# How to centre and make straight holes with hand drill?



## e~shot (Jun 3, 2010)

Guys, I'm stuck all the time making centering the bit (I mean marked on wood) and making straight holes with hand drill  any help?


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## Hrawk (Oct 25, 2010)

Firstly, ALWAYS center punch the location of the hole. This will help the drill bit find it's center location.

You can use a separate piece of timber, metal or plastic, with a pre drilled hole as a guide for aligning the drill bit.

Always use a pilot drill first, usually around 1/2 the size of the final hole size. This way you can drill in a few mm, use a square and check for alignment, adjust as necessary and drill a bit more. Once you get this initial pilot hole through the piece, the final size drill bit will follow the existing hole. For example, if I was drilling a 10mm hole, I would start with a 2mm drill, make sure the hole is straight, then go to a 7 or 8mm drill, then finish with the 10mm drill. The less material you are removing with a given size of drill, the more accurate your final hole size will be.

And um, buy a drill press


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## Gardengroove (Feb 13, 2012)

Hello e-shot. Do you use metal drill bits? If so I do understand, it is a little harder to get the hole direct on the marked point. For this case buy some drill bits for wood. They come with a small spike on the end which is meant to be pushed in the wood on the desired spot


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## bullseyeben! (Apr 24, 2011)

Yea got my drill press today, assembled it too....man is pinning gonna be easy now..I'm still smiling .


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## Hrawk (Oct 25, 2010)




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## Hrawk (Oct 25, 2010)

Gardengroove said:


> Hello e-shot. Do you use metal drill bits? If so I do understand, it is a little harder to get the hole direct on the marked point. For this case buy some drill bits for wood. They come with a small spike on the end which is meant to be pushed in the wood on the desired spot


Ahh yes, Brad Point Bits, specially designed for wood and make life much easier. Cheers Gardenman.


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## bullseyeben! (Apr 24, 2011)

That's funny, I could of used that my first time!


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## e~shot (Jun 3, 2010)

Hrawk said:


> And um, buy a drill press


I saw few drill press last week, prices are not expensive. Cheapest & moderate quality come about 70$. ATM my prob is space 



Gardengroove said:


> Hello e-shot. Do you use metal drill bits? If so I do understand, it is a little harder to get the hole direct on the marked point. For this case buy some drill bits for wood. They come with a small spike on the end which is meant to be pushed in the wood on the desired spot


Pics pls mate... 



bullseyeben! said:


> Yea got my drill press today, assembled it too....man is pinning gonna be easy now..I'm still smiling .


Congrats buddy.



Hrawk said:


> drill guide.png


Thanks again my dear 

With this guide and Brad Point Bits, I think I can manage atm.


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## Hrawk (Oct 25, 2010)

bullseyeben! said:


> Yea got my drill press today, assembled it too....man is pinning gonna be easy now..I'm still smiling .


Just remember, if you want your pins to be nice and flush with the hole, double drill. I usually use 3mm pins and drill first with a 2mm drill, then the 3mm. Gives a nice flush finish with pretty much no gap or line.

Mind you, depending on what pin material you use, you can always peen them into place.


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## wll (Oct 4, 2014)

Those are beautiful slings, very nice work.

wll


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## Adirondack Kyle (Aug 20, 2012)

Do you live near a harbor freight? They sell cheap but effective doweling jig that's adjustable. Works great ,


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