Oil & Grease Grooving

Q: Do standard bronze bushings come with oil grooves?

No. Standard catalog bushings are sold plain, with a smooth ID. Grooves are machined in as a custom operation, either to a standard industry pattern or to your print.

Q: What is the difference between oil grooves and grease grooves?

The geometry follows the lubricant. Grease is thicker and stays where it is placed, so grease grooves are typically wider and act as reservoirs, often fed through a Zerk fitting. Oil flows, so oil grooves are sized to route and hold a thinner film, frequently with a pressure-fed or wick system.

Q: Can you groove a bushing that is not a standard size?

Yes. We machine complete custom bushings to your print with the grooving included, in cast alloys such as C93200 (SAE 660), C95400 aluminum bronze, and C86300 manganese bronze.

Q: When is graphite a better choice than oil or grease grooves?

When the application runs hot enough to break down grease and oil, roughly 300°F and up, or when re-lubrication is impractical. Graphite plugs or graphite-filled grooves provide dry lubrication that does not depend on a re-greasing schedule.

Lubrication grooves machined into bronze bushings, to your print or to standard industry patterns.

Grooves distribute lubricant across the bearing surface, carry heat away from the contact zone, and cut wear under demanding loads.

Send your drawing for a quote →

Why Groove a Bushing

A plain bushing depends on lubricant staying exactly where the load is. In service, it rarely does. Grooves fix that by acting as reservoirs and distribution channels: lubricant is held inside the bearing and drawn across the running surface as the shaft moves, maintaining the film that separates the two parts.

The results are longer bushing life, lower running temperature, and longer intervals between maintenance stops. Groove selection depends on shaft motion, lubricant type, and how lubrication is delivered to the bearing.

Bronze bushing with machined oil and grease grooves in a figure-eight pattern

Groove Patterns

We machine the standard industry patterns: straight (axial) grooves, circumferential loops and circular grooves, figure eights, and right- or left-hand spirals. Which one fits depends on how the shaft moves and how the lubricant arrives:

Pattern	Best For
Single Loop	General purpose; rotating shafts with periodic greasing
Figure Eight	Rotating shafts; distributes grease across the full bearing surface
Double Loop	Boundary lubrication; slow speeds under 10 SFM
Double Figure Eight	Heavy boundary lubrication; intermittent operation
Straight (Axial) Groove	Reciprocating motion; long bearings; located in the unloaded zone
Circular (Circumferential) Groove	Varying load direction with a pressure-fed oil system
Straight + Circular	Varying load direction without pressure-fed lubrication
Spiral (RH or LH)	Continuous rotation; moves lubricant along the bearing length

Oil or Grease

The lubricant drives the groove geometry. Grease is thicker and stays put, so grease grooves run wider and work as reservoirs, usually fed through a Zerk fitting on a maintenance schedule. Oil flows, so oil grooves are cut to route and hold a thinner film, often paired with a pressure-fed or wick system on faster shafts.

If the application runs hot enough to break down either one, roughly 300°F and up, or nobody can reach the fitting on schedule, look at graphite plugging and grooving instead.

Two Ways to Get There

Groove a Standard Size

If your application fits one of our 2,000+ standard bushing sizes, we machine the grooves into that part. The cost-effective path: catalog dimensions, your groove pattern.

Full Custom to Print

Bespoke dimensions and grooving in one job. We machine the complete bushing to your drawing, in cast alloys such as C93200 (SAE 660), C95400 aluminum bronze, and C86300 manganese bronze.

Oil & Grease Grooving FAQs

Do standard bronze bushings come with oil grooves?

Which groove pattern should I use?

It depends on shaft motion, lubricant type, and how lubricant reaches the bearing. As a starting point: loop and figure-eight patterns suit rotating shafts with periodic greasing, straight grooves suit reciprocating motion, circular grooves suit pressure-fed oil systems, and spiral grooves help move lubricant along the bearing on continuously rotating shafts. Send your drawing or describe the application and we will recommend a pattern.

What is the difference between oil grooves and grease grooves?

Can you groove a bushing that is not a standard size?

When is graphite a better choice than oil or grease grooves?

Send Your Drawing

Upload your print with the groove callouts, or describe the shaft motion and lubrication setup and we will recommend a pattern.

Request a Custom Machining Quote