $2.00 each from Amazon. 

I’m retired, but I still would not make time for this type of work.

I used to work for a company that made metal components (heavy gage sheet metal up to about 1/2” thick).  Before they became a contract manufacturer, they produced hat making machinery, which had become a nearly extinct breed by the 1970s, but was being resurrected in the 1980s. 

They had to make replacement parts for machinery that was built in the late 1800s and early 1900s.  They had the original brown-line prints of this equipment.  (Brown line prints were made with fountain pens and ruling pens using black ink that would change color to brown after several years.)

On those prints, every nut and bolt was detailed and custom made as there was not standard nut and bolt industry back then.  All the components we sold were modified to use off-the-shelf nuts and bolts.  It did not make sense to manufacture a single bolt to print specifications (probably, a minimum setup of $250.00 each), when you could buy a high strength fastener for under $5.00 regardless of how esoteric the material specs were.

For me at least, I don’t make functional parts that can be bought at reasonable cost and will function better with greater durability.

I feel I wasted 15 minutes watching the video.  Even there, tighter editing would have brought that down to 10 minutes or less.

 

[Mortiser]

[member=60461]Bob D.[/member] I understand sometimes you want a knob you just can't buy. I don't have a punch but for small quantities, I use baltic birch plywood and drill the hole for the head to the depth I want, for example a 7/16" hole for a standard 1/4" hex, and then use a hex bolt to define the points. I center the head of the bolt upside down on the hold and tap a few times. The points are then fairly well defined and I just pare the sides with a chisel. I can make them fairly quickly. I epoxy in the head or the nut, complete a little sanding and they have worked well for me.
Good luck, hope you find a way to speed your production. I'd be interested in seeing it if you come up with something other that what JSK Koubou demonstrated. He does come up with some pretty clever ideas.

 

[Mortiser]

Meant to add, this is why I needed this small knob...  for TrackTubes.

 

[Bob D.]

Thanks everyone I can surmise from the responses so far that there is nothing out there like what I am looking for.

I'll just make my own.

 

[Bob D.]

[member=39410]Mortiser[/member] , yes, that is how I know to make them too. As I said for a few that's fine but for a few dozen or more not so much.

 

[Packard]

I think I would use a metal thumb wheel and a loose T-bolt.  They come in various thread sizes, thicknesses and major diameters.  Depending upon size and material about $2.00 to $3.00 each on Amazon.  Other vendors have wider range of sizes.

 

[Michael Kellough]

I think I would use a metal thumb wheel and a loose T-bolt.  They come in various thread sizes, thicknesses and major diameters.  Depending upon size and material about $2.00 to $3.00 each on Amazon.  Other vendors have wider range of sizes.

I like this but if you want to stick with the wood barrel search “threaded inserts” at McMaster. There are some that should work for this application. Might need to reinforce the wood with thin CA glue and I’d start with Baltic birch ply for better splitting resistance.

 

[jimbo51]

Square nuts and a mortise bit?

 

[Crazyraceguy]

You might get better results in your search using the term "Broach" or even "Rotary Broach" in your searches.
That is how the same task is performed in metal parts, like socket head bolts (Allen head blots)

 

[Bob D.]

You might get better results in your search using the term "Broach" or even "Rotary Broach" in your searches.
That is how the same task is performed in metal parts, like socket head bolts (Allen head blots)

Good idea, thanks I'll give it a try.

 

[fraz]

You won't like my answer.  I do it really easy in any size I want... with my Shaper Origin

Honestly, it's a great tool for doing weird little stuff like this.  I make all kinds of flavors of custom knobs for various things.  Attached is a cherry knob for a walnut belt tensioner I made for my lathe (also made with Origin).