Can't find 5/16" bed headboard bolts!!!

This is the place for posts that don't fit into any other category.

Moderator: RichardW

Post Reply
User avatar
Mandrake
Posts: 8615
Joined: 10 Apr 2005, 17:23
Location: North Lanarkshire, UK
My Cars:
x 664

Can't find 5/16" bed headboard bolts!!!

Post by Mandrake »

Hi All,

Not car related in the slightest, but we are moving house so our bed which has been in storage for 18 months while we stayed elsewhere needs to be reassembled only to find that some of the bolts are missing! #-o :evil:

It's a solid wood frame using 3" threaded studs with half moon spacers, washers and split washers, This is what they look like:

Image

The head board and foot board have inserts threaded into the wood to take the studs and the side beams have circular cut outs for the nut and half moon spacer. The problem is they appear to be imperial (most likely 5/16") and 99% of suppliers in the UK can only supply M6 or M8!

We've driven to I don't know how many furniture and hardware stores and nobody has them. I ordered a replacement set online before realising the originals weren't M8, so they are no use. (Although the half moon spacers, wood dowels and washers fit...)

I've been scouring the internet today trying to find them but nobody seems to sell them. Although I'm reasonably sure that they are 5/16", and they need to be about 3" long, I don't know what thread pitch they are, whether they are BSF, UNF, UNC etc... I don't know much about imperial threads types unfortunately...

Can anyone help me find some or at least confirm 100% what thread I need ? At the moment we have a £500 bed that is only 5 years old that is just a pile of rubble on the floor, and SWMBO is not happy... :twisted:

I now only need 8 studs and nuts - I've managed to piece together everything else I need.
Simon

1997 Xantia S1 3.0 V6 Auto Exclusive in Silex Grey
2016 Nissan Leaf Tekna 30kWh in White

2011 Peugeot Ion Full Electric in Silver
1977 G Special 1129cc LHD
1978 CX 2400
1997 Xantia S1 2.0i Auto VSX
1998 Xantia S2 3.0 V6 Auto Exclusive
addo
Sara Watson's Stalker
Posts: 7098
Joined: 19 Aug 2008, 12:38
Location: NEW South Wales, Australia. I'll show you "Far, far away" ;-)
My Cars: Peugeot 605
Citroën Berlingo
Alfa 147
x 93

Post by addo »

Use your sliding calipers and the Maryland Metrics thread identification charts, to determine the thread.
User avatar
NewcastleFalcon
Posts: 24566
Joined: 25 Feb 2009, 10:40
Location:
My Cars:
x 6866

Re: Can't find 5/16" bed headboard bolts!!!

Post by NewcastleFalcon »

My local Agricultural Engineering outfit I find have all sorts of metric and imperial bolts, fastners and threaded rods. Probably get sick of me rooting around, coming out with a handful of nuts bolts and washers and paying 79p for them! In comparison it makes the occasions much worse when I have to enter Halfords and pay through the nose for a few nuts and bolts in plastic packs.

Regards Neil
Only One AA Box left
687 Trinity, Jersey
addo
Sara Watson's Stalker
Posts: 7098
Joined: 19 Aug 2008, 12:38
Location: NEW South Wales, Australia. I'll show you "Far, far away" ;-)
My Cars: Peugeot 605
Citroën Berlingo
Alfa 147
x 93

Post by addo »

Worst case you could buy some threaded rod and cut your own.

BTW graphite powder reduces the creaking. :wink:
User avatar
Chris570
(Donor 2020)
Posts: 1461
Joined: 12 Dec 2009, 14:10
Location:
My Cars:
x 29

Re:

Post by Chris570 »

addo wrote:Worst case you could buy some threaded rod and cut your own.

BTW graphite powder reduces the creaking. :wink:
I'm so pleased there was a smutty reference in this thread, I was getting worried for a moment I wasn't on the FCF, thanks for bringing me back to reality :)
2006 C5 HDi 170
1998 Xantia Activa S1
1971 D Special
2006 C3 1.6 HDi SX,
CitroJim wrote: I'm a pink fairy
A 1/3 of Team WFA 'Clarkson'
User avatar
Mandrake
Posts: 8615
Joined: 10 Apr 2005, 17:23
Location: North Lanarkshire, UK
My Cars:
x 664

Re: Can't find 5/16" bed headboard bolts!!!

Post by Mandrake »

Ok I've measured the thread pitch and it's 18 tpi. So looking at various spec charts it appears it will be either 5/16" UNC or 5/16" BSW - as they both have the same thread pitch but a slightly different thread angle and contour.

So which one of those two is it more likely to be on a UK bed ? Are they close enough that they can be interchanged, perhaps in one direction only ? Some of what I've read suggests you can get away with mixing the two standards but it isn't clear whether you can mix a BSW nut with a UNC bolt, or vica versa, or both ways ?
Simon

1997 Xantia S1 3.0 V6 Auto Exclusive in Silex Grey
2016 Nissan Leaf Tekna 30kWh in White

2011 Peugeot Ion Full Electric in Silver
1977 G Special 1129cc LHD
1978 CX 2400
1997 Xantia S1 2.0i Auto VSX
1998 Xantia S2 3.0 V6 Auto Exclusive
User avatar
Mandrake
Posts: 8615
Joined: 10 Apr 2005, 17:23
Location: North Lanarkshire, UK
My Cars:
x 664

Re: Can't find 5/16" bed headboard bolts!!!

