T tracks for the Altmill?

I am contemplating the purchase of an Altmill. I am wondering how likely it is that we will see a 48" T track?

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Hello! A proper welcome is in order. Welcome to the forum @Jens . Good people, sound advice provided here!

I am not sure about Sienci Labs making track, but 48” heavy duty T Tracks are available from a variety of companies. Most notably, Powertec makes a heavy duty 48” track, but it doesn’t come cheap, over 16.00 per piece.
Again, welcome to the group!
Jake

Excellent - thanks! 
 and they are cheaper than the Sienci Labs tracks (inch for inch)

I’m pretty sure I bought my tracks from Powertec, the 36" ones for my 30x30 LongMill. No problems with the tracks but I’ve lost a couple of screw heads because all I could find was brass wood screws at the time of installation. I was hesitant about the brass screws but wanted to get going on my build. Try to find something stronger than brass IMHO.

@Jens @_Michael For me, a big selling point of the Sienci tracks is that I can use any 1/4" bolt in them. I don’t need to use the “toilet” bolts.

The Powertec tracks also take 1/4" bolts

@Jens Thanks. The pics that I saw show only the flat oval headed “toilet bolts”, not a standard 1/4" bolt with the standard 7/16" hex head.

It’s possible that mine aren’t Powertec, it’s been almost 3 years, but it sounded familiar. In any case mine have a countersink that is ~7.5mm with a ~5mm bore. A sheetrock screw sticks up just a little bit, which is fine with the bolt head on the right but I need to grind the 1/4" ones on the left if the head of the mounting screw sticks up a little.

I don’t have anything against the Sienci ones, I am sure they are nice because everything I have got from them is nice.

I do recommend the bolt on the right if your going to use metal bolts on your clamps. Having the extra room makes them slide around nicely IMO, but there is nothing wrong with a plain 1/4" bolt and they are easy to find and most likely cheaper.

@_Michael The thing with the Sienci tracks is that the regular hex head bolts slide in them very easily, since the tracks are made to be used with those bolts. There is no need to grind them down to fit. I’ve not seen any others that are designed this way. Now @Jens says that the Powertec ones do. I looked on the Powetec site and didn’t see them, but that does not mean that they are not there.

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I just got what you meant by ‘toilet’ bolts, like the one on the right. It’s been awhile since I replaced a toilet but I remember now. I wouldn’t have bothered with the photo had I remembered earlier. :crazy_face:

EDIT: Just checked on Amazon and some of the Powertec ones there say they work with a standard 1/4" hex bolt.

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@_Michael Yeah, the heads fit into slots in the floor flange. :grinning:

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This is a cut-and-paste from the Powertec site. Note the line with the asterisks:

Introducing the Dubois Universal T-tracks

Includes: (2) 48" universal t-track bars
Features: T-tracks are equipped with a double-cut profile for hardware versatility and pre-drilled mounting holes for easy installation
Premium quality: constructed out of extruded anodized 6463 aluminum, delivering a lightweight design that possesses an impressive strength to weight ratio, along with corrosion resistance and superior resilience

**** Versatile design: Universal T track designed to accommodate 5/16" and 1/4" t-bolts, and 1/4" hex bolts
Dimensions: individual t-track 3/4" x 3/8" x 48" - size allows for easy and solid embedding without sacrificing surface platform integrity
This versatile set of T-tracks was designed to help provide you with a limitless amount worktable configurations, while optimizing your jigs, fixtures and workbenches.

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I used the power tech t tracks and they do use simple 1/4” bolts. One word of caution, they do and will bend if you crank them down. Not sure about the Sienci tracks.

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I have a MK2 48x30 and wanted to use t-track horizontally requiring 48" t-tracks. I found some on Amazon. 4 pieces for $39.98. I bought 8 for just under $80 + tax and free shipping (Amazon Prime). The company is called ZokMok. There are others like WoodHero and a couple even a couple of dollars cheaper.

Here is the link.

https://www.amazon.com/ZokMok-Double-Cut-Predrilled-Holes6063-Woodworking/dp/B08WQ45JTL/ref=pd_rhf_se_s_pd_sbs_rvi_d_sccl_2_1/138-4655435-8861451?pd_rd_w=AyFFE&content-id=amzn1.sym.9c71db11-3b2f-49a1-9fef-afd524b20130&pf_rd_p=9c71db11-3b2f-49a1-9fef-afd524b20130&pf_rd_r=FTP7EANRR8GX0YP9M4V5&pd_rd_wg=39SG0&pd_rd_r=4e81bf19-d7d5-4d9e-897a-50fb7f892622&pd_rd_i=B08WQ45JTL&th=1

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Welcome to the forum @Ayegor Ron! Good folks, sound advice! Hope those t tracks work well for you! Make yourself at home here and enjoy the forum!
Jake

Just a quick update 

I ordered these T Tracks from Amazon:
https://www.amazon.ca/Woodworking-CLEAR-STYLE-Double-Cut-Predrilled/dp/B0BGHJ5Z2V/ref=sr_1_5?crid=3BGI0CDAY62ZO&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.DMu0RwmXGD7hiFNxhUzSbLH5QqE2E7wQJAEP2ywCy7uto2d-cUdOGlwyBoUZJem0ADD2j65zh_R0DsHi_1Wvf1lbYZY0RM3ynC7jcZGAQjvjEFrp6ZR9wLSoXRdIswrkgo19blgzYQ2lVWFcQuNCrpo1WYNaavXxfZXILOeK3MKeLQpuRuCR3L4nTPmupw4MY5zXFRDqAFd1oXU8g9eWqZ0ay9Daa7d_aP7PyVa_Q5nJBBSjC8_6cJZkzLazo9VlmHbv5a_NUZDzP04ozX98Cz9060tIpecDfl5prjODVMs.q7AYkVz8ekBeE6mP9MOyduU3A4CxGlYVJ0AreBWpTIM&dib_tag=se&keywords=t+track&qid=1717727805&sprefix=t+track%2Caps%2C449&sr=8-5
They are advertised to fit 1/4 hex bolts.
Unfortunately, while the 1/4" hex bolt does indeed fit, these t tracks are not suitable for 1/4" hex bolts. The track is too wide which means that a hex bolt will turn freely in the track and also there is insufficient material from the bolt head in contact with the upper lip of the track. While you can’t quite tilt the bolt out of the track, there is literally only a fraction of a mm that hangs on to the upper lip if the hex bolt is shifted all the way to one side in the track. I have Lee Valley 1/4" T bolts and they will work fine with that track.
Reviewing other T Tracks on Amazon, it looks like these are all the same (or very close) in dimensions. Maybe I am just too fussy about the fit

My fix: either use proper T bolts, 3D print a small sleeve that slides over the thread of the 1/4" bolt to center the bolt in the track or use a 5/16 bolt with the head slightly shaved thinner.