I’ve installed a lot of drawer and door pulls, and it’s amazing how many of the pulls say that their screws are 3 in. or 3-3⁄4 in. apart but are off as much as 1⁄8 in. You can measure the pull itself, of course, but if you are off just a little, the screws will be hard or impossible to insert in the pull. The only alternative will be to drill a larger hole at one end, leaving you worried that the pull will become loose or misaligned. I found a way to align these holes quickly and precisely using a couple of extra pull screws as a layout jig. Most pulls come with two sets of screws of different lengths. Pick the pair that you don’t plan to use for your project and cut off the heads. Cut one of them down to roughly 1 in. long and grind a point on its tip, being careful that the point is centered. Then do your usual layout on the drawer face or door stile, marking center lines in each direction, but drill just one of the holes you need. The longer screw goes in one end of the pull and into that drilled hole. The pointy one goes in the other end of the pull. Now you simply push the point into your centerline to mark the second hole location. Start the drill bit in that dimple and your pull will fit perfectly every time. Save these cutoff screws. Even though the span of drawer and door pulls varies, many use #8‑32 screws.

—Brad Cort, Lawrenceville, Ga.