Customer Reviews

Shop Fox D3117 Brass Guide Bushing Set

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Positives:

-- Includes 8 bushings and two locknuts (for use on two routers concurrently) -- most template sets include [only] 7 bushings.

-- Bushings and locknuts are all brass, so they are impervious to water/moisture -- should last a lifetime.

-- If a rotating router bit (e.g., tapered dovetail bit), touches a bushing made of steel, sparks will fly, and the router bit will likely be ruined. With a brass bushing, the bit will likely survive intact. E.g., once, near the end of a day of routing doors for hinges, my template's locking ring came loose, allowing the guide to touch the spinning bit and the locking ring to rub against the router-bit lock nut. Since the guide and ring were brass, no noticeable damage to the bit or router occurred.

-- Molded plastic case offers excellent protection against damage. There's no extra storage area, but none should be needed.

-- Each bushing is machined from one piece of brass -- fine tool markings from a metal lathe are visible.

-- This set costs less than Porter Cable's or Milwaukee's steel bushings.

-- Because these bushings protrude beyond the router base by only 1/4" or so, they work fine on Leigh dovetail jigs. They should also work on any router jig for the same reason.

Negatives:

-- The bushings would look better if they were polished; in fact, I polished one just to see (click See Customer Images, above). On the other hand, if polished, they will probably tarnish.

I bought these to use with my Porter Cable 5116 dovetail jig. In the case of my jig, it uses a 5/8 bushing for half-blind dovetails. More to the point, the 5/8 Porter Cable bushing is an absolute industry standard. This Shop Fox kit is essentially a box full of Porter Cable style bushings.

The irony here, is that the Shop Fox bushing is unusable in the very type of jig they were designed for. The outside diameter of the bushing is too wide by a very small amount, i.e. it jams in between the fingers on the jig rather than sliding in and out easily with a very small amount of clearance. I want to like these bushings, but I have to stick with the steel PC bushing.

These bushings appear to be nicely machined, unfortunately they are out of tolerance and completely unusable.

This bushing set is exceptionally versatile because in addition to a complete range of sizes, the 'throat' where the bit comes through the bushing is relatively short and fairly consistent from bushing to bushing. The short 'throat' means the ability to use thinner template materials than with a usual set of bushings. These bushings are a tremendous addition for anyone doing template work with a router.

This set works well. I have used it a fair amount with two brands of routers that accept the standard Porter-Cable router guides. Perfect fit.

Pros:
- Brass. (Better than steel. Chipped a bit once on a loose steel PC guide!)
- Good selection of sizes.
- Two lock nuts.
- Nice case.
- Fits within 1/4 thick templates.
- Threads clean and sharp.

Cons:
- Surfaces obviously machined, but only a fair finish. Could use some polishing.
- Bushing outside diameter oversize.

The oversize bushings could be a problem with some commercial templates. Here are the
measurements from the set I received: 5/16 +0.002, 3/8 +0, 7/16 +0, 1/2 +0.002, 5/8 +0.008, 3/4 +0.005, 51/64 +0.002, 1 +0.002. Most of the time, with shop-made templates, a few thousandths oversize is no problem. But with something critical, like a dovetail template, 8 thousandths could cause some problems. And that 5/8 bit is the most frequently used. On mine, about 5 minutes work with a ribbon of emery cloth brought it down to size.

If you damage a bushing, Woodcraft sells individual replacement bushings that are an exact match for this set. At a higher price, Woodcraft also sells beautiful USA-made precision bushings with a centering guide for those critical applications.

The product itself is top quality. I did have to clean machining burrs form the threads on every piece in the set before installation was possible. This required a "V" fine tooth file, brillo pad to polish, rag and air compresser to clean threads.

This is a quality product with a nice storage case. It contains all the most used sizes of bushings and works well with the adaptor I purchased for my Bosch router base.

Good fit and finish, complete set, good machining. The way parts should be made. Nice case to keep it all together.
would buy again.

Was very well pleased with the bushing set, fits my Milwaukee router perfect.
Storage case is nice for keeping the set together. A good buy and would recommend to purchase it

These Bushings were exactly as described. As they only have a 1/4" tail They allow me to use thinner material to make templates saving even more money. being brass unlike steel they do not vibrate loose.

I am not happy with this set, the workmanship is poor, threads are tight in spots on most of the guides, hard to start nut onto guide. Not polished, but that's not a big deal and the other things I can fix. But these are new, why should I have to fix things that are new out of the box... Not Sure...Keep or Return... I have returned this item, the poor machining and quality are to hard to put up with when I produce quality items I expect to use the same.