How to drill at perfect right angle to the plane with hand held power drill?

[joeythes]

Anyone have any tips how to get a drill-press perfect hole with a hand held power drill?

Is there a blindingly obvious simple jig solution I am overlooking?

Joe

 

[GregGleason]

I don't think so. Which is why I eventually bought a drill press.

Greg

 

[Sully]

My corded dewalt has a bubble-level built into the back of the handle, so you can easily check (as long as the thing you are drilling into is truly horizontal).

You could probably easily epoxy one onto the back of your drill.

 

[falingtrea]

There are lots of drill stands that you can buy for use with a hand drill in the $50+ range. Otherwise maybe this is what you are looking for.

 

[amarillo_rocket]

I used one of these until I had the space for a drill press. There are several companies that make the drill guide. https://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=2405

 

[LW Bercini]

Can you use something like an old thread spool - place the spool on the plane and drill down through the hole?

 

[stickershock23]

Just buy a drill press you can get a decent cheapie from home depot.. "Ryobie" for about $100.. if you are going to stay in rockets, its a tool you will ALWAYS use..

 

[joeythes]

Thank you gents, Tim & Amarillo, ways to go! It's not often that I am drilling through stacked bulkheads otherwise my hand/eye has served me well. Even a $100 drill press could pay for another flight computer or reload.

 

[dr wogz]

never underestmate the power (or cost) of tools! You buy them once, but use them oh so often!!

And, I made myself a set of these.. Indespenceable!!

https://www.harryhigley.com/75TapNDrillGuide.htm

 

[gdiscenza]

Get yourself a 8" or 12" roofer's square, they have a 90 degree angle with a flat base that can be clamped to your work surface with a bit of creativity. It won't be drill-press straight, but giving yourself a reference line as you hold the drill vertical will make your drilling much more accurate.
G.D.

 

[hornet driver]

I'd go with the drill guide --not only can you set them for 90 deg but you can adjust the for other angles---most have a base that will capture rounded surfaces--ie :body tube They run about 50-60 bucks--you can get them almost anywhere---They are perfect if you are space resricted

 

[G_T]

There's an old tool-less method for getting pretty close. Position the work to be drilled level. Make sure it is accurately level. Visually check that your drill bit is vertical. Apply drilling force straight down - don't bend the bit during drilling or it won't track as straight.

This comes from the era of bits and brace method of drilling, but it works with power tools as well. We can tell vertical pretty well, so put the piece horizontal.

Gerald

 

[fleafrier1]

At work I'm sometimes in situations where I have to do this with a core drill. I find that it's easy for me to keep the core bit plumb from side to side as I'm looking down on it, but whether or not I need to move the drill toward or away from myself is more difficult to judge. Having an extra set of eyes watching you from the side is a big help. If I have a co-worker eyeball it from beside me, and take a mental note of the sight picture, I generally have little trouble drilling straight down.

 

[mdoering]

I usually position the work horizontal, and use either a 90º clamping block or 6" trisquare positioned behind the bit to keep a visual line on the angle. It works best if you keep a small visible gap between the edge of the square and your bit in your viewing angle. It is far easier to gauge the angle by looking at the gap taper than it is to sight the edge of the bit and edge of the square.

 

[Micromeister]

Of Coarse Joe:
There is NO such thing as a Perfectly drilled hole with a hand held power tool. Nor does there need to be with what we are doing. Which is precisely why the Drill Press was Invented....Still not "Perfect" but closer

 

[Pat_B]

You can find some cheap drill presses on Craigslist. Many years ago I tried one of those smaller units that clamps around a hand drill and it ended up being pretty flimsy and not too accurate. Even with a cheapo drill press you might want to check the alignment between the table and centerline of the chuck. Sometimes the weight of the table will pull downwards and make it out of alignment by a degree or so.