Effectiveness of limited threaded inserts for joystick mounting?

[nugarp]

I'm cutting out my control panel on 5/8" wood and had a quick question about threaded inserts. I got the joystick mounting kit from GGG and have routed out about 10mm from my panel to completely fit the height of the JLF S-plate (bottom mounting the joystick) that I had ordered. Everything fit great. However, the JLF S-mounting plate only has 2 holes for mounting on through the 5/8" wood. Are two threaded inserts sufficient for holding the joystick in place/will it handle minor abuse? Anyone have experience with that?

Thanks!

[Generic Eric]

I think it may depend on which wood you are using.  Plywood or MDF?  I used plywood and I can hear a creak on the wood when I apply force to the joystick.

YMMV

Be mentally prepared to cut a new template anyhow.

[mgb]

Personally I would through mounting rather than the inserts in this case.

[Brutick]

I plan to do the same thing with my control panel. I would suggest that you drill the two current holes in the S-plate out to #10 clearance (7/32" drill is more than sufficient).

If you're worried about the mounting points, you can always dill more holes into the corners of the S-plate to allow for better mounting points. I will do the same thing once I get around to building my control panel.

The threaded inserts can be found at many hardware stores (i.e. Lowes) and can also be found online at Fastenal. Buying from Fastenal can save you money if you plan on using the inserts to mount more than just your joysticks. If that is not the case, I would recommend just either ordering from GGG or going to your local hardware store to pick up 10-24 inserts and 1/2" long 10-24 machine screws.

Realistically, these inserts will stay in no problem, but consider using carriage bolts if you feel the machine will get a lot of abuse.

Hope that helps. 

[PL1]

I would definitely not recommend using only two inserts.

Ideally, use 4 inserts -- one in each corner.

Make sure you get the ones with the wide flat threads for MDF, not the narrower ones with wood screw thread geometry.

 


Scott

[jimmer]

Drill 4 new holes in the corners of the S-plate.

[nugarp]

Thanks for all the advice guys. I'll probably add 4 holes and use 6 inserts per plate. Is there a special drill bit needed? I have a corded drill and drill press and will probably use the latter. I also have cutting oil available. Never drilled/worked with metal before.

[Generic Eric]

If you have one of those father's day gift sets, or christmas gift sets, you are likely to have a few of each types of drill bit, masonry, metal and wood. 

[nugarp]

Turns out we did have one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Neiko-Power-Punch-Sheet-Metal/dp/B0002T87CW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1395469004&sr=8-2&keywords=metal+hole+punch

The 3/16 hole was perfect for the screws. I ended up adding 4 punches to each plate and screwing those in. I could have done 6 but 4 felt more than sufficient. Thanks for the replies!