Milescraft DrillMate Portable Drill Guide Adjustable Precision Drilling Jig

I recently received a Milescraft Drillmate 1318. Assembly went smoothly, and the parts appear to be well made and nicely finished. The angle adjustment seems easy to use and should be useful, although perpendicular holes are its main attraction for me. With a little work, I could set the drill angle at something other than one of the 15 degree increment pre-sets. So far my use of the Drillmate is admittedly limited. Not surprising, I found the Drillmate to be somewhere between a handheld drill and a drill press. It does not have the precision or controlled feed of a drill press, but the Drillmate is much more portable and versatile. It certainly offers a lot more precision than a handheld drill, at least in my hands, where perpendicular holes are embarrassingly rare. Attaching a power drill to the chuck shaft requires working around the post extensions in order to tighten the power drill’s chuck, which felt a little odd. Apparently I have only dealt with chucks in wide open spaces in my, up to this point, sheltered life. But it is certainly doable, and I attached an 18v Makita drill. I don’t have any handheld power drills around anymore that have a keyed chuck, but like my drill press, the Drillmate does. Using the Drillmate actually requires dealing with two drill chucks. My first project with the Drillmate was to enlarge the dog holes on my workbench from 1/2 inch diameter to the more common 3/4 inch diameter, using a spade bit. With spade bits, I find it easier to control the feed, although there would not be any material to guide the center point in this case. Twist drills sometimes want to grab and chip. In my experience, It is relatively easy to enlarge holes using a drill press and much more difficult to do with a handheld drill. But enlarging these workbench holes on my drill press was not possible. Enter the Drillmate. To give myself a better chance of minimizing tear out and avoiding irregular holes when enlarging them, I like to make a template with a hole drilled in it of the desired size. I made a template with a piece of 1/2 inch thick panel about 10 by 10 inches, and drilled a 3/4 inch hole in the center with the Drillmate. I then positioned this template hole over a bench top hole to be enlarged, centered the template as best I could, and clamped it to the bench top. I positioned the Drillmate’s base onto the template, lined up the drill bit in the template’s hole, and powered on the Makita. I proceeded to make a 3/4 inch dog hole out of a 1/2 inch hole. I was quite pleased with the results - the edges were clean, the hole was round, and the drilling was quick and drama free. Thirteen more holes to go, and all went well. I was impressed with the holes and the Drillmate. It worked smoothly and precisely. I never felt that I was fighting the return spring. Perpendicular holes - at last! The Drillmate has a rather small base, but a larger, auxilllary base can be used unattached as I did, or attached, which I am considering. I found the auxilllary base or template to be necessary when drilling holes near edges where the Drillmate base alone would hanging over the edge and unstable. One thing I remember about chuck keys is that every stinkin’ one of them disappears. And that drills with keyed chucks are worthless without the correct key. And that no key ever fit another other drill’s chuck. So I just ordered a couple of extra chuck keys for my Drillmate. FYI - extra keys are available from the Milescraft website by clicking on Products, Drilling / Precision Drilling, 1318 - Drillmate, View Replacement Parts. Inexpensive, nicely made, versatile, a quality of work improving device, this Drillmate. Yet another tool I wish I had picked up a long time ago.

I think it is well made and easy to assemble, with no issues in terms of quality. I needed one and had been shopping around for a while because of high prices of some other options. This was the best option in terms of combination of price / quality, I believe. However, giving it 4 stars for I would prefer something a bit more sturdy and solid when drilling, less vibration. But I guess I am getting what I paid for. Overall, a good product for occasional use.

I purchased this item after careful reviews of the product online. Some assembly required. I don't have room for a large drill press (or even a bench top model) in my work area. This product met my needs perfectly. I attached a small, battery operated drill that I purchased for this item to keep the size and weight down so the assembly wouldn't be top heavy. Works great. Quality of the drill guide is great. Assembly is not difficult. Happy with my purchase.

I do some periodic woodworking that occasionally requires a drill press (or the equivalent) - and since my need (and storage space) is both periodic and limited, this product seemed like a good substitute. This product is all steel construction and seems to be well-made and with generally good tolerances and can be adapted to use for drilling over large surfaces where a drill press would not work and as a stationary drill for more conventionally-sized woodstock. It's probably not going to result in perfectly precise holes, but it's a good substitute for a full-size drill press for the casual woodworker.

This is somewhat helpful, but I can't decide whether it hinders more than it helps. - It's heavy. - It's mechanism gets stuck in the down position and doesn't want to come back up. The rails are not parallel, so it gets narrower at the bottom causing the slide to bind and get stuck in place. It takes a lot of finagling to get it back up for the next cut. Even a healthy dose of lithium grease did not solve it, although it was a bit smoother. (The shorter distance of the rails at the bottom than the top still caused it to bind and stick somewhat.) - The spring reduces the movement downward. This reduces the drilling depth by a half inch. I had to dissemble the unit to get the spring out and drill deeper holes, as I needed that extra reach. - There is too much play. About a quarter inch movement from side to side, even fully tightened. - It comes loose with heavy use (after 30-40 holes). If you don't notice this, you will drill angled holes without noticing, because you're convinced that they're straight. Hand-drilling them would be much straighter in this case. For light drilling, and under the right conditions, this can still be cheaper and more convenient than a drill press. And it has a superpower: Drilling a new hole that overlaps an existing one! I was able to fix some holes that were in the wrong place with new ones that overlapped the wxisti one by 1/3 the bit diameter. Amazing. It took some pressure, and a slow progression, but this would be impossible freehand.

