On 3/24/12 10:51 PM, John Doe wrote:
I have some hand tools, but no significant shop tools.

A long-standing problem... Sometimes aluminum flat bar is bent
into a U shape so that it can be used as a wheel axle. The problem
is drilling holes through each fork so that they line up
perfectly. I don't trust my cheap drill press. But... The distance
from one fork to another, the inner width of the fork is known and
will be the same the next time, so a mold might be useful.

It would look like a 2 inch piece of 1x1 wood with a 1/4 inch hole
drilled through the center on one side. Except that it needs to be
about 1 1/8 inches wide (for the fork width, to fit between the
fork). And if it's made of wood, it would need an aluminum or
steel insert/sleeve so that the hole does not widen when used.

I have a belt sander and a caliper that can be used to produce a
well dimensioned rectangular block of wood. And then, with some
repetitive manipulation, maybe my cheap drill press would help
drill a perfectly perpendicular hole through the wood.

But I'm thinking maybe something store-bought would do. Something
that has a hole in it. For example... If I could get a hold of
some large diameter 1/4 inch washers that are perfectly made, I
could stack them one on top of the other. Then stick the drill bit
down through the hole in one fork and through the stack of
washers. Then clamp the fork down on the washers (on both sides).
Actually, I guess that wouldn't work unless the washers were
perfectly the same inner diameter as the drill bit. Or maybe if
they were very thick washers.

Hopefully at least my question is clear enough. If not, I am happy
to explain what I'm trying to do.

Thanks.

What about using a piece of pipe as a drill guide? Or a pipe
like machined bushing? Metal sleeve might be a better term. The
internal diameter would have to be just a bit larger than the drill bit
size.
Drill the first hole then use the bit to help line up the sleeve.