# ORGANIZING BUSHINGS



## Oldmanwheeler

I just recently had my shoulder replaced and consequently am unable to turn pens at this time.  So what is a person who's addicted to pen turning to do during times like this?  In my case I walked through the entire pen making process finding ways to make it more efficient.  Ok it's not as rewarding as actually creating a pen but it's the best I can do under the circumstances.

One thing I knew I wanted to review was how I stored and identified my bushings.  I've d used everything from fishing lure bins, to shower clips, to the original plastic bags.  None of them seemed to do the job I had hope for.  Below is what I came up with:

I purchased 2 oz and 4 oz plastic jars from U-Line for .40 and .46 respectfully.  I labeled each jar with the name of the pen kit on the front and the part number on the back. Most bushings will fit in the 2 oz jars but some of the big ones have to go into 4 oz jars.  I stacked the jars with the name of the pen facing out.  Below are pictures of this:



One other change I made to my pen turning process was to put all of my liquids, including friction polish, sanding sealer, etc.., into Glue Bot bottles.  I did this because it has become to difficult for me to unscrew the caps once they are dried on.  The Glue Bot bottles prevent them from drying out and all you have to do is remove the plastic cap and squeeze a little bit onto your towel.  

I hope others of you who have struggled with storage of your bushings will benefit from this.

Oldmanwheeler


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## Rick P

LOL hope ya heal fast! A clean well oranized shop is a thing of beauty.........while it lasts.:biggrin:


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## RSidetrack

That's not a bad idea.

Actually amongst my vast many projects I am working on an organization cabinet.  I am going to have 5 rows of 5- 5"x3" drawers, 2 rows of 5 - 5"x5" and 1 row of 2 - 12" x 5" drawers and two cabinets on the bottom with shelves.

I have all of the panels cut (just need to assemble, sand and finish)


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## okiebugg

*organizing..........*



Oldmanwheeler said:


> I just recently had my shoulder replaced and consequently am unable to turn pens at this time. So what is a person who's addicted to pen turning to do during times like this? In my case I walked through the entire pen making process finding ways to make it more efficient. Ok it's not as rewarding as actually creating a pen but it's the best I can do under the circumstances.
> 
> One thing I knew I wanted to review was how I stored and identified my bushings. I've d used everything from fishing lure bins, to shower clips, to the original plastic bags. None of them seemed to do the job I had hope for. Below is what I came up with:
> 
> I purchased 2 oz and 4 oz plastic jars from U-Line for .40 and .46 respectfully. I labeled each jar with the name of the pen kit on the front and the part number on the back. Most bushings will fit in the 2 oz jars but some of the big ones have to go into 4 oz jars. I stacked the jars with the name of the pen facing out. Below are pictures of this:
> 
> 
> 
> One other change I made to my pen turning process was to put all of my liquids, including friction polish, sanding sealer, etc.., into Glue Bot bottles. I did this because it has become to difficult for me to unscrew the caps once they are dried on. The Glue Bot bottles prevent them from drying out and all you have to do is remove the plastic cap and squeeze a little bit onto your towel.
> 
> I hope others of you who have struggled with storage of your bushings will benefit from this.
> 
> Oldmanwheeler


 
I'm one of those people that police refer to as having a disorganized personality. I have come up with a way to organize bushings and drill bits.

I befriended a local Pharmacist wanting obsolete small and large pill bottles. I have a shelf of nothing but bushings on one side, and only drill bits on the other. The bushings are all kept in the original baggie that is then put into a 2" opening pill bottle. I have forced training upon myself under penalty of no procreation for 2 months if I forget......sometimes I forget.
The drill bits are aligned in my tool box, with a slot for every bit. If I forget to put one back, you know


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## navycop

Oldmanwheeler that might just be the ticket I am looking for..



PS Okiebugg your avatar always freaks me out>>>


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## Holz Mechaniker

I like the concept.  but with all the old tackle boxes I find myself using those to keep bushings in with little notes of what the bushing is.  This is what I do.