Pros: *Depth of holes stays set well *Inexpensive *Can be used with pipes Cons *A little play on the center of holes *Base isn't level across the whole bottom, so you may have to add a flat base if drilling near edge of piece *Not easy to set perfect depth *No storage of Chuck key This was perfect for drilling holes to a certain depth with my forestner bit. It is a little hard to get the right depth set. I had to drill holes on another piece of wood and check them until I got it. Once the right depth was set, it never moved. The top slide, however, had a bit of play, so the holes didn't always start straight down. They could be over 1/8" or so from perfectly straight on the jig. This is because the drill's handle isn't inline with the press, so if you're putting pressure on the handle you're pushing the drill bit to the side. This could be a problem for you. I'm my case this kinda helped, as it let me ever do slightly rock my forestner bit to more quickly make the holes. (My bit probably needed to be sharpened.). You can overcome this play by pressing on the back of your drill instead of the handle when drilling. (This works well on a big piece that won't move, or a small piece you have clamped, but if you need to hold the piece and the drill, then it is hard to keep pressure straight down.) The base has groves to allow drilling pipes, which is handy, but if you're piece is flat, and you're drilling by the edge of your piece, this can cause the jig to not be level. Luckily, the base has screw holes. I attached a scrap piece of wood shown in picture to the bottom of the jig to make sure I had a level surface. I wouldn't pay more for it, but it would be nice if you could easily make micro adjustments to the depth of holes. Also, it could come with a flat base option. Again, I wouldn't have paid more for it, so I'd say it is perfect for the price.

Worked good for my project. I refurbished my old Black and Decker Workmate portable table top and needed to drill new holes for the bench dogs. The first one I drilled by hand came out slightly askew and when I tried to put a chamfer on the opening, it wound up a little oval shape. That's when I decided to get this portable drill guide. I was slightly hesitant from reading some of the negative reviews but went ahead anyway. After all, it couldn't turn out any worse than what I was doing myself. I'm glad I did, it made a nice difference! I was able to line up and drill accurate and clean straight holes. I didn't notice any wobble like others have said. I also took some reviewers advice and sprayed lube (I used WD-40 Silicone spray) on the moving parts including the guide shafts. I do wish the drill guide had a little more depth reach. I was drilling into 2 x 4 redwood plank I cut down for the table top with a 6 inch long Forstner bit and just barely made it thru. Longer drill bits would be necessary for anything deep. Or you may need to remove the spring on the guide shaft for a little more depth. The drill guide appears well enough made. Not commercial shop quality but should be good for home use. Most of the parts are made of metal including the base. The base has V notches cut into both top and bottom so you can set work onto the base or place the entire drill guide on top of a work piece. I imagine though, doing the latter might require some extra hands? Overall this drill guide met my expectations and wish I had done this sooner.

I had purchased an expensive slab of walnut wood on which I would place two vessel sinks. So, I would have to bore two-inch deep holes for the plumbing for the fixtures. As a weekend warrior, homeowner, DIY'r, the thought of screwing these holes up (literally!) and losing out on my investment on this lovely walnut wood sent shivers up my spine. These holes would HAVE to be correct, and I was using a handheld 3/8 drill with a hole-saw attachment (See picture). I knew enough to know to to trust this to freehand. Since the slab was WAY too big for my drill press, I hoped that this product would stabilize my hand-held drill while boring the hole perfectly straight. And. It. Did. I was able to bore a straight guide bit, and then the hole saw through TWO INCHES of solid walnut. and the close-fitting pipe for the water fixture went straight in! I used it for several other small holes as well. Now, I noted a one-star review complaining about the lack of build quality and someone else has mentioned wobble. The could be right. My job required precision, but not pinpoint precision, so I can't speak to their complaint. Moreover, I can't tell you how LONG this product would last for a serious contractor trying to use it daily; but, for a weekend warrior who will pull it out maybe a couple times in a year, it worked and have every confidence it will continue to work when I pull it off the garage shelf two or three times a year. There was nothing I didn't like about it. But, I will say, DO PUT something like a cloth barrier down between the unit and whatever you are drilling into because it can vibrate and leave some unwanted scratches on your material, so watch out for that. But, in the end, I was very happy to pay $30 to know I was getting the job done right the first time. Price meets quality, but FIVE stars to the engineers who designed the thing in the first place. Lifesaver for a DIY'r.

Il fait son job. Par exemple, grâce à cet outil, je peux percer de gros trous profonds dans des poteaux, trous dans lesquels des barres se soutien prendront ensuite place. Il faut que les trous soient bien droits, pour que le poteau, une fois installé sur la barre, soit droit également. C’est ce qui me fallait !

Funktioniert gut mit dem Akkuschrauber, das feste Bohrfutter sorgt dafür das man eigentlich jede Bohrmaschine damit verwenden kann, also besser als alternativen die Bohrmaschinen über den 43mm Eurohals aufnehmen, da Akkuschrauber diesen nicht haben, man bekommt gute gerade Bohrergebnisse, also empfehlenswert

ilk denemeye göre çok beğendim, daha hassas işlem için millere takılan teflon burçlar değiştirilebiliyor. burçlar kırmızı olarak kutuda geliyor. başarılı ancak bir plakaya sabitleyerek kullanmak daha iyi olacaktır.

Indiscutibilmente necessario, a meno di non voler acquistare un nuovo ed ingombrante trapano a colonna! Felice possessore di un trapano bosch che non mi ha mai deluso, avevo bisogno di creare fori con puna Forstner su un piano di grosse dimensioni e questo supporto mi è stato indispensabile. Non avendo bracci che ne limitino il raggio d’azione, ho potuto forare al centro di un piano di legno di 70x70 spendendo quanto ritengo giusto per un attrezzo del genere. Si monta con semplicità, seppur non immediatamente. Bello a vedersi, d’aspetto discreto. Robusto e regolabile per angoli di foratura diversi dal perpendicolo.

a little confusing to assemble. build quality is excellent. positioning is very precise.