At the present time I have three routers. A Hatachi M12V which is pretty much dedicated to my router table, and two Crapsman routers. I recently had an occassion that required a 1/4″ bit with a 3/8″ bushing. Would have worked great with my Hatachi. Unfortunately, Sears does not make a 3/8 bushing for their routers. Does anyone know of a source for some type of adapter for the Craftsman that will enable me to use the Porter-Cable type bushings? Thanks!
For some reason, I have really taken a disliking to “Craftsman” tools. Wonder why that is????
Replies
Well, you could always make your own baseplate to accept P-C bushings for your Craftsman router with a drill press and some large Forstner Bits. That's what I'm doing for my Sears router which used to be in a table and is now obsolete. I'm going to make it into a permanent inlay cutter with a 1/4 inch spiral upcut bit (with P-C style bushing) always mounted in its incredibly cheap and cheesy collet. It was either that or perform a ritualistic sacrifiice to the Gods of Woodworking.
Good luck.
Ed
I performed said ritualistic sacrafice a few years back on my 1st and last Crapsman router after the worn and irreplaceable collet launched a 1/2" flush trim bit right past my left ear. I found a 3# drilling hammer to be a most satisfying implement for said sacrifice. While still enjoying the afterglow of the sacrifice the purchase of a DW614 plunge router was also very satisfying. Based on what's on the market now though I'd look real hard at the Bosch Magnesium Series but beware they require their own bushings.John O'Connell - JKO Handcrafted Woodworking
Life is tough. It's tougher if you're stupid - John Wayne
John
Do you know who carries these bushings?
Alan
Most any full line Bosch tool dealer should have them or be able to order them. They're actually fairly well engineered and superior to the the traditional (PC) type in some respects. They're self-centering and snap in to place with a quarter turn or so. No fumbling with the lock ring. I'm pretty much a fan of German engineering but not everything that comes out of Deutschland is perfect. I bought a Bosch laminate trimmer to use exclusively as a mini-router and also bought a set of the bushings only to get home and find they didn't fit that particular model. My PC type bushings didn't fit either. Another cross-town trip yielded the production PC laminate trimmer that really is a little router (PC510?) and it accepted the bushings I already had. With the little PC, 1 1/4 hp and 3 hp DW plunge routers I don't really need another router, but I would sure like the Bosch D handle Mag.John O'Connell - JKO Handcrafted Woodworking
Life is tough. It's tougher if you're stupid - John Wayne
If you are thinking of the Bosch 1617 plunge router Pat Warner makes a clear base which will take the PC bushings. His web is http://www.patwarner.com he is also one of the best to do busniess with.
Scott T.
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