Post by Mandrake »

I've just ordered both BSW and UNC versions of the studs and nuts from these guys:

http://www.gwr-fasteners.co.uk/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

One of them should fit! :lol:

When I have them, what's the best way to determine which matches correctly - will I be able to tell by comparing them by eye to the originals, or will they feel loose if I mix the two types ?
Simon

1997 Xantia S1 3.0 V6 Auto Exclusive in Silex Grey
2016 Nissan Leaf Tekna 30kWh in White

2011 Peugeot Ion Full Electric in Silver
1977 G Special 1129cc LHD
1978 CX 2400
1997 Xantia S1 2.0i Auto VSX
1998 Xantia S2 3.0 V6 Auto Exclusive
citronut
Posts: 10937
Joined: 29 Apr 2005, 00:46
Location: United Kingdom east sussex
My Cars:
x 92

Re: Can't find 5/16" bed headboard bolts!!!

Post by citronut »

Simon you will just have to bang your head against the wall :hb: :hb: :yikes: :dom: :eye: :eye: :bouncy: :twisted: #-o :-D :lol: :rofl2: :rofl2: till you sort your bolt whoooops i mean bolts out
Regards, malcolm.

current ride a BX 1.7 TZD estate
1986 MK1 BX 1.9na D Auto(in Mothman Andy's stable )
layed up roppy 1.9TD XANT estate, now gone to meet her maker
purple and lilac metalic 2CV(VIOLET)registered to her in doors
1972 DS special been layed up aprox 31 years
User avatar
daviemck2006
(Donor 2020)
Posts: 4989
Joined: 04 Dec 2010, 18:45
Location: Macduff
My Cars: Far too many good ones to remember. Many BL, Vauxhall, Ford, Renault, Citroen, Peugeot, and now VAG
x 487

Re: Can't find 5/16" bed headboard bolts!!!

Post by daviemck2006 »

It will be worse sorting his nuts [emoji12] [emoji13] [emoji15] [emoji35] [emoji33] [emoji6] [emoji1]

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk
Skoda Karoq 1.6tdi 2018
Citroen relay camper 2012
In the family
Seat Leon 1.5tsi tourer 2019 daughter 1
C1 vtr+ 2010 daughter 2
addo
Sara Watson's Stalker
Posts: 7098
Joined: 19 Aug 2008, 12:38
Location: NEW South Wales, Australia. I'll show you "Far, far away" ;-)
My Cars: Peugeot 605
Citroën Berlingo
Alfa 147
x 93

Post by addo »

Can you not compare the "feel" of the old and new pieces of fastener screwed together? If it's UK made, most likely to be BSW IMHO FWIW; IOW YMMV.

UNC is much more a US market thread.

Chris: I'm delighted to fulfil a necessary role in FCF. With neither smut nor innuendo, we may as well be an embroidery group.
BX
Posts: 476
Joined: 30 Oct 2009, 00:53
Location: Ireland
My Cars:
x 17

Re: Can't find 5/16" bed headboard bolts!!!

Post by BX »

Where BSW and UNC have the same pitch they are interchangable in practice. The threads are never cut accurately enough for the difference in thread angle to make a dufference. Many agri parts stores have the unc version. They are common on many older tractors and machines. Major manufacturers such as Ford MF and IH even though they had European plants were run from the other side of the Atlantic.
User avatar
Mandrake
Posts: 8615
Joined: 10 Apr 2005, 17:23
Location: North Lanarkshire, UK
My Cars:
x 664

Re: Can't find 5/16" bed headboard bolts!!!

Post by Mandrake »

Thanks everyone, the bed has been reassembled. :)

By comparing the thread visually with the old one it looks like the original is BSW - which has the pointy thread profile while the UNC one has a flattened thread profile.

Annoyingly, while the studs were correct (I bought some BSW, some UNC to cover all bases) the nuts that were labeled as BSW in fact weren't - they had the wrong thread pitch to fit, and they didn't fit M8 bolts either! So no idea what they are...

So I ended up having to use the BSW studs with the UNC nuts. And then the day after assembling it the original set of bolts were discovered after 2 weeks looking for them... (I'll save my expletives...)
Simon

1997 Xantia S1 3.0 V6 Auto Exclusive in Silex Grey
2016 Nissan Leaf Tekna 30kWh in White

2011 Peugeot Ion Full Electric in Silver
1977 G Special 1129cc LHD
1978 CX 2400
1997 Xantia S1 2.0i Auto VSX
1998 Xantia S2 3.0 V6 Auto Exclusive
addo
Sara Watson's Stalker
Posts: 7098
Joined: 19 Aug 2008, 12:38
Location: NEW South Wales, Australia. I'll show you "Far, far away" ;-)
My Cars: Peugeot 605
Citroën Berlingo
Alfa 147
x 93

Post by addo »

Did you not think they would turn up at such a precise time?

I'm fortunate to have a good fastener shop barely ten miles away. Even picked up some ¼"-20 halfnuts from them yesterday (admittedly, they were surprised to have some in a dusty box).
Post Reply