I need to drill accurately some holes for taps in a 40mm thick beech
worktop.

How might I ensure that I am drilling exactly vertically, with my hand-
held drill?


Regards
Richard

"geraldthehamster" wrote in message
...
I need to drill accurately some holes for taps in a 40mm thick beech
worktop.

How might I ensure that I am drilling exactly vertically, with my hand-
held drill?

Method A:

Purchase round bubble stick on level.

Place long bar/drill bit in drill chuck

Secure drill in workmate etc with bit down and ensure bit/bar vertical with
normal level

Stick bubble level to top of drill with a large blob of blu-tac and adjust
until level

Use drill, being careful not to disturb level and keep bubble in middle

Method B:

Do it by eye, hole slightly oversize and tighten taps down.


--
Bob Mannix
(anti-spam is as easy as 1-2-3 - not)

"geraldthehamster" wrote in message
...
I need to drill accurately some holes for taps in a 40mm thick beech
worktop.

How might I ensure that I am drilling exactly vertically, with my hand-
held drill?

I have one of these for drilling vertically accurately (Google "Drill
guide")

http://www.axminster.co.uk/pricing/I...uide-22269.htm

You may be able to pick one up at a DIY store or similar

HTH

John

On Wed, 09 Apr 2008 03:31:25 -0700, geraldthehamster wrote:

I need to drill accurately some holes for taps in a 40mm thick beech
worktop.

How might I ensure that I am drilling exactly vertically, with my hand-
held drill?


Regards
Richard

==================================
Buy one of these:

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/pr...il-drill-stand

A bit expensive for a one-off job but like most unusual tools surprisingly
useful for many other jobs.

Cic.

--
===================================
Using Ubuntu Linux
Windows shown the door
===================================

"geraldthehamster" wrote

I need to drill accurately some holes for taps in a 40mm thick beech
worktop.

How might I ensure that I am drilling exactly vertically, with my hand-
held drill?


Position a set square alongside the drill and get someone to eye it up for
you.
Move the set square between the two vertical plains periodically as you
drill.

Phil

"Bob Mannix" wrote in message
...
"geraldthehamster" wrote in message
...
I need to drill accurately some holes for taps in a 40mm thick beech
worktop.

8

Method B:

Do it by eye, hole slightly oversize and tighten taps down.

Doesn't it need to be oversized anyway?
If the tap is a tight fit the wood will split.
I wonder how much clearance the instructions say?

geraldthehamster wrote:
I need to drill accurately some holes for taps in a 40mm thick beech
worktop.

How might I ensure that I am drilling exactly vertically, with my hand-
held drill?


Get a piece of wood with parallel sides. Drill an accurately "vertical"
hole in it using, say, a pillar drill. Place the piece of wood over
worktop and use it as a guide for the new hole.

In fact, you could use anything with an accurately positioned hole - it
does not have to be the same diamater as the taps need - you can drill a
modest hole and enlarge it fairly accurately. So start searching - there
are all sorts of bits and pieces on vehcles that might do. If the item
already has a hole it doesn't even need to have two parallel surfaces.

--
Rod

Hypothyroidism is a seriously debilitating condition with an insidious
onset.
Although common it frequently goes undiagnosed.
www.thyromind.info www.thyroiduk.org www.altsupportthyroid.org

Cicero wrote:
On Wed, 09 Apr 2008 03:31:25 -0700, geraldthehamster wrote:

I need to drill accurately some holes for taps in a 40mm thick beech
worktop.

How might I ensure that I am drilling exactly vertically, with my hand-
held drill?


Regards
Richard

==================================
Buy one of these:

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/pr...il-drill-stand

A bit expensive for a one-off job but like most unusual tools surprisingly
useful for many other jobs.

Cic.

Buy a similar thing from axminster at a fraction (half)the price.

Bob

geraldthehamster has brought this to us :
I need to drill accurately some holes for taps in a 40mm thick beech
worktop.

How might I ensure that I am drilling exactly vertically, with my hand-
held drill?


Regards
Richard

A piece of steel about an 1" or more thick, with a pre-drilled accurate
hole in it. With lots of practise it is possible to drill an hole which
is near enough with any such help.

--
Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk

geraldthehamster wrote:
I need to drill accurately some holes for taps in a 40mm thick beech
worktop.

How might I ensure that I am drilling exactly vertically, with my hand-
held drill?

Forget the drill. Mark exactly where you need the holes. Stand the
worktop flat against a house wall and stand a measured and calculated
distance back. Take account of any local interference such as wind in
your calculations.

With your shooting rifle ready, do the necessary.

