drilling 90deg holes with a cordless drill

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I need to make some jigs for my wife (well one for her and hopefully sell the others) It's a bit like a cribbage board with with nails at 2 different heights for wrapping metal wire around to "knit" the wire. The nails are at 1/4" o.c in 2 staggered rows like

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I could go buy a drill press which I do actually need but would rather not spend that sort of money at this time of year. I've thought about the drill guides but they're about half the cost I could get a 12" ryobi dp for.

Any ideas for a diy jig?
 
Excellent. Because those guides don't do much better than free hand with a square or something standing nerby for visual reference. On one of my cordless drills, I did the following:

Clamped a straight steel rod in the vice and monkeyed with it till it was stright per a level. Attached the drill. Put a blob of builders adhesive on the back which is now facing the ceiling. Pressed a small bubble level into the adhesive and adjusted for center. I have a couple drills that come with this feature but, they are corded. Using the bubble I can easily get as accurate as with one of those guides. Tried several, all lacking.
 
Patrick, what about one of these drill guides.........

4522_FS.jpg

>> LINK <<

$28 at Amazon...?
 
I considered one of those Stu but I'd need to get it locally and from memory they were in the $40 ish range. We have a store in the local outlets that sells recon Ryobi / Ridgid stuff and I could get a 12inch DP for $96.

My parents are giving me money to build the new fangled workbench for Xmas so I can't get the bench and a DP. Work has been really quiet so I'm avoiding any expenditure until the kids presents are sorted.
 
Excellent. Because those guides don't do much better than free hand with a square or something standing nerby for visual reference. On one of my cordless drills, I did the following:

Clamped a straight steel rod in the vice and monkeyed with it till it was stright per a level. Attached the drill. Put a blob of builders adhesive on the back which is now facing the ceiling. Pressed a small bubble level into the adhesive and adjusted for center. I have a couple drills that come with this feature but, they are corded. Using the bubble I can easily get as accurate as with one of those guides. Tried several, all lacking.

You just brought light to my mind Glenn, I have a bubble, a drill and everything and I wanted to do just that but I couldn't figure out how to be sure that the drill would be plumb. How stupid I am!! :( not thinking about that.

Thanks a lot!
 
I have set up a "Jig" by drilling a perpendicular hole in a piece of scrap (using a drill press) then clamp the scrap to the work and use the hole as a guide top assure the drillbit position. :thumb:

So the problem is that you don't have a drill press, then you can do all the tedious levels and squares application to assure the pilot hole is square, then use the scrap as a guide to prevent error on the work piece.

You have a plunge router, then you can make the pilot hole with the router and then procede. Not a Plunge router? The set the router with the bit recessed inside the foot plate, clamp the router down and then, with the router on, feed the bit deeper by adjusting the depth, (slo mo plunge router)
 
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I'm considering taking a gamble on buying a DP as I really need one anyway. I have a store at the local outlets that sells recon ryobi and ridgid stuff and I can get the 12" vs ryobi for $96 + tax.

Hopefully my wife's fellow classmates will want their own jig (cheaper than the instructor's one which is the only one in the class) so if I can sell 4 of them it will cover the cost.
 
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