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## okiebugg

navycop said:


> Oldmanwheeler that might just be the ticket I am looking for..
> 
> 
> 
> PS Okiebugg your avatar always freaks me out>>>


 
Well Mr Navy Squid I put it up just to cause confusion. It usually brings non-Marines out of the woodwork and they are very unsettled. While on active duty in San Diego, I went to school on the side to become an RN....My spouse cannot understand the mindset going from killing people to saving them. When I retired, I moved to Oklahoma City and went to work as a surgery nurse. The eye that you see is the first case I ever scrubbed in to assist the Doc. If you look closely, you will see a plastic implant behind the cornea....If you look a little closer, tou will see the sutures that hold the clearpart of the eye to the white part of the eye. That suture is 1/10 the diameter of a human hair.


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## Dave Turner

I use those multiple clear plastic drawer organizer bins, the ones with the larger sized drawers (4.5" x 5.5") to keep my pen "kit" bags organized. I just keep the bagged bushings in the drawer with it's respective kit along with any extra tubes.


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## sbell111

Oldmanwheeler said:


> ... One thing I knew I wanted to review was how I stored and identified my bushings.  ...  Below is what I came up with:
> 
> I purchased 2 oz and 4 oz plastic jars from U-Line for .40 and .46 respectfully.  I labeled each jar with the name of the pen kit on the front and the part number on the back. Most bushings will fit in the 2 oz jars but some of the big ones have to go into 4 oz jars.  I stacked the jars with the name of the pen facing out.


Tons of little jars would drive me bonkers.

For bushing storage, I bought a couple of these from HF.






I wrote the name of the bushing on the top and bottom of each small container.  All bushings are now stored in one spot, are easily identified and retrieved, and none are comingled.


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## jeff

Oldmanwheeler said:


> I just recently had my shoulder replaced and consequently am unable to turn pens at this time.  So what is a person who's addicted to pen turning to do during times like this?  In my case I walked through the entire pen making process finding ways to make it more efficient.  Ok it's not as rewarding as actually creating a pen but it's the best I can do under the circumstances.
> 
> One thing I knew I wanted to review was how I stored and identified my bushings.  I've d used everything from fishing lure bins, to shower clips, to the original plastic bags.  None of them seemed to do the job I had hope for.  Below is what I came up with:
> 
> I purchased 2 oz and 4 oz plastic jars from U-Line for .40 and .46 respectfully.  I labeled each jar with the name of the pen kit on the front and the part number on the back. Most bushings will fit in the 2 oz jars but some of the big ones have to go into 4 oz jars.  I stacked the jars with the name of the pen facing out.  Below are pictures of this:
> 
> 
> 
> One other change I made to my pen turning process was to put all of my liquids, including friction polish, sanding sealer, etc.., into Glue Bot bottles.  I did this because it has become to difficult for me to unscrew the caps once they are dried on.  The Glue Bot bottles prevent them from drying out and all you have to do is remove the plastic cap and squeeze a little bit onto your towel.
> 
> I hope others of you who have struggled with storage of your bushings will benefit from this.
> 
> Oldmanwheeler



I did exactly the same thing a couple months ago. I used all 2-oz jars. I love dealing with U-Line. A first class company.


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## ohiococonut

Since I had a lot of large tackle trays it's what I use. After I put the bushings in a compartment I write on the lid just above it with a sharpie. They hold several sets and they're stackable so it's keeps them neat and organized.


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## Carl Fisher

Steve beat me to it.  I have started using those Harbor Freight storage boxes for organizing my various small parts, bearings, screws, etc..for r/c racing and fully intend to use them for bushing organization as the bushing collection grows.

Great little boxes for $5.


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## Gary Beasley

We got several of those pill minders with the slide lock caps. I put some tape on the lid of each compartment with the type and drill size that goes with it. You can drop these on the floor and nothing gets loose unless you forgot to snap the lid shut on one of the compartments.


