diff --git a/arch/i386/bits/alltypes.h.sh b/arch/i386/bits/alltypes.h.sh
index 13658cc2716ae001ec204f204a0b9a2f5e490e22..c6201b9dc2e9fae35c13fa00516ac815c0be0867 100755
--- a/arch/i386/bits/alltypes.h.sh
+++ b/arch/i386/bits/alltypes.h.sh
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ TYPEDEF long long blkcnt_t;
 TYPEDEF unsigned long long fsblkcnt_t;
 TYPEDEF unsigned long long fsfilcnt_t;
 
-TYPEDEF struct __timer * timer_t;
+TYPEDEF void * timer_t;
 TYPEDEF int clockid_t;
 TYPEDEF unsigned long clock_t;
 
diff --git a/arch/x86_64/bits/alltypes.h.sh b/arch/x86_64/bits/alltypes.h.sh
index cd84a2dad79dae90876dcf88fa32fac322fdcac9..b0aecd9c94c875c5eef4ae8a3395f2fc3624ee5a 100755
--- a/arch/x86_64/bits/alltypes.h.sh
+++ b/arch/x86_64/bits/alltypes.h.sh
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ TYPEDEF long long blkcnt_t;
 TYPEDEF unsigned long long fsblkcnt_t;
 TYPEDEF unsigned long long fsfilcnt_t;
 
-TYPEDEF struct __timer * timer_t;
+TYPEDEF void * timer_t;
 TYPEDEF int clockid_t;
 TYPEDEF long clock_t;
 
diff --git a/src/time/timer_create.c b/src/time/timer_create.c
index 89099dd6b8961ed816d1fd0bc998006431374fb6..c5894f48060f195e5d16e99a4636f1cd28565ab0 100644
--- a/src/time/timer_create.c
+++ b/src/time/timer_create.c
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@ struct ksigevent {
 struct start_args {
 	pthread_barrier_t b;
 	struct sigevent *sev;
-	timer_t t;
 };
 
 static void sighandler(int sig, siginfo_t *si, void *ctx)
@@ -26,30 +25,21 @@ static void sighandler(int sig, siginfo_t *si, void *ctx)
 	pthread_setcancelstate(st, 0);
 }
 
-static void killtimer(void *arg)
-{
-	timer_t t = arg;
-	if (t->timerid >= 0) __syscall(SYS_timer_delete, t->timerid);
-}
-
 static void *start(void *arg)
 {
 	pthread_t self = __pthread_self();
 	struct start_args *args = arg;
-	struct __timer t = { .timerid = -1 };
 
 	/* Reuse no-longer-needed thread structure fields to avoid
 	 * needing the timer address in the signal handler. */
 	self->start = (void *(*)(void *))args->sev->sigev_notify_function;
 	self->start_arg = args->sev->sigev_value.sival_ptr;
-	args->t = &t;
+	self->result = (void *)-1;
 
-	pthread_cleanup_push(killtimer, &t);
 	pthread_barrier_wait(&args->b);
 	pthread_setcanceltype(PTHREAD_CANCEL_ASYNCHRONOUS, 0);
 	/* Loop on async-signal-safe cancellation point */
 	for (;;) sleep(1);
-	pthread_cleanup_pop(1);
 	return 0;
 }
 
@@ -79,11 +69,7 @@ int timer_create(clockid_t clk, struct sigevent *evp, timer_t *res)
 		ksev.sigev_tid = 0;
 		if (syscall(SYS_timer_create, clk, &ksev, &timerid) < 0)
 			return -1;
-		if (!(t = calloc(1, sizeof *t))) {
-			syscall(SYS_timer_delete, timerid);
-			return -1;
-		}
-		t->timerid = timerid;
+		*res = (void *)(2*timerid+1);
 		break;
 	case SIGEV_THREAD:
 		if (!libc.sigtimer) libc.sigtimer = sighandler;
@@ -105,19 +91,17 @@ int timer_create(clockid_t clk, struct sigevent *evp, timer_t *res)
 		ksev.sigev_tid = td->tid;
 		r = syscall(SYS_timer_create, clk, &ksev, &timerid);
 		pthread_barrier_wait(&args.b);
-		t = args.t;
 		if (r < 0) {
 			pthread_cancel(td);
 			return -1;
 		}
-		t->timerid = timerid;
-		t->thread = td;
+		td->result = (void *)timerid;
+		*res = td;
 		break;
 	default:
 		errno = EINVAL;
 		return -1;
 	}
 
-	*res = t;
 	return 0;
 }
diff --git a/src/time/timer_delete.c b/src/time/timer_delete.c
index caf048954c040c36e7d98806400b687f56da0710..437de2e06a32926cdb71ef3709f420f23eb83146 100644
--- a/src/time/timer_delete.c
+++ b/src/time/timer_delete.c
@@ -3,10 +3,11 @@
 
 int timer_delete(timer_t t)
 {
-	if (t->thread) pthread_cancel(t->thread);
-	else {
-		__syscall(SYS_timer_delete, t->timerid);
-		free(t);
-	}
-	return 0;
+	pthread_t td = 0;
+	int r;
+	if ((uintptr_t)t & 1) t = (void *)((unsigned long)t / 2);
+	else td = t, t = td->result;
+	r = __syscall(SYS_timer_delete, (long)t);
+	if (td) pthread_cancel(td);
+	return r;
 }
diff --git a/src/time/timer_getoverrun.c b/src/time/timer_getoverrun.c
index 1334e451cb1a259f22249adf0da147dea63dc1c9..fa7715bbe73f47e03a3a28d5a66210f771eb6e74 100644
--- a/src/time/timer_getoverrun.c
+++ b/src/time/timer_getoverrun.c
@@ -3,5 +3,7 @@
 
 int timer_getoverrun(timer_t t)
 {
-	return syscall(SYS_timer_getoverrun, t->timerid);
+	if ((uintptr_t)t & 1) t = (void *)((unsigned long)t / 2);
+	else t = ((pthread_t)t)->result;
+	return syscall(SYS_timer_getoverrun, (long)t);
 }
diff --git a/src/time/timer_gettime.c b/src/time/timer_gettime.c
index 3d3156a060290cf3b743eda1cb9526e9fe7dba72..2320873eecf22c06f8cc30735e7b2df82e74239a 100644
--- a/src/time/timer_gettime.c
+++ b/src/time/timer_gettime.c
@@ -3,5 +3,7 @@
 
 int timer_gettime(timer_t t, struct itimerspec *val)
 {
-	return syscall(SYS_timer_gettime, t->timerid, val);
+	if ((uintptr_t)t & 1) t = (void *)((unsigned long)t / 2);
+	else t = ((pthread_t)t)->result;
+	return syscall(SYS_timer_gettime, (long)t, val);
 }
diff --git a/src/time/timer_settime.c b/src/time/timer_settime.c
index d109570b3fe660cf193b8b6ae4e180714f391164..00708f0e47a6d90a1c50094beeb0c1f965b407ad 100644
--- a/src/time/timer_settime.c
+++ b/src/time/timer_settime.c
@@ -3,5 +3,7 @@
 
 int timer_settime(timer_t t, int flags, const struct itimerspec *val, struct itimerspec *old)
 {
-	return syscall(SYS_timer_settime, t->timerid, flags, val, old);
+	if ((uintptr_t)t & 1) t = (void *)((unsigned long)t / 2);
+	else t = ((pthread_t)t)->result;
+	return syscall(SYS_timer_settime, (long)t, flags, val, old);
 }