Important. Make sure no one is in the vicinity inside the house or out.
Some bloke did it while installing his satellite dish, things did'nt go
down too well.

--
Adrian C

On 2008-04-09 16:34:10 +0100, Adrian C said:

geraldthehamster wrote:
I need to drill accurately some holes for taps in a 40mm thick beech
worktop.

How might I ensure that I am drilling exactly vertically, with my hand-
held drill?

Forget the drill. Mark exactly where you need the holes. Stand the
worktop flat against a house wall and stand a measured and calculated
distance back. Take account of any local interference such as wind in
your calculations.

With your shooting rifle ready, do the necessary.

Important. Make sure no one is in the vicinity inside the house or out.
Some bloke did it while installing his satellite dish, things did'nt go
down too well.

Certainly his wife didn't after that.....

Rod wrote:
geraldthehamster wrote:
I need to drill accurately some holes for taps in a 40mm thick beech
worktop.

How might I ensure that I am drilling exactly vertically, with my hand-
held drill?


Get a piece of wood with parallel sides. Drill an accurately "vertical"
hole in it using, say, a pillar drill. Place the piece of wood over
worktop and use it as a guide for the new hole.

In fact, you could use anything with an accurately positioned hole - it
does not have to be the same diamater as the taps need - you can drill a
modest hole and enlarge it fairly accurately. So start searching - there
are all sorts of bits and pieces on vehcles that might do. If the item
already has a hole it doesn't even need to have two parallel surfaces.

Actually, see:

http://www.axminster.co.uk/product.asp?pf_id=21306&name=340223&user_search=1& sfile=1&jump=0

Quite cheap. Very simple.
--
Rod

Hypothyroidism is a seriously debilitating condition with an insidious
onset.
Although common it frequently goes undiagnosed.
www.thyromind.info www.thyroiduk.org www.altsupportthyroid.org

On Apr 9, 8:30*pm, Rod wrote:
Rod wrote:

Actually, see:

http://www.axminster.co.uk/product.asp?pf_id=21306&name=340223&user_s....

Quite cheap. Very simple.

Or the tilting one for a little mo

http://www.axminster.co.uk/product-A...Tilting-Drill-
Guide-21095.htm

cheers,
Pete.

TEST reply
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Harry Bloomfield wrote:
geraldthehamster has brought this to us :

I need to drill accurately some holes for taps in a 40mm thick beech
worktop.

How might I ensure that I am drilling exactly vertically, with my hand-
held drill?


Regards
Richard


A piece of steel about an 1" or more thick, with a pre-drilled accurate
hole in it. With lots of practise it is possible to drill an hole which
is near enough with any such help.

The problem with this idea is that when you come to open the hole up to
full size, you can drift off the vertical.
My way of drilling a hole to pass an electrical cable through a double
wall failed me last year. I normally use a long drill and put a pilot
hole through both walls and then a final sized drill from the inside and
then the outside. When I did this on our son's house last year, they
didn't point in the same direction :-(

Hence I couldn't get the cable through the wall.

Can't you drill the pilot holes from the top to ensure that they are the
correct distance apart and the right size and then make any mess under
the work top where it can never be seen after course correction?

Taps do not bend easily, but copper pipe does.

Dave

On 10 Apr, 18:35, Dave wrote:

Can't you drill the pilot holes from the top to ensure that they are the
correct distance apart and the right size and then make any mess under
the work top where it can never be seen after course correction?

Taps do not bend easily, but copper pipe does.

What we did, and this is the cunning bit, was to use *two people*.
One, holding the drill, judged his left-right perpendicularity (to to
speak), and the other (me) kept an eye on the fore and aft aspect.
Drilled pilot hole, then drilled with a spade bit from both sides (not
at once), two reasonably perfect holes, sufficiently oversize to the
taps that they could sit correctly.

What is this "copper" pipe of which you speak?

Regards
Richard

geraldthehamster wrote:

On 10 Apr, 18:35, Dave wrote:


Can't you drill the pilot holes from the top to ensure that they are the
correct distance apart and the right size and then make any mess under
the work top where it can never be seen after course correction?

Taps do not bend easily, but copper pipe does.


What we did, and this is the cunning bit, was to use *two people*.
One, holding the drill, judged his left-right perpendicularity (to to
speak), and the other (me) kept an eye on the fore and aft aspect.
Drilled pilot hole, then drilled with a spade bit from both sides (not
at once), two reasonably perfect holes, sufficiently oversize to the
taps that they could sit correctly.

Yes, that works fine if you have another person that knows what vertical
means :-)

What is this "copper" pipe of which you speak?

I thought that it was used universally in plumbing. Am I wrong?

Dave