blueman wrote:
I am considering buying a portable drill press/guide (rather than a
benchtiop or standalone drill press)
....
Any other insights welecome!
Thanks

Well, a real drill press is VERY useful - I use mine several times on
every project for sure. But if you don't have the cash or the space
right now, is any amount of convincing going to get you to buy one
anyway? I agree that a little $99 bench-top drill press probably isn't
as useful or accurate as something heavier, but if you can find a
bigger used one, I'd highly recommend it. (Hint - if you can lift it
with one hand, it's too small...)
Other things to consider for the meantime might include a drill guide
of some sort - check out
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...80,42311,42321
Or a doweling jig, depending on your intended use:
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...80,42311,42319
A while ago I actually bought one of the portable drill press/guides
you mentioned, but returned it as the plunging action seemed sticky due
to the posts not being parallel, and an overall cheap feel. The
biggest problem I've seen with those is the lack of a good-quality
model - it seems like there are only a few models made, and none feels
too sturdy or accurate. On the other hand, they can be better than
drilling freehand, and as you mentioned, some projects are inconvenient
or impossible to bring to a stationary DP.
Sorry this wasn't very conclusive, but I hope it helps,
Andy