Drilling Straight With Hand Drill
woodworker418
| Posted in Power Tools and Machinery on
I need to drill a 4inch deep pilot hole in a vise jaw which would be impossible to dismount and get into a drill press (which i don’t have anyway). so, are there are jigs to facilitate drilling a straight hole by hand of that depth? thx. tony.
Replies
There's always the store-bought type. I think you can find them cheaper. I just grabbed the first link where I knew they had a picture. http://www.hartvilletool.com/product/11122
Waddaya mean it wont fit through the door?
Home Depot and lowes sell that jig for 20 bucks I believe. I have one and use it occasionaly.
Also I often just set a couple machine squares next to the drill and eyeball it.
Mikeplease excuse my spelling.
Brace, auger bit & a combination square.
Tony,
If you have a drill press, you can make a simple jig that will make the job a piece of cake:
Good luck,
-Jazzdogg-
Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right.
Tony, If you can locate a machinist's supply, http://www.mcmaster.com
Ask for drill jig bushings
hey have hardened steel drill jig bushings.
I have several.
They come in various widths (inside and outside diameters)If you clamp the bushing to the work piece centered over the proposed hole, it will guide the drillbit perfectly perpendicular to the work
I 'Nest' my bushings....that is, fit a second smaller bushing into the larger one to drill a 'pilot' hole; then, after drilling,remove the pilot bushing, insert the correct size bushing into the finish sized bushing, bore the finish hole
You ARE drilling into steel Right?
Either way will work ,but on wood, use wood boring bits. On steel, HS steel bit and lube (Oil) Steinmetz
If you bore the initial larger bushing through a nice flat hardwood piece of 5/4, It will be easier to clamp right where you want it.
These bushings are great for many wood working projects, as ordinary drill and boring tools tend to 'Wander' in wood and wind up putting the hole off center.
Jazzdog has the right idea, but with a drill bushing, it can be used over and over and not become egg 'shaped' as wood will.
Edited 6/22/2005 5:25 pm ET by steinmetz
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tony ,
Another way to help get it straight up and down is to get one of those small round levels that stick on the back end of a drill motor .Watch the bubble as you drill .
good luck dusty
Get a small hunk of hardwood.. Square.. Mark center on both ends.. Drill the best you can straight into it.. If drill exits on center you have a guide you can use...
Just me... I have several I made for just such things.. However, I cheated and made them with a drill press!
Will, I have used the blanks left when boring wood with various hole saws for the same purpose.I press metal sleeves into the centers for accurate pilot holes
After drilling the pilot hole, I progress with next larger sleeves and bits.
Especially useful for drilling smaller holes as bits won't break while being supported by the sleeves
Stein.
Dad showed me this one using a stack of 1/2 diameter magnets and a electric hand drill. If you have to, draw a pencil line down the stack of magnets (like stacked poker chips).
Put the edje of the stack where the hole is supposed to go. The pencil line keep the left to right orientation while the stack keep the forward back orientation. Other than using a drill press or a milling machine with the object anchored, this was a darn good alternative. Being a machinist he had regular length and extended shank twist drill. Finding a drill under 1/2 dia that is considerably longer than 4 inches (room to chuck it) may be a challenge.
Jerry
a stack of 1/2 diameter magnets .. Hay! Good idea..
What did you end up doing?
-Jazzdogg-
"The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt." Bertrand Russell
i ended up purchasing a jig from HD for about $30 dollars. It's made by general i found it to be pretty flimsy, so i will probably return it. It was adequate for this one task but not something i would want to use if i wasn't pressed.
2 easy methods
First, get a block of wood and drill a hole thru it. Then, using a square, line up the square with the hole you just drilled and draw a line along the bottom of the wood so it is square to the hole. Then using a saw, cut the wood along the line so the bottom will now be square to the hole. So, to simplify, you square the wood to the hole after the hole is drilled.
Second method: take a socket (like you use to tighten bolts) and turn it over so the square hole of the socket (where the handle would attach) is against your board. Then fill the socket with nuts from bottom to top. Then put your drillbit down thru the holes in the nuts and it will keep your bit straight. Use the appropriate size socket and nuts for the hole you want to drill. The nuts will not spin since they are in the socket. I would use a channel lock plier to hold the socket and keep your hand out of the way.
2 easy methods
First, get a block of wood and drill a hole thru it. Then, using a square, line up the square with the hole you just drilled and draw a line along the bottom of the wood so it is square to the hole. Then using a saw, cut the wood along the line so the bottom will now be square to the hole. So, to simplify, you square the wood to the hole after the hole is drilled.
Second method: take a socket (like you use to tighten bolts) and turn it over so the square hole of the socket (where the handle would attach) is against your board. Then fill the socket with nuts from bottom to top. Then put your drillbit down thru the holes in the nuts and it will keep your bit straight. Use the appropriate size socket and nuts for the hole you want to drill. The nuts will not spin since they are in the socket. I would use a channel lock plier to hold the socket and keep your hand out of the way.
mirror
You need a piece of reflective stainless steel. you place it on the workpiece and then the reflection will be straight if you are perpendicular, and bent if you are off angle.
Black & Decker LDX112C
Black & Decker LDX112C Cordless drill is the best and latest and widely used product known to me so far. It has 12-Volt Max Lithium-Ion with 1 Battery.. It has variable speed that allows countersinking without damaging material. Its best feature is this that its battery lasts a long time on a single charge and recharges quickly
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