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Guide bushing help

2294 Views 9 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  Mike
Hello folks,

I am a newbie to routing. I have a guide bushing (imperial) 1/4" i.d. and a 5/16" o.d.
As I live in Ireland, I need a metric bushing to fit a TREND universal sub base.
What Trend guide bushing do I buy or how do I fit imperial bushing to my trend sub base ?

thanks in advance 👍
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Welcome to the forum.
From what I can see the Trend universal sub-base doesn't accept Porter Cable style guide bushings so you'll need purchase a Trend guide bushing. If you want to use the industry standard Porter Cable style bushings you would have to get an after market base that accepts them, these bases are readily available. As to what size bushing to buy that will depend on the type of work you're wanting to do with it. Is there a particular reason you want a metric bushing?, most router bits are imperial.
From what I can see the Trend universal sub-base doesn't accept Porter Cable style guide bushings so you'll need purchase a Trend guide bushing. If you want to use the industry standard Porter Cable style bushings you would have to get an after market base that accepts them, these bases are readily available. As to what size bushing to buy that will depend on the type of work you're wanting to do with it. Is there a particular reason you want a metric bushing?, most router bits are imperial.
Thanks for your reply Aldav,

No reason only the bushing I have is a Porter cable (imperial size).

So I figured , to fit my Trend sub base I need a Trend guide bushing 1/4” i.d x 5/16” o.d-
I purchased a trend guide bushing 7.93mm (5/16”) o.d with an i.d 4.8mm - A question I have is, I’m using a Rockler bit sized Rockler 999125, 1/4”shank sign router bit 3/16”,
Will this bit fit or be too tight when in the bushing?

I hope I’m making sense,
Maybe a better description to use would be what you are trying to accomplish. Are you trying to cut a particular sized slot with the 1/4" bit or use a template to trace something? BTW, welcome to the forum.
Maybe a better description to use would be what you are trying to accomplish. Are you trying to cut a particular sized slot with the 1/4" bit or use a template to trace something? BTW, welcome to the forum.
Thanks SReilly,

I am looking to use a Rockler sign making kit . They suggest I need a 1/4”x 5/16” guide bush and a 4.76mm router bit.

The trend guide bushing I have is 5/16” o.d with an i.d 4.8mm. The router bit I have is a 4.76mm bit. Are these the same sized items as Rockler suggested.

cheers
The 4.76mm bit is equivalent to the 3/16 bit required, the 5/16 OD of the bushing is the important part of the busing so it matches the template. The ID of the bushing needs to be large enough that the bit has room to rotate without contacting the inside of the bushing so the 4.8mm bushing is probably too small to work correctly and the bit might damage the bushing. I suggest finding the correct busing to match the requirements of the template to cut the lettering correctly.
From what I can see Rockler specifies a guide bush that is 5/16" OD and 1/4" ID for the 1-1/2" sign makers kit. As the recommended router bit only has a 5/16" cutting length and the template is 3/32" thick the tolerances are pretty tight by the time you take the thickness of the bushing into account. You could possibly cut up to 5/32" deep with a 1/4" ID bush? The problem you'll have with your 4.8mm ID bushing is clearing the waste, if the waste can't escape you risk a poor cut and burning, and the possibility of the bit shank coming into contact with the ID of your bush. The carbide does stand slightly proud so it may be possible to cut, say, 1/16" deep in the stock, but as MEBCWD has said there's virtually no clearance between the bit and the inside of the bush. You could try running the router and lowering the bit into the bush to check clearance prior to attempting a very shallow cut as a test.

Other options:
  • buy an after market base that accepts Porter Cable bushings and a 1/4" ID bush
  • buy a 1/8" solid carbide ball nose bit to use with your current base and bush and be satisfied with the smaller lettering. Suitable collet adaptor would be required if you don't already have one.
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Look in the Trend catalog and you will find their Porter Cable style adapter. This will allow you to use the bushing suggested. Another option to consider is drilling your bushing for enough clearance.
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