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## Linarestribe

Here's what I've got. Glued some washers to some small glad containers, added labels and stuck to mag strip. I'm still new so not that many bushings yet, but I still have room to grow. 

Jorge


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## rsulli16

hi
i got the plastic storage containers, from HF same as the one shown in the post by sbell111.
best thing i ever did. i cut the names off the little bags the bushing come in, placed the cut off name inside the bin, you can read it thru the plastic easily enough. takes up little space beneath my bench ans keeps them all organized and readily available. I am religeous about putting them back each time. i  haven't lost any bushings since i started with this box.
Sulli


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## Smitty37

*pill containers*

Being old, I am on a few medications and get a couple of pill containers every month.  I use them to store bushings.  I put a label on them and only have one set of bushings out at a time.....works for me


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## Atherton Pens

I made a 1" wide shelf and mounted on the inside of the bench door below the lathe.  Drilled 3/16" holes and inserted wooden dowels of 3 lengths ( 2 1/2" (+/-), 1 1/2", and 1") then labeled each dowel to identify the bushings.  Works pretty well.  As others have said, I know when a set is missing and do not have too much trouble remembering to replace them before turning the next pen.  The bags on the dowels above the shelf are for Johnny's bushings, stored in original bags, punched with a hole to slip over the dowel.  Since Johnny's bushings are drilled to fit over the mandrel they will not fit over the dowels.  I hope the pictures help explain.


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## bigkev

having had a recent double surgery to my shoulder i sympathise with you enormously, its the most frustrating time i'v had in my life, i wish i'd thought to do something rational like this rather than just walk the dogs or watch TV....
well done thats a great idea, my bushings are all muddled up and all in one tub, its a nightmare when i try something different.....


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## clapiana

this works well for me.

a small foot print wooded base with inexpensive 1/4"x3" threaded bolts inserted in a hole in the wood for each bushing.  the bolt is secured with a nut on each side of the hole.

i also have a nut on the top of the bolt to keep the bushings from going anyplace if something was to somehow knock over the base.  

labels are also on the wooden base to the right of the bolt to id the bushings.  i think its organizing around 30 or so sets.


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## Ulises Victoria

This is an old thread, but I thought about revitalizing it by posting my solution to bushings storage and organizing, something that was driving me crazy. I am so happy with this. This thing has 64 drawers (are there more than 64 different types of bushings?) Anyway as you can see the drawers are deep enough so that they actually can be divided in two should the need arises.


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## PaulDoug

I have a 1 year old Grandson.  His mommy has been saving the Gerber Baby Food containers for me.  Great to store screws, nut, washers , collets even pen bushings in.  They are a great size and have a snap on  lid.  I love them.


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## Jim Smith

Like most folks here, I've tried a number of ways to keep bushings sorted.  I finally realized that I actually only turn about 20 different pen styles.  To simplify things, I switched over to one of those revolving spice racks with the spice bottles set in at an angle.  It holds 24 different sets of bushings and has a very small footprint on my bench (10in X 10in) and best of all only cost me $2.92 at my local Goodwill.  I labeled the top of each "spice" bottle and they're available at my fingertips. 

Jim Smith


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## joefrog

You guys have some good ideas!  Mine are all still in the original baggies, crammed into a tupperware. I'll have to implement one of these ideas!

Now on a related note... I have managed to mix up one set of bushings.  How the heck do I figure out which ones they were?


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## flyitfast

[quote/]

For bushing storage, I bought a couple of these from HF.






I wrote the name of the bushing on the top and bottom of each small container. All bushings are now stored in one spot, are easily identified and retrieved, and none are comingled.[/quote]

- - - - - - - -- - - -

*+1* on these boxes from HF. 
I have three of them almost full. I have way too many bushings!!:redface: but it has helped identifying the duplicate bushings that I bought thinking I didn't have one. 
I have separated the bushings by vendor in the three boxes, labeled the boxes A,B,C and numbered each of the little boxes inside 1-24. I put the bushings and the bag label in each box. After that I built a spread sheet by box identifying what is in each little box, part no., the vendor, the pen/pens they are for, and the sizes of the bushings.
Sure has made it easier to find and put away. Reference the sheet and there it is.


