McMaster-Carr Tubing Inserts

[LK Buys]

I have a Franken-Genesis that I built from 3 separate models with various birthdates and a he’s been siting for a bit since I found a 1997 Red Weber 900 beside the road for free and went into restoration mode. Anyway I was moving my ol’ Genesis the other day and the crossmembers on the frame pulled away from the legs, leaving behind the rusty remains of the bolts and some crumbly stuff that used to be the threaded tubing inserts. I cussed a little and then I jumped on the tvwbb to see what I could find. Y’all never let me down...What I found was a link to these:

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.

www.mcmaster.com

And they were a perfect solution to reattach my frame pieces!! The company, McMasterCarr ain’t Amazon, and you don’t get all the shipping information (or cost!!) and tracking, and “your package is out for delivery” emails, etc but what you do get is And excellent product, speedy shipping and a fair price. Now I’m only one state away from them but when they said “order for delivery tomorrow“ they weren’t kidding!! They came overnight via regular UPS!!

As you can see it’s a beautiful fit. So thanks to all of you for the wealth of knowledge you share so freely, I appreciate it!!

 

[Jeff MA]

LK,
I too am a fan of McMaster-Carr.
I can browse through their catalog for days as they have some many things to offer.
Their ordering system is a bit odd...the first time I ordered I thought to myself "this place seems sketchy" with no e-mail verification or updates but both time I had my items delivered in 2 days to Massachusetts.

Oh, welcome to the Forum by the way.

Jeff

 

[Ed P]

I've dealt with them for my entire working career. They are industry-focused and I have never, ever had a problem that wasn't resolved with nothing more than a phone call. But be aware, though...because they are industry-focused, their goal is to get you your items as quickly as possible. I placed an order with them that required 3 or 4 separate shipments (which you pay for), and because they don't quote shipping charges, the shipping can get expensive.

 

[Bruce]

Also, note one other thing. THose are not actually tubing inserts in the strict sense. They are actually leveling mount inserts. Their intended function is to use them on the bottom of an item and allow you to screw in adjustable feet so you can level the item. basically like leveling feet on the bottom of a washer or stove or other appliance. However, they do work OK as tube connectors, but they don't have quite the holding power that the round tubing inserts do that are made for that kind of application. You might find those will pull out easier than the tubing inserts if you wind up putting too much force on the frame when moving it.

I just wanted to put that out there as I have used them myself and feel good about them. Also, the round tubing connectors like the ones weber use don't show like the leveling inserts do.

 

[Ed P]

Also, note one other thing. THose are not actually tubing inserts in the strict sense. They are actually leveling mount inserts. Their intended function is to use them on the bottom of an item and allow you to screw in adjustable feet so you can level the item. basically like leveling feet on the bottom of a washer or stove or other appliance. However, they do work OK as tube connectors, but they don't have quite the holding power that the round tubing inserts do that are made for that kind of application. You might find those will pull out easier than the tubing inserts if you wind up putting too much force on the frame when moving it.

I just wanted to put that out there as I have used them myself and feel good about them. Also, the round tubing connectors like the ones weber use don't show like the leveling inserts do.

McMaster has the correct inserts. Note, however, that these are intended for round tubing, but still work well for square tubing.

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.

www.mcmaster.com

EDIT: Ok, I'm going to walk that back a bit. If you look at the Weber insert, it is round, but the entry-side spring "star washer" is doubled up, with the leaves overlapping. I have yet to find those. These seem to work well for what they do, but they are not identical to OEM.

 

[Jeff MA]

[QUOTE
EDIT: Ok, I'm going to walk that back a bit. If you look at the Weber insert, it is round, but the entry-side spring "star washer" is doubled up, with the leaves overlapping. I have yet to find those. These seem to work well for what they do, but they are not identical to OEM.
[/QUOTE]

Ed,
Check out "headset star nut" or "star fangled nuts" used on bicyles, they use those in headsets and have the doubled up-overlapping fingers.

Jeff

 

[Ed P]

[QUOTE
EDIT: Ok, I'm going to walk that back a bit. If you look at the Weber insert, it is round, but the entry-side spring "star washer" is doubled up, with the leaves overlapping. I have yet to find those. These seem to work well for what they do, but they are not identical to OEM.

Ed,
Check out "headset star nut" or "star fangled nuts" used on bicyles, they use those in headsets and have the doubled up-overlapping fingers.

Jeff
[/QUOTE]
I looked at those, and they are expensive for the size needed. Being a welder and fabricator, and having the right tools and equipment, I will likely tack weld the tubing in the areas where the nuts are used if it doesn't hold but it seems pretty rigid at this point.

 

[Bruce]

Ed: If you are a welder, just weld those bad boys on at the seams.

 

[Ed P]

Yeah, I would, in a heartbeat, but I brought it home in a Toyota Camry, and someone in the future may need to transport it. Besides, it's more of a challenge to try to keep it OEM. It tickles me that this fit in a box at one time.

EDIT: But if it gives me any grief, I will flip it upside down and put a short fillet weld at the bottom, one side only, where it can't be seen. It will hold but if ever it needs to come apart, it will break apart fairly easily.

EDIT: Image of the tubing insert at McMaster...10 for $7