Bushings, Bushings and more Bushings

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Rockytime

Rockytime

Member
Joined
Jun 3, 2014
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Arvada, CO 80003
I have been turning for less than a year and already keeping track of bushings is time consuming when I should be turning. I will soon have a glut of bushings and keeping them organized becomes a problem for me. So far I have been using the plastic container boxes. Each little square is labeled with name of kit, vendor and bushing diameters. Thing is many of the kits use the same size bushings and it is difficult to keep track of which kits do that. I am thinking of not making detailed labels but rather just labeling the dimensions in ascending order. Then measuring the kit parts and just picking the size I need. Obviously there are so many sizes that I can't have them all so I will just purchase or make what I do not have. I hope this makes a little sense. Any ideas anyone?
 

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Whatever works.:smile:

I keep my bushings in the bags their kits come in. No worries about tipping over a container and mixing them all up.

Since the tube sizes vary along with the bushing dimensions, labeling could get a bit hard to track.

Organization (like a CA finish) has almost infinite possibilities. Find one that works for you and stick with it.
 
There is a chart in the library listing most of the pen types by brand and style that shows the proper bushing diameter. I do not remember who put it together, but I have use it several times already.

Like you, I tried to get organized with bins, and labels, etc. I did that totally detailed for a while, and now somehow, I have two HF magnetic bowls filled with every size of bushings that I have. lol.

I have only ventured to a few really oddball sizes, that use like the 3/8, 27/32 and 10 MM tubes, and THOSE I can keep track of. LOL.

I think I need to rethink my organization method again. lol
 
I've tried different methods. I was storing them in the small film canister type cases. Then went to plastic totable boxwith small compartments. I've now switched to something similar to this shelf storage unit.
 

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thewishman said:
Whatever works.:smile:

I keep my bushings in the bags their kits come in. No worries about tipping over a container and mixing them all up.

Since the tube sizes vary along with the bushing dimensions, labeling could get a bit hard to track.

Organization (like a CA finish) has almost infinite possibilities. Find one that works for you and stick with it.
Click to expand...

I do this as well plus I add a copy of the turning/assembly instructions to the bag.
 
wyone said:
hmmm FILM cases??? what are THOSE used for?? LOL I used to have tons of them, not so many any more. :)
Click to expand...


That's why they're free...if you can find them. The case makes it easy to drag them all around and the film canisters can go in my pocket while I turn plus if they're empty, I know I better start looking around on the floor.
 
All compartments are good. I also recomend individual small bags or box's that way if the bigger bin or plastic draws flip over. All sets stay sorted. Of course put the name on each bag or small box.
 
So many choices all are fine. You just have to find the one that works for you. I am still looking I have half in a plastic box and the rest on shower curtain rings.
 
I got this idea from someone else. I put each set of different bushings in a Prescription Medication bottle (tube) after I am done with that prescription. I take the label from the baggie the bushing set comes in and put it on the medication tube (btw -cleaned out thoroughly before being re-purposed). I have a cabinet (similar to the Akro Mills cabinet shown earlier in this thread) with a lot of small drawers. Each drawer has one style of pen on it-accordingly labeled. I keep the bushing tube for that pen style and any extra brass tubes for it and possibly a drill bit for that size as well if it's an odd one 27/64 being an example. It works well for me.
 
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I have plastic shoe boxes, one for each style of pen, inside the box are the bushings, the kits and the drill bit or bits. If I want to make a certain pen, I grab that box and I have everything I need except for the blank, glue and finish. If I have special blanks for a certain kit, those blanks are in the box. A 4x6 card in the end of the box has all of the info I need to choose the box.

Same set up for kitless pens etc., a shoe box with all of the specialty items I need to complete the job. If I want to make a kaleidoscope I grab the box and I am ready to go. With this system, a glance at the box and I can seem my inventory and if I need to reorder. Easy to store and they keep everything clean. I have about 60 of them on a wall rack made of 1x12's.
 
Any storage system that keeps all of one's bushings in a single container with compartments (such as a tackle box and others) is a disaster waiting to happen. It takes hours of sorting and measuring to get them sorted out and back with their partners.
Do a good turn daily!
Don
 
dogcatcher said:
I have plastic shoe boxes, one for each style of pen, inside the box are the bushings, the kits and the drill bit or bits. If I want to make a certain pen, I grab that box and I have everything I need except for the blank, glue and finish. If I have special blanks for a certain kit, those blanks are in the box. A 4x6 card in the end of the box has all of the info I need to choose the box.

Same set up for kitless pens etc., a shoe box with all of the specialty items I need to complete the job. If I want to make a kaleidoscope I grab the box and I am ready to go. With this system, a glance at the box and I can seem my inventory and if I need to reorder. Easy to store and they keep everything clean. I have about 60 of them on a wall rack made of 1x12's.
Click to expand...

