Drill guide issues

[Jim_Rogers]

Yesterday, I was teaching a young landscaper turned sawyer how to do some timber framing.
He had bought a drill guild for using it to drill holes for supports for a mantle he cut for one of his customers.
We tried to use it to hold his drill bits for doing a mortise.
In his pile of drill bits I found a 1 1/2" boring machine bit.
This bit was too long for his drill guild frame.
So we raised the drill guide up by placing it on two full thickness 2x4's
like this:


 

We added the clamp to hold it steady as we drilled.
Due to the fact that this old drill bit was dull, it would not bore a hole.
So, we changed to a new bit:


 
This bit was only 1 1/4" (and too short) and we were doing a 1 1/2" mortise for his mailbox post project.
Which meant he had to do a lot of chisel work to clean out the mortise.
He did however do a good job but it took a while:



Above he is working on the housing.

The point of the story is that these types of drill guides will work with some creative adapting, and a sharp correct size long enough bit.

Jim Rogers

[treemuel]

Hey Jim, 

Thanks for posting this. I was actually looking at that guide and wondering if it might work well for peg hole drilling. I've freehanded holes with a mirror or speed square, but I'm looking for a way to expedite the process especially for larger frames. What do you think with your experience seeing it firsthand? I realize it might not fit a long enough bit, but maybe doing something like you guys had putting it up on blocks; or using a 7 1/2" Wood Owl, then finishing the hole by hand? Also it seems like maybe one could attach an edge guide that would set it right at 1 1/2" from the housing?

Would appreciate any thoughts you have on this with your breadth of experience.

Thanks,
Sam

[Jim_Rogers]

Sam:
You can use this drill guide to do peg holes if you have a good long bit. However the thing that you need to be most careful about is when the peg hole bit breaks through the surface of the bottom of the timber.
We usually stop drilling when the bit tip lead screw sticks out just a fraction. And then roll the timber over and finish from the other side. This reduces the risk of a large chip blow out. Especially if you're using a bit brace bit with spurs to score the perimeter of the hole before you bore the finishing amount of the timber. If you intend to use a bit brace and bit of the same size as the bit in the power drill stand you first turn the bit counter clockwise to score the hole perimeter. Then turn clockwise and finish the hole.

Or if the bit is long enough, place a board under the timber held tight with a clamp to the timber, and then bore through both the timber and the extra board. This will prevent the chip blow out.
On a timber frame, the peg hole is usually bored from the layout side, and in some timbers the opposite side is the inside of the structure. If there is a large chip blow out it would be on the showing side, and won't look good in a neat frame.

Good luck with your projects.

Jim Rogers

[buckleystephani]

Sam:
You can use this drill guide to do peg holes if you have a good long bit. However the thing that you need to be most careful about is when the peg hole bit breaks through the surface of the bottom of the timber.
We usually stop drilling when the bit tip lead screw sticks out just a fraction. And then roll the timber over and finish from the other side. This reduces the risk of a large chip blow out. Especially if you're using a bit brace bit with spurs to score the perimeter of the hole before you bore the finishing amount of the timber. If you intend to use a bit brace and bit of the same size as the bit in the power drill stand you first turn the bit counter clockwise to score the hole perimeter. Then turn clockwise and finish the hole.

Or if the bit is long enough, place a board under the timber held tight with a clamp to the timber, and then bore through both the timber and the extra board. This will prevent the chip blow out.
On a timber frame, the peg hole is usually bored from the layout side, and in some timbers the opposite side is the inside of the structure. If there is a large chip blow out it would be on the showing side, and won't look good in a neat frame.

Good luck with your projects.

Jim Rogers

Hi Jim. Thank you for sharing this beautiful guide with us. I will add this to my favorites on my computer. I am grateful for your efforts. : 

[LarryG]

Hi Jim
Could you share who makes that drill guide. 

[Tom King]

When a woodworking tool is blue anodized aluminum, it's a good guess that it's a Rockler.

Rockler Portable Drill Guide - Rockler

[Jim_Rogers]

When a woodworking tool is blue anodized aluminum, it's a good guess that it's a Rockler.

Rockler Portable Drill Guide - Rockler

Yes, it was a Rockler drill guide.
Jim Rogers