This gallery was updated Feb. 23, 2023. It was originally published Sept. 23, 2015.
RELATED
Force Calculations for Bolted Joints
A Gallery of Head Styles for Screws and Bolts
A Gallery of Self-Tapping Screws
Engineering Dead-Ends: A Gallery of Perpetual Motion Machines
Bolts are incredibly useful mechanical fasteners that can quickly and relatively easily connect or join two or more parts. And they can just as easily be loosened or taken apart to disconnect those parts. Here’s a look at some of the more common bolts that engineers and tinkerers have modified to fit a specific purpose. Of course, other designers have repurposed those bolts; plow bolts aren’t reserved for use on plows and lag bolts are used to join together more than barrel staves.