Any chance of pics please of the wall rack.
Kryn
 
I use a system that I learned, years ago, from Don Ward. I keep them on shower curtain hooks with a label. One set of bushings for each hook. I then hang them on some rods that I keep near my work bench. I adopted this system after dropping one of the the plastic boxes, described in other posts and had to figure them all out. Some I couldn't and just used them as spacers.
 
Congratulations Cindy. I see that you will be demonstrating at the Utah Symposium in May 2015. You will do great. Maybe I'll see you there and learn from you.
Do a good turn daily!
Don
 
Small drawer file available at hobby shops. HF compartmented containers do same thing. Why do people feel the need to obsess over minutia. Use the busings designed for the kit, turn close to finish size, mic the components if you want to be that precise. After 20 years turning pens I am constantly amazed at how far people will go to make something so simple into something incredibly difficult.
 

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bushing storage

This is how I store all my bushings. I use the RX bottles and all are labeled. I drilled a board and put in a drawer. It works for me and cost nothing.
 

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I use a medium sized tupper ware container (about the size of a shoe box), I keep the bushings in their original bags with the lables I try to keep them somewhat alphabetized so I can find them with out to much trouble. I do not recommend keeping them in drawers as others have mentioned it dropped you have a big mess.
 
KBs Pensnmore said:
dogcatcher said:
I have plastic shoe boxes, one for each style of pen, inside the box are the bushings, the kits and the drill bit or bits. If I want to make a certain pen, I grab that box and I have everything I need except for the blank, glue and finish. If I have special blanks for a certain kit, those blanks are in the box. A 4x6 card in the end of the box has all of the info I need to choose the box.

Same set up for kitless pens etc., a shoe box with all of the specialty items I need to complete the job. If I want to make a kaleidoscope I grab the box and I am ready to go. With this system, a glance at the box and I can seem my inventory and if I need to reorder. Easy to store and they keep everything clean. I have about 60 of them on a wall rack made of 1x12's.
Click to expand...

Any chance of pics please of the wall rack.
Kryn
Click to expand...


I am not at home now, won't be until for a month or so. All I used was brackets like this and 1x12's for the shelves.
s0797utilityshelfbracket.jpg
 
I use empty "Altoids Mints Smalls" containers from breath mints, available at just about every grocery store. They're metal, hinged, measure 1-1/2" x 2-3/8" x 5/8", are stackable, and have a flat top onto which I affix a label with the kit name. All of these then easily fit into a divided plastic container. This way I have all of my bushing kits organized and in one low profile container that fits in a drawer.
 
I don't have that many sets yet.......but I keep them in my used med bottles.
Eachone has a lable and they are all in one drawer.
I think I might try the "OLDMAN" idea and get them sorted even more. (Thanks David)
 
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I highly recommend keeping them in bags if using the plastic container, like the HF ones. I pushed my plastic container off the workbench by accident and when it hit the floor it popped open. Thankfully they were mostly in bags...well you can imagine sorting the loose ones. Took some time but they are now all in bags.:biggrin:
Rod
 
I go the same route but started to make my own TBC bushings. My plan is to make the od for the tube id exact and turn the od for pen finish undersize, and use calipers to bring in the size.
 
For those concerned with making a mess if the box is dropped, use these containers from HF. These 24 little boxes hold bushings inside a larger container. Works for me. The container with the smaller boxes cost less than $5.

I got the idea from classmates at Barry Gross' Arrowmont class this summer.
 

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I'm looking for a new way to organize bushings as well. I'm currently using the Plano Tackle box style translucent plastic organizer like the kind you can get at Harbor Freight. I think, for my needs, that the upright brittle plastic organizer bins will work very well. I also found Avery White Easy Peel Return Address Labels (Avery #18167) for $5. I can print them from my computer with the info I want and the little package has 800 labels (80 per sheet). Just input what you want the label to read and hit PRINT. I'll have the organizer on the same table & height as the lathe so I'm hoping this will work well. I'll try to take a picture when it's all set up.
 
Bushing storage, I've tried them all. Plastic compartment boxes, plastic drawers, small baggies on a pegboard, small insulin strip containers, etc. I switched to Don Ward's system of shower hooks. I made some brackets to hold a 30" x 1/4" rod. Nice and neat and does not take up bench or shelf space. Thanks Don.
 

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The Bushing Curtain

I got the idea from one of these bushing organization posts to use shower curtain rings to store my bushings. I've strung them up alphabetically, and inserting a new one into the middle is as easy as sliding the others aside. I've used this system for a while now and I really like it. Total investment: ~$10.

$2 for a pack of 12 la Lowe's:
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Spent some quality time with a label maker:
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Strung them up over my lathe:
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Close up:
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When you start using the TBC bushings you'll find that you won't be able to use the shower curtain holders as TBC bushings do not have the hole through them for a mandrel. I purchased a lazy susan spice rack at Goodwill for a couple of bucks. It holds 20 sets of bushings and fits in about 9x9 inches on my bench. I simply labeled that cap on each spice bottle so they are easy to find. Just one more method to solve this problem.

Jim Smith
 
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