Thread: What is the 'standard' t track size?

Mitre slides are not the same as T-tracks.

In a mitre slide slot the slide occupies most of the slot , whereas in T-tracks the T_bolt head occupies most of the slot.

There are no real standards for T-tracks there are just some that appear to be more common that others.
The T-tracks that I have that use a 5/16" diam bolt but can actually fit up to a 3/8" bolt, you can use any size you want smaller than 3/8" as it's the head size that is critical
The heads on mine must be greater than 3/8 and can be up to 1/2" wide.

On my Mitre slides, the slides are all 3/4" wide but the head widths vary from 29/32" to 31/32" wide, None of mine are 1"

Highway signs and boats use a lot more T-track than woodworkers and theirs come in many varieties of shapes and profiles.
These are highway sign T-tracks available from Capral.
I use the one on the right on my chainsaw mills, to make 4 car roof racks, and to make a macro-photography stand.
time I purchased it cost ~$100 for 6m
RailXsection.jpg

No such thing in experience they are all different depending on who made them

Normal bolts may or may not work in a "T" track. My experience is that the thickness of the head of the bolt is too thick or not quite thin enough to slide easily. Toilet bolts (Steel) seem to work well. Most woodworking stores sell the "Toilet" bolt style in 1/4x20 or 5/16x18 along with the knobs.

I've been told that 1/4x20 will work with some metric nuts, with emphasis on nuts. It seems that the thread tolerances add up and jam the threads after much more length than the thickness of a nut.

i was going to get this stuff
https://www.timbecon.com.au/site-sho...minium-t-track
anyone had any experience? on paper its the same size as incra
I would like to make a mitre station like what wood whisper has just made - no fence just t track where you can lock down a block of wood as a stop

Originally Posted by qwertyu

i was going to get this stuff
https://www.timbecon.com.au/site-sho...minium-t-track
anyone had any experience?

I've used it on a couple of router tables.
Expensive but it neatly fits the 5/16" T-track bolts and knobs os you have completely compatible system.

Can you suggest another place to get some tracks BobL?

Originally Posted by qwertyu

Can you suggest another place to get some tracks BobL?

I used this one from Capral (highway road sign track - part number 801928) for my Bandsaw sled, but you have to buy a 6m length ($35).


BTW you can cut this stuff with your table saw. Use a blade with the most number of teeth and take it slowly.
Lots of razor sharp shards of Al are reduced so use PPE and a DC is you have one.

Sorting out the bolts took a little sleuthing.
The main slot width is 7/16" and most 7/16" hex bolt heads are held reasonably well by the lower slot like this.
IMG_3404.jpg
Knobs for 7/16" bolts are hard to come by.

The readily available flat sided 5/16 T-slot bolts will also work provided two thickish washers are used like this.
The bolts look like they will turn but they don't - for very frequent, long term, HD use they will probably end up mashing the slot but otherwise they are OK - this is what I have used on my BS sled.
IMG_3405.jpg


I have a metal work lathe/mill so in another application I was able to machine dedicated shaped nuts to suit the slot. There is plenty of room inside the T-track for a bolt to go thru the nut and do inside the track.

With the track itself being quite thick they don't suit thinnish tables and applications - Capral has a thinner one but I have not played with it.
More details about T-track here.Cheap HD T-Track

McJings have a selection of T track and fittings

+1 for McJings. If you don't want anything over a metre long postage is no problem. Note that they have two different sizes, the mini - 9.5mm (3/8") works well on things like router table, table saw and drill press table jigs. https://mcjing.com.au/searchresult.aspx?keyword=T-track

If you want to buy in store Carbatec have a good range of T-track and it's 10% off at the moment.

The problem with the Timbecon product you've linked to is that it won't accept standard hex bolt heads because of the raised internal corners so you're stuck with using T-bolts (read expensive and much harder to get). The road sign stuff that BobL has linked to is huge (about 25mm square from memory) and not really suitable for a lot of the jigs that you'd use T-track on in woodworking.
Although there is no standard you should look for something that accepts standard hex head bolts in 6mm, 1/4", 5/16" and 8mm. This will allow you to use virtually any of the readily available fixtures for T-tracks.

I’ve bought from both McJings and https://www.woodworksupplies.com.au/ both sponsors.

I bought that stuff from Timbecon. I don't normally buy things like that and even though it didn't cost much it felt like a luxury because I could have made it myself. Really pi$&@# off. It does not accept hex head bolts as Aldav said. I'd take it back but it's not worth driving that far.

thanks guys. hows the incra stuff (timbecon) or the veritas stuff (carbatec) like?

I think the Incra stuff is 1/4" only. Won't fit 5/16".
The Veritas stuff comes in 2 sizes. 1/4" and 5/16"
I've got all 5/16" track and fittings.

The Timbecon is "Baladonia" brand and that is all 5/16".
I used it on my router table and fence and it works fine.