From: "Paul Lipps" <elippse@sbcglobal.net>

One way to get away from concern about the proper torque-ing of bolts is to use Belleville washers to get the desired bolt clamp force. They can be stacked in different ways to increase clamp force and/or clamp distance. Prior to his demise, Vance Jaqua wrote a very informative article on his web page about their use with wood props.