Guide · Insert and reducer rings
Guide bushings in a router table: which rings and tables take them
A guide bushing needs a ring made to hold it, and some tables take none. What Kreg, INCRA, JessEm and Bosch say about bushings in their plates and tables.
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Short answer
A guide bushing needs a ring made to hold it, and some tables take none at all. Check whether your plate's ring set includes a bushing ring, and which bushing style its maker names. Bosch says its RA1171 and RA1181 tables do not accept any template guides.
What a guide bushing needs
A guide bushing (also called a template guide) is a short collar around the bit that rides against a template. In a router table, the bushing has to be held in the plate's center opening. That means a ring with a recess or rabbet shaped for the bushing's flange, from the same maker as your plate.
So the questions are, in order:
- Does your table maker allow template guides at all?
- Does your plate's ring system include a bushing ring?
- Which bushing style does that ring maker name?
Maker by maker
| Plate or table | Bushing ring | Bushing style the maker names | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kreg PRS4034, PRS4036, PRS4038 plates | 1-3/16 in rabbeted Level-Loc ring, included | Standard universal-style | Kreg manual |
| INCRA CleanSweep plates and lifts | CS-MLRGUIDE, 1-3/16 in ID, sold separately | Standard Porter-Cable style | INCRA |
| JessEm Rout-R-Plate | 1-3/8 in guide bushing included | Not named | JessEm |
| Bosch RA1181 and RA1171 tables | None | Bosch says no template guides | Bosch |
Kreg
Kreg's PRS4034, PRS4036 and PRS4038 insert plates include three Level-Loc rings: 1 in, 1-3/16 in and 2-5/8 in. Kreg says the rabbeted ring accepts standard universal-style guide bushings.[1] The bushing itself is not on that list.
INCRA
INCRA's CleanSweep MagnaLOCK Porter-Cable Guide Bushing Ring (CS-MLRGUIDE) has a 1-3/16 in inside diameter within a shouldered recess, to accept standard Porter-Cable style guide bushings. INCRA says the bushing and lock ring are not included.[2]
INCRA also says the CleanSweep rings, including this guide-bushing ring, fit only 2006-or-newer INCRA plates and lifts with a 3-5/8 in opening through the bottom of the plate, not gray phenolic MagnaLOCK plates or first-generation gold Mast-R-Lifts with a 3-1/2 in opening.[2]
JessEm
JessEm's Rout-R-Plate includes three insert rings (1-3/8, 2 and 2-1/2 in), a router centering bushing, a start pin and a 1-3/8 in guide bushing.[3]
Bosch
Bosch states that the RA1171 and RA1181 router tables do not accept any template guides.[4] Bosch's RA1171 page says the same.[5] If you own one of these tables, template work with a bushing is outside what Bosch allows for them. Our Bosch RA1181 page collects Bosch's other table limits.
Universal-style vs Porter-Cable style
Kreg says "universal-style" and INCRA says "Porter-Cable style". Both rings have a 1-3/16 in opening, but we found no maker statement that the two names mean the same bushing. Before buying a bushing, match it to the exact wording of your ring maker, and check the bushing maker's own description.
What is not published
INCRA's page gives no shoulder or recess depth for the CS-MLRGUIDE.[2] We found no published rabbet depth for Kreg's bushing ring either. Without those figures, we cannot say how a given bushing's flange sits in the ring. Ask the ring maker if that matters for your bushing.
Plates that come with a bushing ring
Kreg's insert plates include the 1-3/16 in guide-bushing ring, so if your table takes a Kreg insert plate and Kreg's pattern list names your router, the plate brings the bushing ring with it. Kreg says its PRS4036 is predrilled for the Bosch 1617 and Porter-Cable 690 and 890 series, and its PRS4038 is undrilled with molded center points for two mounting patterns.[1]
Picks that fit2 products
Choose the PRS4036 if your router is a Porter-Cable 690 or 890 Series or a Bosch 1617 (predrilled).
More on choosing
Choose the undrilled PRS4038 only if Kreg's mounting pattern list names your router. Check that your table opening takes a Kreg plate. Both include the 1-3/16 in Level-Loc bushing ring; the bushing is not included. On Amazon, check that Ships from / Sold by is Amazon.com or Kreg.
Predrilled for Porter-Cable 690/890 and Bosch 1617
Kreg PRS4036 Precision Router Table Insert Plate, predrilled for Porter-Cable and Bosch
Undrilled, with two marked patterns
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Questions
Can I use a guide bushing in my router table?
Only if your plate's maker supplies or sells a ring made to hold one, and the table maker does not rule it out. Kreg's plates include a 1-3/16 in guide-bushing ring; Bosch says its RA1171 and RA1181 tables take no template guides.[1][4]
Does the Bosch RA1181 take template guides?
No. Bosch states that the RA1181 and RA1171 router tables do not accept any template guides.[4][5]
Is a Porter-Cable-style bushing the same as a universal-style one?
Each maker names its own: Kreg says universal-style, INCRA says Porter-Cable style. We found no maker statement that equates the two, so check the ring maker's wording against the bushing you own.[1][2]
Does INCRA's guide-bushing ring include the bushing?
No. INCRA says the CS-MLRGUIDE ring comes without the bushing and lock ring, and it has the same plate-generation limits as the CleanSweep rings.[2]