Router bushing sets, why the different lenghts

[Bill Huber]

I have a set of Bosch bushing I got when I got my router a set from Rockler I got on sale. Both sets the lengths of the bushings are different, some are like a 1/2 inch and others are really short.

Why do they have them set up that way?

I wanted to use one with a 1/2 MDF template but it was just a little to long and the router would not set down on it's base. So I had to sand it down until it would.

I did just buy a set from Eagle that are all short and I can use them on everything.

Just don't understand why they do that.......

[David DeCristoforo]

I suppose the extra length would offer some additional stability. But my bushings almost all end up ground down to a quarter inch because I make most of my templates out of quarter inch thick "tempered" masonite. And they still work fine with thicker templates. This might be in the same category as computer glitches... better not to ask "why?"

[Matt Meiser]

There has to have been a reason to start with. The lengths in my Porter Cable set don't increase with diameter--they are rather random. I've ground a couple down too.

[Fred Hargis]

Yeah, my Freud set was almost unusable because some of them were so long. I chucked the most used ones in a lathe and made them about .23".

[Bob Barkto]

In some cases they were sized to fit in a jig or template that was offered by the manufacturer.
Porter Cables' door and stair jigs come to mind...
When put up as sets they just included all the "standard" sizes they had previously made.
Many other manufacturers would offer the same to try and capitalize on the popularity of existing templates and jigs.

[Myk Rian]

There is nothing wrong with cutting them to the size you want.

[ROY DICK]

+1 on what David said.

Roy

[Bill Huber]

I guess then it is just because that is the way it is.

I am glad I got the set from Eagle, I don't have to cut them down. I think I will just sell the other ones and just not worry about it.