# favorite drill guide?



## furboo (Oct 12, 2015)

I'm looking for a drill guide, something like

1 tecmobil - mobile drill stand

The reviews on this guide are mixed, and I'd rather just build something. I have a drill press, it's just I want something to give accurate perpendicular holes when the drill press can't be used, such as drilling dog holes in a workbench...which I just botched :frown:


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

very good...
Versatile Drill Guide - Lee Valley Tools


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## MT Stringer (Aug 15, 2012)

For the dog holes, I made a template and used a plunge router. The holes are straight and true.

1 inch holes drilled in the template. A 3/4 inch template bushing for the router. A half inch spiral upcut router bit.

Plunge, go round and round (maybe plunge in two or three passes). The end result should be a 3/4 inch hole. As Ron Paulk explains it, it is good to make the plunge, and then move on to the next one. Come back later and vacuum out the chips and plunge again. ...and he is right. Makes for a clean hole.

To align the template some 3/4 inch holes need to be drilled so you can space the rows evenly. Even though I was very careful drilling my holes for the template, I still managed to get off ever so slightly from one side of the table to the other. Bummer, huh?

Here is an example of the template. I also made a longer one for my new work bench.

Good luck.
Mike


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## tomp913 (Mar 7, 2014)

For holes up to 3/8" diameter

https://www.amazon.com/Gator-Tools-STD1000DGNP-V-Drill-Guide/dp/B0061FY004/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484366548&sr=8-1&keywords=drill+guide+block

They also make up for holes up to 1/2"

For guides similar to the one shown, you have to evaluate on a case-by-case basis, some are better than others - mostly in the bearing fit to the vertical rods. The best one IMO was the Portalign Drill Guide - out of business for some time, and mine was stolen. I have seen them on E-bay though. I have a couple that I bought as replacement, would have to get back to you tomorrow on which I think is the better.


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## furboo (Oct 12, 2015)

Stick486 said:


> very good...
> Versatile Drill Guide - Lee Valley Tools


yeah, got that one and love it...my dog holes are 3/4", which it doesn't cover


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## furboo (Oct 12, 2015)

MT Stringer said:


> For the dog holes, I made a template and used a plunge router. The holes are straight and true....


Thanks Mike, that's a great idea!


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## Ray Newman (Mar 9, 2009)

General Tools "Precision Drill Guide #36"!

Have used the ol' General #36 for many more years than I care to think about. Has depth stop, works with round stock, will drill angles from 45 to 90 degrees, 3/8" chuck, and has centering pins.

www.generaltools.com/precision-drill-guide-with-3-8-in-chuck

General lists its availability in on-line store, with Home Depot the most economically priced at US$32.00. https://www.generaltools.com/precision-drill-guide-with-3-8-in-chuck

Garret Wade also has the what appears to be the same for US$49. 00 + shipping and is on backorder until 3/1/17. Look around on the net as I have seen it for a few dollars cheaper. 

Portable Drill Guide Jigs: Guide Jig for Portable Drill, Angle Drilling Jig - Garrett Wade


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## furboo (Oct 12, 2015)

tomp913 said:


> The best one IMO was the Portalign Drill Guide - out of business for some time, and mine was stolen. I have seen them on E-bay though.


The Portalign does look nice. There is one on e-bay, but I'd like to see it first.

I also have a Big Gator... I'm the definition of spontaneous tool buyer. I guess I should have titled this "Drill Guide for Big Holes" or "Drill Guide for a Hand Drill"


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## furboo (Oct 12, 2015)

Ray, I actually was considering the Garrett Wade and General tools. There's a reviewer on GW's site that claims it's the General, but they look different. Thanks for sharing the first-hand knowledge on the General...sounds good.


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## Ray Newman (Mar 9, 2009)

FurBoo: my old General #36 does not have the handle that is now shown on the General site. 

It has the two locking knobs like the one shown on the Garret Wade site. 

Those two are probably the closest to ol' Portalign DrillGuide.


