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I recently purchased some 2nd hand outdoor furniture. It is missing a couple of connecting bolts, like the one pictured below, and I want to purchase replacements.

The bolt is used to connect two pieces of folding chair arm that rotate against each other, hence the smooth section in the middle which matches the diameter of the hole.

I had a quick look around and didn't find anything exactly like it.

My problem is finding the right name for this type of bolt so I can make a more targeted search.

I think the bolt has screw threads at each end, but I was only able to remove the nut/cap at one end - I guess whichever one is looser, then there is nothing to grip to undo the other end.

The bolt has a "shoulder" in the middle.

I found "furniture connecting bolts" which are like a single-ended version of this, with the same flattened hex nuts.

I found "shoulder bolts" again single-ended but with thicker headed nuts.

I found double-ended "threaded rod" without the shoulder.

Any help with naming this bolt would be much appreciated!

(Ideally UK/English)

outdoor furniture connecting bolt

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  • That looks like a cap screw with a shoulder , the sleeve would be a separate part when looking at equipment drawings. A shoulder bolt, cap screw
    – Ed Beal
    Commented Jul 25, 2022 at 19:11

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I would imagine that a simple nut & bolt (use an acorn nut which will cover the other end of the bolt for a nicer appearance and protection against the edge of the bolt) with a piece of tube as a sleeve (or bushing), would be the easiest method.

The bushing should be a snug fit in the hole in the wood, and the bolt should be a reasonably snug fit inside the bushing so it doesn't wobble.

Make sure that the bolt & bushing are made of the same material. A steel bolt inside a brass bushing will wear through the brass very quickly. A steel bolt in a steel bushing or brass bolt in a brass bushing will wear much more evenly.

There shouldn't be a need to look for a "bushing" per se, just a simple piece of tubing, cut to the proper length and filed or sanded (use emery cloth) smooth should do the trick.

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It is a Connecting Rod with the annoying (from a procurement perspective) variation that the unthreaded shaft is not the same OD as the threaded part.

You could perhaps mock one up with an internally threaded connecting rod and a couple of smaller diameter fully threaded rods.

Or you could use a Linear Motion Shaft Threaded Both Ends which is not what yours is called, but is similar in design and would work if you could find the right size. These are a lot more expensive than what your would be, if you could find one marketed as a connecting rod with reduced ends.

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  • Wonder if one could be made with a threaded rod, a sleeve(pipe/tube) and a couple of cap nuts.
    – crip659
    Commented Jun 25, 2022 at 12:10
  • @crip659 that's probably a better approach that could be achieved at lower prices at most hardware stores.
    – jay613
    Commented Jun 25, 2022 at 12:18
  • perhaps sex bolts instead of cap nuts. (that could be real bad out of context - apparently also called barrel nuts.)
    – Jasen
    Commented Jun 25, 2022 at 23:18

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