JeffB wrote:
blueman wrote:

I am considering buying a portable drill press/guide (rather than a
benchtiop or standalone drill press)
snip

Something like this - http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=2405

I have the same one. It's also sold by Sears and Ace Hardware. It's OK,
but I find myself freehanding all the time instead of using it. I
suppose if I had to drill through some dowels, I'd use this.

Avoid the one made by General, which you find at the Borg.

Sears, Ace, and Grizzly (among others) also sell those lever-operated
drill stands, and they look OK to me, but for that money you're just
about into a Chinese 8-10" benchtop drill press. For some reason, drill
presses are one of those things the Chinese manufacturers seem to be
doing OK with (as opposed to, say, scroll saws). Ace sells their 10"
for $99. Their brand is just rebadged Tradesman, the el cheapo line you
see in Sears and Borg. I got the 8" version from Harbor Freight on sale
for $39 last weekend. Haven't assembled it yet.

I agree with the others who say that even a cheap drill press is orders
of magnitude more useful than a guide.