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## furboo (Oct 12, 2015)

Ray Newman said:


> FurBoo: my old General #36 does not have the handle that is now shown on the General site.
> 
> It has the two locking knobs like the one shown on the Garret Wade site.
> 
> Those two are probably the closest to ol' Portalign DrillGuide.


That's great to know, Ray...thanks!


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

To drill my dog holes I drilled a hole through a short section of 4x4 with my drill press. I started the holes down to a depth of maybe 1/8" without the guide block so that I could register the bit in the right place then drilled as deep as I could with the block on the bit. My bench is 4 inches thick so I took the block back off then and the existing hole was deep enough to finish accurately without the guide. It doesn't need to be complicated. BTW, the holes will be just as accurate that way as with one of the drill guides you are looking at, maybe better. Unless you need the drill guide for something else I wouldn't bother.


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## tomp913 (Mar 7, 2014)

If you're looking at drilling holes for bench dogs, Lee Valley has a nice looking set-up - at the cost of one of the guides to drill just one hole size.

Dog Hole Bushings and Bits - Lee Valley Tools

I liked the Portalign because it seemed much sturdier than other designs out there, maybe because it was "fixed" - i.e. it only drilled holes (easily) at 90° so no angle adjusting mechanism to wiggle and loosen up. I used it primarily for drilling holes in the back edge of countertops for the screws that attached the backpslash - screwing up from the bottom, 2-1/2" long screws into the 3/4" thick backsplash didn't leave much wiggle room for having the holes tilted. However, I used the one guide I now have to drill the spindle holes in the bottom of the stair handrail; I made a plate that it mounted on with rails that located on the width of the handrail, adjusted the tilt angle until it hung vertically and clamped it to the underside of the handrail. The spindle locations were laid out on the stair treads and the locations transferred to the u/s of the handrail using a plumb bob. It seemed a little Rube Goldberg at the time but it worked OK.

I relooked at the Portaligns on E-bay and nostalgia got to me, almost bought one of them. I'll take another look at what I have and see whether I want to spend the money on something that I don't use that much any more.


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## BIGROMO (Mar 16, 2015)

Great idea, thanks for documenting it and showing the results. This is a future task for me and I didn't have a good way to do this yet, this seems like a great technique not only for this but other uses. The drill guides don't seem to offer anything that would handle a 3/4 silver and deming bit, so this works well. Thanks for taking the time to document it.


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## Quillman (Aug 16, 2010)

I make my own. Any size, any color, any centers. Can be used on
the drill press or with hand drill.


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## Shop guy (Nov 22, 2012)

When I recently made a new outfeed, work table with dog holes I used a similar setup to what Mike use. I made it a little longer than his and installed a clete square to one end which made it easy to stay square and inline.


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## furboo (Oct 12, 2015)

I had 3 dog holes for a couple years, opposite a vice, that I only used for stops. The holes for that don't need to be exactly at 90 deg. Then last week I bought these toggle clamp plates:

Toggle Clamp Plate - Lee Valley Tools

which I really like, and I wanted more holes. But I've learned the hard way that for these to grip well, a more precise hole is needed. For some holes I got lucky. Others, not so much. At least the clamps work well if the pressure is 90 deg to the hole tilt.

I'm just going to fill the holes with 3/4" dowels and redrill. It's just a homemade work bench...a layer of 3/4" mdf on top of 3/4" ply. I agree with Chuck and others and keep it simple. As much as I'd like to buy another tool, I can't right now think of what else I'd use a fancier guide for.

Thanks all for the advice!


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Rob those toggles look nice and they would be quick in cases of repetitive work but the Wonder Dogs have a greater range and the condition of the dog hole is less important. Veritas® Wonder Dog® & Wonder Pup® - Lee Valley Tools I have 3 of the Wonder Dogs and 4 bench dogs and I have yet to find anything I can't clamp with them, whether it be round or irregular.


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## furboo (Oct 12, 2015)

The Wonder dogs look pretty nice, Chuck. But to use them effectively, it seems like you need a grid (or array) of holes, like what Mike showed earlier in this thread (or Festool MFT style). I'd like a bench like that, but for this one, I was hoping to limit the holes to along one short edge and one long edge of the bench top.


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