Routers, bushings and bits
The sizes Bushwhack needs: each bushing's outside diameter, which sets the offset, and its inside diameter, which the bit has to pass through. You can pick any of these on the workbench.
Sizes come from makers' and distributors' published specs. A dash means we couldn't confirm the number. Bushings vary by a few thousandths, so measure yours with calipers before you rely on a template.
Standard bushing sizes
Most bushings follow the Porter-Cable sizes. When you type an outside diameter on the workbench, Bushwhack assumes the matching inside diameter here unless you enter your own, and it won't make a template if the bit can't pass through.
| Outside | Inside | Bits that fit |
|---|---|---|
| 5/16 in | 1/4 in | 1/8, 3/16 in |
| 3/8 in | 9/32 in | 1/8, 3/16, 1/4 in |
| 7/16 in | 11/32 in | 1/8, 3/16, 1/4, 5/16 in |
| 1/2 in | 13/32 in | 1/8, 3/16, 1/4, 5/16, 3/8 in |
| 5/8 in | 17/32 in | 1/8, 3/16, 1/4, 5/16, 3/8, 1/2 in |
| 3/4 in | 21/32 in | 1/8, 3/16, 1/4, 5/16, 3/8, 1/2 in |
| 51/64 in | 5/8 in | 1/8, 3/16, 1/4, 5/16, 3/8, 1/2 in |
| 1 in | 25/32 in | 1/8, 3/16, 1/4, 5/16, 3/8, 1/2 in |
| 17 mm | 14 mm | 1/8, 3/16, 1/4, 5/16, 3/8, 1/2 in |
Common pairings: a 5/16 in bushing with a 1/8 in bit for fine detail, and 7/16 in or larger with a 1/4 in bit for bigger shapes.
Which bushings fit your router
Bushings attach in a few ways. The most common is the Porter-Cable style: two-piece threaded bushing with a lock nut, in a 1-3/16 in hole with a 1-3/8 in counterbore.
| Router | Type | Collets | Bushings | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bosch Colt GKF125CE | Palm | 1/4 in | Bosch quick-change, Porter-Cable style | The plunge base takes the RA1126 quick-change adapter, so the RA1128 set fits directly. The fixed base needs the PR110 subbase. |
| Bosch 1617EVS | 2-1/4 hp fixed base | 1/4, 3/8, 1/2 in, 8 mm | Bosch quick-change, Porter-Cable style | Takes guides through the RA1129 adapter set (RA1126 plus the RA1100 Porter-Cable adapter), which the RA1128 set also includes. |
| Bosch MRC23EVSK | 2.3 hp fixed and plunge | 1/4, 1/2 in | Bosch quick-change, Porter-Cable style | Takes guides through the RA1129 adapter set, or the adapters in the RA1128 set. |
| DeWalt DWP611 / DCW600 | Compact | 1/4 in | Porter-Cable style | Takes Porter-Cable style guides natively. DeWalt points to the Porter-Cable 42000 kit. |
| DeWalt DW618 | 2-1/4 hp | 1/4, 1/2 in | Porter-Cable style | Its subbase takes Porter-Cable style guides. |
| Makita RT0701C | Compact | 1/4, 3/8 in | Porter-Cable style | Takes Porter-Cable style guides through the 321492-3 template guide adapter. |
| Makita XTR01 | Compact, 18 V | 1/4, 3/8 in | Porter-Cable style | Comes with template guide 343577-5 and accepts standard template guides. |
| Milwaukee 2723-20 M18 Fuel | Compact, 18 V | 1/4 in | Porter-Cable style | Use the included template subbase, which takes guides up to 1-3/16 in. Centre it with a centring cone. |
| Milwaukee 5615 / 5616 | 1-3/4 hp | 1/4, 1/2 in | Porter-Cable style | Takes Porter-Cable style guides with the 49-54-1040 subbase. |
| Porter-Cable 690LR | 1-3/4 hp | 1/4, 1/2 in | Porter-Cable style | The original Porter-Cable style base. |
| Porter-Cable 450 | Compact | 1/4 in | Porter-Cable style | Its 4 in subbase takes standard template guides. |
| Festool OF 1010 | Plunge | 8 mm, 1/4 in | Festool, Porter-Cable style | Takes Festool guide bushes. Adapter 469625 takes Porter-Cable style guides. |
| Festool OF 1400 | Plunge | 8 mm, 1/4 in | Festool, Porter-Cable style | Takes Festool guide bushes. Adapter 493566 takes Porter-Cable style guides. |
| Triton TRA001 | 2-1/4 hp plunge | 1/4, 1/2 in | Triton, Porter-Cable style | Uses the TGA250 guide bush kit. Its alignment bush also takes Porter-Cable style guides. |
| Ryobi P601 | Trim, 18 V | 1/4 in | None as shipped | Can't take guide bushings as shipped: its base is square with no guide hole. An aftermarket round base, such as the Woodpeckers SMTROB, adds one. |
Bushing sets
Length is how far the bushing sticks out below the router base. Your template must be thicker than that, or the bushing will scrape the work.
