# Trouble with bushing & lock collar vibrating loose



## woodenbear (Apr 17, 2009)

Some time ago I saw a comment on the use of a thin spring or wave washer to solve the problem of the lock collar/ bushing set-up from vibrating loose during use. Does anyone know of such a piece of hardware? All the washers I'm able to find are too thick to do any good on a router. Has anyone had success with other means of lock collar retention?


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## BigJimAK (Mar 13, 2009)

John... I'm sure there are cheaper ones elsewhere but here's one source I stumbled on while ordering some bushing reducers to use my 1-3/8" bushings in my 1-3/4" (LV / OP) router base plate.

Router Bushing Spring Washers


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## BrianS (Nov 7, 2004)

John, I got mine at Home Depot, but any hardware or home supply store should have them.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi John


If you have a drill press and a 6-32 nylon screw you can make the ring a locking type easy...just drill a 1/8" hole on the edge of the brass ring and tap it out with 6-32 hole, then put the nylon screw in place but just a little bit you should see the tip of the nylon screw inside of the brass ring than cut it off the nylon screw with a sharp knife, touch the end of the screw on the grinder or belt sander to clean up the end and your done..all done with a .02 cent fix..that works 

Note***it will be real tight the 1st.time you use it but the guide will cut the threads on the nylon and than it works just right after that..  just that little drag it needs..

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papabear42 said:


> Some time ago I saw a comment on the use of a thin spring or wave washer to solve the problem of the lock collar/ bushing set-up from vibrating loose during use. Does anyone know of such a piece of hardware? All the washers I'm able to find are too thick to do any good on a router. Has anyone had success with other means of lock collar retention?


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## istracpsboss (Sep 14, 2008)

Anyone tried wrapping PTFE plumbing tape around the threads?

Cheers

Peter


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## jschaben (Jun 21, 2009)

bobj3 said:


> Hi John
> 
> 
> If you have a drill press and a 6-32 nylon screw you can make the ring a locking type easy...just drill a 1/8" hole on the edge of the brass ring and tap it out with 6-32 hole, then put the nylon screw in place but just a little bit you should see the tip of the nylon screw inside of the brass ring than cut it off the nylon screw with a sharp knife, touch the end of the screw on the grinder or belt sander to clean up the end and your done..all done with a .02 cent fix..that works
> ...


Mercy - Bj Strikes again:dance3:
Great idea - Washers work great but something else to fumble with and they can easily be misplaced. Teflon tape would probably work but needs to be reapplied every time, or almost every time. A replaceable nylon button seems to have all the upside and none of the down. 
Well, only downside for me is I already bought 4 of the washers:cray:. I can use it on the big bushing though:dance3:


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi John

Thanks ,here's just one more that works for the small brass guides and the bigger guides if you don't want to drill and tap the brass ring, a simple (very thin 1/16" diam.) O-ring that you can pickup up at the hardware store for .05 cents or less, pickup one that's a lot smaller than what you need and stretch it over the guide threads and push it all the way down to the lip.( 3/4" and a 1 1/8" works well) you will see them use in kitchen faucet repair kits.. but ACE hardware has a tray rack of them.

How it works,,,,when you put the nut in place it will compress the O-Ring and put the load on the brass threads and lock it in place..

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jschaben said:


> Mercy - Bj Strikes again:dance3:
> Great idea - Washers work great but something else to fumble with and they can easily be misplaced. Teflon tape would probably work but needs to be reapplied every time, or almost every time. A replaceable nylon button seems to have all the upside and none of the down.
> Well, only downside for me is I already bought 4 of the washers:cray:. I can use it on the big bushing though:dance3:


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## Howie (Sep 12, 2010)

how about some loctite?


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Howie

Loctite is great stuff if you don't want to remove it .


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Howie said:


> how about some loctite?


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## jschaben (Jun 21, 2009)

Howie said:


> how about some loctite?


Depends on the color. The red and green stuff is pretty much permanent, need heat or an impact to break it loose. The blue stuff will come apart, probably with a couple of water pump pliers. :wacko:


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## jimcrockett (Jan 18, 2006)

MLCS has begun selling a Bushing Spring/Lock Washer Set that prevents the nut on your Guide Bushings from loosening while you’re using the router. Personally I’ve never had this problem but have read many postings by people who have. For $5.95 for a set of two (free shipping always at MLCS), they would be great insurance; a loose bushing coming into contact with your router bit could ruin your whole day!!!

