Ratings & Reviews for Hillman 1/4-in x 20 Zinc-plated Steel Wood insert Nut 4 Count

Works as expected

These inserts screw in and out well. I was using it as the center for a circle cutting router jig so I put it in, made my cuts then took it back out several times.

Hidden nuts for the wood projects.

These provide spectacular hold when bolting pieces of wood together. After drilling the home for the nut, I’ve found that a bolt of the appropriate size easily inserts the nut into place. The best part is that you can rebolt with out stripping the threads in the wood that receives the bolt.

Metal is too soft

Be very gentle in screwing these in. The metal is very soft. The opening for the socket wrench needed to screw the anchor into the floor, wall, etc easily strips and bends. I had to use "Grabit" screw extractor bits to dig it back out. However, they work great once installed. As another reviewer stated, drill a 3/8" pilot hole first as this metal is not strong enough to bore through the wood without stripping.

Easily broken

I tried twice and failed twice on this. They are easily broken when trying to screw into hardwood.

Concerned

This is the 5th time I have logged on to website to locate a item. Once again the item was not on wall and not anywhere near the web site location. Luckily I found employee Mark and he showed me the item If this miss location continues I will no longer shop Lowe’s

Weak

The head to it strips and breaks very easily making it hard to screw all the way in.

Hammer-in insert w/ flange

These appear to be designed for mounting hardware into particle board or MDF that uses a 1/4-20 thread. In order to mount them flush you will need a 23/64" drilled hole to a depth of 5/8" & a larger shallow 9/16" hole cut just shy of 1/8" at the same location to allow the flange to sit flush when hammered in. I used a small amount of 5 minute epoxy or Gorilla glue to hold them more securely, since these are not threaded in place.

they work, but only barely

These are very cheap zinc, so unless you're working with MDF, they're not going to do you much good. They will barely go into basic yellow pine without the hex head cracking. I've broken about 6/10 attempts this way and only managed to get 4 in successfully.

Mis-packaged

There are 4 pieces in the bag. All were suppose to be identical. Unfortunately there were 2 different sizes. I didn't find this out until I installed them. Had to go back to the store to get 2 bolts that fit the missized pieces.

Use the correct drill bit

Just a note that might be helpful to novice woodworkers. The pilot hole for this insert is 3/8". Drill your pilot hole slightly deeper than the length of the insert. I began with a 1/8" bit, then enlarged the hole incrementally with larger bits until I reached 3/8". If your insert doesn't start perfectly straight, don't worry. The pilot hole will straighten out the insert for a perfect fit. Take your time and don't rush it.

better than brass

these work better than the brass inserts (and are more costly). I'd prefer if the threads were a little coarser but they work fine as is.