Bosch RA1128
Bosch quick-change. Includes the RA1126 quick-change adapter and the RA1100 Porter-Cable adapter. Fits Bosch 1613, 1614, 1617, 1618, 1619, PR10/20E, MR23EVS and the Colt plunge base.
| Part | Outside | Inside | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| RA1103 | 5/16 in | 17/64 in | 9/64 in |
| RA1105 | 7/16 in | 3/8 in | 9/64 in |
| RA1109 | 1/2 in | 13/32 in | 7/16 in |
| RA1113 | 5/8 in | 17/32 in | 1/2 in |
| RA1115 | 3/4 in | 21/32 in | 3/16 in |
| RA1121 | 1 3/8 in | 1 19/64 in | 7/16 in |
Porter-Cable 42000
Porter-Cable style. Seven guides and two lock nuts. The standard most other routers copy.
| Part | Outside | Inside | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 42054 | 5/16 in | 1/4 in | — |
| 42036 | 3/8 in | 9/32 in | 5/16 in |
| 42027 | 7/16 in | 11/32 in | 5/32 in |
| 42033 | 1/2 in | 13/32 in | — |
| 42045 | 5/8 in | 17/32 in | 9/16 in |
| 42024 | 3/4 in | 21/32 in | 9/16 in |
| 42042 | 51/64 in | 5/8 in | — |
Milescraft 1228
Porter-Cable style. Seven steel bushings. Inside diameters not published.
| Part | Outside | Inside | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5/16 | 5/16 in | — | — |
| 3/8 | 3/8 in | — | — |
| 7/16 | 7/16 in | — | — |
| 1/2 | 1/2 in | — | — |
| 5/8 | 5/8 in | — | — |
| 3/4 | 3/4 in | — | — |
| 51/64 | 51/64 in | — | — |
Whiteside 9500 inlay kit
Porter-Cable style. For one-template inlays: rout the pocket with the collar on, and the insert with it off. Comes with the RD1600 1/8 in downcut bit.
| Part | Outside | Inside | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| bushing | 5/16 in | 3/16 in | 3/16 in |
| with collar | 9/16 in | 3/16 in | 3/16 in |
Triton TGA250
Triton. For Triton routers. Inside diameters not published.
| Part | Outside | Inside | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5/16 | 5/16 in | — | — |
| 3/8 | 3/8 in | — | — |
| 7/16 | 7/16 in | — | — |
| 1/2 | 1/2 in | — | — |
| 5/8 | 5/8 in | — | — |
| 51/64 | 51/64 in | — | — |
| 3/4 | 3/4 in | — | — |
| 30 mm | 30 mm | — | — |
Festool guide bushes (OF 1010)
Festool. Sizes from Festool owners; only the KR-D 17 inside diameter is confirmed.
| Part | Outside | Inside | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10.8 mm | 10.8 mm | — | — |
| 13.8 mm | 13.8 mm | — | — |
| KR-D 17 | 17 mm | 14 mm | — |
| 24 mm | 24 mm | — | — |
| 27 mm | 27 mm | — | — |
| 30 mm | 30 mm | — | — |
| 40 mm | 40 mm | — | — |
Inlay kits pair a 5/16 in bushing with a removable 9/16 in collar and a 1/8 in bit. The collar adds the bit's width twice, so one template cuts both the pocket and the insert. Bushwhack does the same job with two templates from one drawing: see inlay templates.
Bits
Solid carbide spiral bits on a 1/4 in shank are the usual choice for template work. Upcut clears chips from deep cuts; downcut leaves a cleaner top edge on veneer and inlays. The cutting length must reach through the template into the work.
| Bit | Diameter | Type | Cut length | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SpeTool SPLS-D1/4-1/8-U-TAC | 1/8 in | Upcut spiral | 1 in | 3 in |
| Whiteside RU1600 | 1/8 in | Upcut spiral | 1/2 in | — |
| Whiteside RD1600 | 1/8 in | Downcut spiral | 1/2 in | 2 in |
| Amana 46125-K | 1/8 in | Upcut spiral | 13/16 in | 2 1/2 in |
| Freud 75-100 | 1/8 in | Upcut spiral | 1/2 in | 2 in |
| Bosch 85908MC | 1/8 in | Upcut spiral | 1/2 in | — |
| CMT 191.001.11 | 1/8 in | Upcut spiral | 1/2 in | 2 in |
| Yonico 31210-SC | 1/8 in | Upcut spiral | 1/2 in | 2 in |
| Whiteside RU1800 | 3/16 in | Upcut spiral | 3/4 in | 2 1/2 in |
| Amana 46101 | 3/16 in | Upcut spiral | 3/4 in | 2 in |
| Whiteside RU2100 | 1/4 in | Upcut spiral | 1 in | — |
| Freud 75-102 | 1/4 in | Upcut spiral | 1 in | 2 1/2 in |
| Bosch 85911M | 1/4 in | Upcut spiral | 1 in | 2 1/2 in |
See also the offset calculator and the guide.