I often use guide bushings in my router base to follow a template. Using only finger power, however, it’s hard to get the bushings tight enough in the router base, and they sometimes work loose in use.

I’ve tried holding the bushing with pliers, but that tends to scar and deform it. Being a longtime cyclist and DIY bike mechanic, I found the answer in a familiar tool. Sold as an “adjustable pin wrench” or a “face spanner,” this inexpensive tool is also used on angle grinders and other machines.

To make the wrench work, drill two holes in the face of the bushing. That lets the wrench hold the bushing in place while you use pliers of some kind to tighten the inside collar.

Jim Richey

Dan Thrasher, London, None

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