A set of bushings will help you with handle production

A set of bushings for routers is a new novelty in our wide range of products. I will try to introduce the new CMT bushings in the course of the few following paragraphs. The brass bushings are supplied in a black, strong, plastic case and each bushing has a marked out inner and outer diameter.

Every woodworker will confirm that a router is the most versatile machine in their workshop. When set up properly, a router allows routing wood with maximum precision and unique efficiency. And thanks to the wide range of router bits available, a router proves to be a great assistant. Some routers can be even fitted into a router table and are equipped with a handy mechanism allowing adjustment of height in the table. The only disadvantage is the noise it makes which tends to be quite irritating sometimes. However, some earplugs or ear defenders can easily drown out the noise. Furthermore, we mustn't forget the produced dust. This is also not a problem when you have proper dust extraction equipment.

I will present the proper use of bushings for routers on the production of handles on a drawer.

And now I will present the handle production on wooden drawers and the use of mentioned bushings itself.
I have used some basic fences and a mitre saw to make a handy template. I have clamped this template onto the place of routing on the drawer, then I just fitted my router with the proper bushing and continued to rout out the handle.

So what are the advantages of the bushings... and why?

The answer is simple really. Using the bushings transforms any router into a copying machine even though your machine is not fitted with a bearing.

It's considerably easy to fit your router with a bushing. I used the Festool OF1400 router and the only thing I needed was a transition ring (pictured), which is different for every router. The CMT transparent router base is there to help you with fitting any router with these bushings.

You just need to insert the bushing into the base and tighten the brass nut from the other side. Place a router bit into the collet and tighten the swivel nut.

Remember that the bushings are slightly larger than the tool. There is a slight difference between the edge of the bit and the outer edge the bushing. Keep that in mind when making your template. If you're looking for the difference of 5 mm, you have to use the 20 mm bushing and a router bit 10 mm in diameter. The difference can be easily calculated because the dimensions of the bushings are clearly depicted on them (bushing 20 mm - bit 10 mm divided by two) The possibility of using various sizes of router bits allows creating some really fantastic stuff.
 

You will make use of these bushings when routing along a template or a fence. The ability to set any routing depth is a real advantage of these bushings. You can rout ornaments or cut through material. Additional bushings can be found in the Power tools accessories category.