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## ironman123

Those HF container boxes great in my shop.  I have 3 of them for pen bushings and use more of them for other areas.  Almost ready for some more.

Ray

PS  Don't forget SWAT this weekend


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## duncsuss

flyitfast said:


> *+1* on these boxes from HF.



Thanks for bringing this back into view -- looks ideal for bushings, I'll have to get a couple next time I'm in HF.

I also need something similar but with larger storage boxes (to hold drill bits, brass tubes, and pen-mill adapter sleeves). Any suggestions?


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## Ulises Victoria

duncsuss said:


> flyitfast said:
> 
> 
> 
> *+1* on these boxes from HF.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks for bringing this back into view -- looks ideal for bushings, I'll have to get a couple next time I'm in HF.
> 
> I also need something similar but with larger storage boxes (to hold drill bits, brass tubes, and pen-mill adapter sleeves). Any suggestions?
Click to expand...


This is like the one I got, but the lower half has larger drawers.
Amazon.com: Akro-Mils 10144 44 D 20-Inch by 16-Inch by 6-1/2-Inch Hardware and Craft Cabinet, Black: Home Improvement


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## duncsuss

Ulises Victoria said:


> duncsuss said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> flyitfast said:
> 
> 
> 
> *+1* on these boxes from HF.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks for bringing this back into view -- looks ideal for bushings, I'll have to get a couple next time I'm in HF.
> 
> I also need something similar but with larger storage boxes (to hold drill bits, brass tubes, and pen-mill adapter sleeves). Any suggestions?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> This is like the one I got, but the lower half has larger drawers.
> Amazon.com: Akro-Mils 10144 44 D 20-Inch by 16-Inch by 6-1/2-Inch Hardware and Craft Cabinet, Black: Home Improvement
Click to expand...


Thanks!

I think I prefer the boxes with snap-lock lids to the open drawers though -- a bit safer for a klutz like me. (Not to mention there's a significant price difference ... :wink


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## azamiryou

joefrog said:


> Now on a related note... I have managed to mix up one set of bushings.  How the heck do I figure out which ones they were?



Calipers + Pen Kit Bushings and Tubes (from the IAP Library)


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## OKLAHOMAN

When you get a certain age you accumulate a lot of medicine bottles:frown:. So I put them to use.


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## Culprit

Being a fisherman, I have a few extra of these tackle organizers laying around.  As I grow in pen turning, I can add boxes.  Maybe one day I'll have one for just bushings, one for bits, etc.

These boxes are perfect.  You can add dividers to make smaller compartments just perfect for bushings, or remove dividers for bits and mandrels.


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## Smitty37

*Hmm*

I have a 60 drawer small parts cabinet....works just great.  Label the drawer with the pen type the bushing is for and I'm all set.  The drawers are big enough to hold several sets still in the plastic bags.  Before that I used prescription bottles, I have and endless supply of those.


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## ToddMR

I have 2 of the HF filled.  The other day I had to start stacking the the snap lid boxes on top of each other instead of on the side like I had been.  I think its time to hit HF soon to get me 1 or 2 more.  For extra tubes I mostly use a plastic tackle container.


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## gimpy

Hope the heeling is fast, make sure you do your rehab.

I use plastic peanut butter jars and put a label on the inside
of the jar as I can reuse it


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## edstreet

2 inch Round Plastic Jars 6pc Screw On Lid


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## Haynie

Containers for everything
American Science & Surplus : Containers


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## OLDMAN5050

*My way*

This is how I keep track of my bushings, I cut a scrap to fit my existing drawer and drilled holes to slip the pill bottles in and labled each one to the style pen..... it is neat and works well..


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