Binding posts connection help?

Just shove 'em in until they make good contact, preferably leaving the outer part screwed all the way in. They will only be moderately tight at most in many cases. Sometimes they will be scarily loose even. The screwable part of the posts don't affect the tension of the back part where you plug in the banana jacks axially.

I've actually seen a few binding posts where you can fit the banana plugs perpendicularly through the holes in the binding posts, then crank down the outer part to lock the whole assembly. To me it always looks like it'll eventually tweak the banana plug.

Radio Shack and Parts Express both sell banana plugs with thumbscrews, and these are generally tighter than most of the standard ones IME. You have to keep an eye on the thumbscrew part though, as it can loosen up fairly easily.

 

There might be some that work that way. I've seen various locking schemes, which I think are a good idea actually.

 

Nope. The nut is only if you insert wire into the binding post itself. The posts were originally designed to take wire - bare, or with large crimp lugs. The bannana jacks were more of an afterthought . . . . .