Jim


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## RJM (Apr 11, 2010)

Of all the solutions, I like the o-ring one best, the nylon screw method second, the wavespring third and the teflon tape last. I don't like the locktite solution at all (too messy and it has to dry a bit).

I had never heard the term "water pump pliers" before but a goggle search clued me in. I don't see how you could take a couple pair of pliers to a guide bushing and not completely f-up the bushing surface and, if you could do so without marring the bushing, then why not just use them to tighten it in the first place.

I've not had a problem with the guide bushing coming loose but I do tend to overtighten things.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Robert

The O-Ring works the best and is the easy way to get the job done..but it must be thin (small in diam.) or the guide will not sit right in the pocket..it will be proud and hang up ...the O-Ring will lock the guide in place as well and that helps get it free when you want to remove the ring nut.

The nylon screw must be done just right or it will not let the ring nut go on,,the nylon screw must be in the threads just a Little bit, I needed to redo it a time or two to get it just right.you can use a razor blade knife to cut some of the nylon screw off on the inside of the threads...that can be just a little tricky..  you can use a dot of super glue to hold the nylon screw in place if needed...  but once done it's done and will work without the need for the O-Ring..

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RJM60 said:


> Of all the solutions, I like the o-ring one best, the nylon screw method second, the wavespring third and the teflon tape last. I don't like the locktite solution at all (too messy and it has to dry a bit).
> 
> I had never heard the term "water pump pliers" before but a goggle search clued me in. I don't see how you could take a couple pair of pliers to a guide bushing and not completely f-up the bushing surface and, if you could do so without marring the bushing, then why not just use them to tighten it in the first place.
> 
> I've not had a problem with the guide bushing coming loose but I do tend to overtighten things.


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## jschaben (Jun 21, 2009)

RJM60 said:


> I had never heard the term "water pump pliers" before but a goggle search clued me in. I don't see how you could take a couple pair of pliers to a guide bushing and not completely f-up the bushing surface and, if you could do so without marring the bushing, then why not just use them to tighten it in the first place.
> QUOTE]
> 
> You can't, another reason I don't consider locktite an option. I've used plenty of it in other applications but not this one.:wacko:
> ...


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi

The nylon insert is the way I put food on my table for years with them, I have made tons of them, from 3/16" to 5/8" Allen set screws, Allen cap screws,nuts,etc.some nylon tips for non mar jobs. I charged from 20ea. to 80 cents each..I recall I wiped out a gross of drill bits in a week all the time.. 
Many company's do the same but with a very long turn around time the norm. 
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jschaben said:


> RJM60 said:
> 
> 
> > I had never heard the term "water pump pliers" before but a goggle search clued me in. I don't see how you could take a couple pair of pliers to a guide bushing and not completely f-up the bushing surface and, if you could do so without marring the bushing, then why not just use them to tighten it in the first place.
> ...


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## woodenbear (Apr 17, 2009)

Thanks to all the fellow routerheads for the tips. Sorry that I have taken so long to reply, but I greatly appreciate the assistance.



Give a man a fish, and he will eat. Give a man some wood and a tool, and he will never be the same.


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## Quillman (Aug 16, 2010)

Simple, cheapest solution.
Neoprene on the pliers.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

hahahahahahaha I like it hahahahahahahaha LOL LOL

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Quillman said:


> Simple, cheapest solution.
> Neoprene on the pliers.


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## Phil P (Jul 25, 2010)

RJM60 said:


> I had never heard the term "water pump pliers" before but a goggle search clued me in. I don't see how you could take a couple pair of pliers to a guide bushing and not completely f-up the bushing surface and, if you could do so without marring the bushing, then why not just use them to tighten it in the first place.





Quillman said:


> Simple, cheapest solution.
> Neoprene on the pliers.


If you want to try a different way then plumbers soft faced "water pump" pliers might be a solution. 

On the other hand this thread seems to be an excellent recommendation for the Bosch or Festool bayonet fit guide bushes or the screw-on bushings used by manufacturers such as Festool, deWalt and Trend. These "Euro-bushings" also go up to 40mm or 1-1/2in in Elu/deWalt/Trend and Festool fittings

Regards

Phil


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