The Two-Nut Tip for Shortening Machine Bolts
How to ensure you can get the hex-nut back on after cutting a machine bolt
Machine bolts are by far the strongest mechanical fasteners to use when joining together two parts. For the uninitiated, a machine bolt is any fastener with machine threads, such as hex-head bolts, carriage bolts and threaded rods.
And while machine bolts come in a wide variety of lengths, you often need to shorten them to suit your specific project. And there are a few different metal-cutting tools you can use to cut machine bolts, including a hacksaw, jigsaw, oscillating multi-tool or angle grinder.
However, a common frustration faced by many DIYers when they attempt to cut a machine bolt is getting the nut back on the bolt. That’s because the cutting process—regardless of what tool you use—will deform and mar the threads, making it impossible to thread on the nut. So, in this week’s video, I show a super simple solution to this annoying problem: Before making the cut, thread two nuts onto the bolt. Then, once you’ve cut the bolt, spin off the nuts one at a time. If the first nut doesn’t sufficiently recut and straighten out all the damaged threads, the second nut will, restoring the machine bolt to like-new condition—only shorter!
Hope you like this tip and that it saves you some frustration next time you need to cut a bolt down to size.