▼EXPAND FOR TOOL LINKS and INFO▼ Watch Next: No Track Saw? No Problem! ua-cam.com/video/IL3OZl_jp48/v-deo.htmlsi=dShX9Fgkf76rspuu Tools In This Video:
Milescraft Portable Drill Guide (Amazon) amzn.to/47eMJKm WEN Drill Press - amzn.to/3sImyNd Drill Press Fence - lddy.no/1iaoz Irwin Forstner Bit Set (good budget option) - amzn.to/46gehOg Fisch Forster Bit Set (top of the line) - amzn.to/3MOQyxz DFM Square - amzn.to/3sCducL Milwaukee Drill I Use - acmetools.pxf.io/m50WPD DeWALT Drill I Use - amzn.to/47vt0G6 Rare Earth Magnets - amzn.to/49Lmvky T-Shirt I'm Wearing - bit.ly/46peLBH 📲 Never miss another tool deal. Sign up for my Tool Deals SMS Alerts - NOTE: I text out tool deals so you don’t miss any! text DEALS to 1 (731) 207-7151 Be sure to add DEALS to your text to me so you get added to the proper list. You can also click this link my.community.com/731woodworks Important to add the word DEALS to the text! 🇺🇸 Join the Tubafour Nation on Patreon to get an exclusive Tubafour Nation sticker, access to exclusive member-only behind-the-scenes videos, member-only livestreams, discounts, and other cool member-only perks! www.patreon.com/731woodworks (If you use one of these Amazon and other affiliate links, I may receive a commission) Some other useful links: Daily Tool Deals on my website: www.731woodworks.com/tool-deals Subscribe to our email Newsletter: mailchi.mp/7e44c16eefdc/731-woodworks-email-newsletter Check out our easy-to-follow woodworking plans: www.731woodworks.com/store Outlaw's Board Butter - So Good it Should be Outlawed: www.731woodworks.com/store/boardbutter
Milescraft is another one of those non big name brand companies that I have grown to love. I've never had any major issues with milescraft or wen. I've had this in my cart for a while now, but still haven't picked it up. I can definitely see this being easier than adjusting my drill press sometimes to fit awkward pieces. keep up the great work with your videos.
I have one. I use it for something stupid, which is an up cut router bit. I have a 1/4” shank and 1/2” routers, but sometimes I just use the drill and press to do it. I know, I know “what the heck why” is what they would say. But here we are.
I have one and I have to admit that it is pretty high in quality. I never owned one until I got into UA-cam. Most woodworking channels were telling me to get this so I did. I've only used it once. I hated the tiny chuck key because I have arthritis in my hands and it's small. My drill has a bubble level on the end of it and I just never use it. I do have several Milescraft products and they make pretty good items. Just don't run out and buy everything that you see on UA-cam. 731 himself has even said that.
Yeah I had to ask myself: if I think I don't have the budget or the space for a drill press, do I have the money or space to give up to a gimmicky "affiliate link" gadget that I'll end up not using and just replacing with a real drill press in a few years anyway? 🤔
I have the same one and it's great for those small jobs that I as a DYIer have to get done. In relation to storing that tiny little chuck key, I plug it into one of the four holes in the base. These holes have rubber grommets and hold it in perfectly when not in use.
I have been using this drill press guide for a few years. It works great for me. I mainly use it to drill for threaded inserts on table tops. It is accurate and the depth stop works great for perfect holes for threaded inserts.
Fitted mine with the MDF base like yours, I left out one of the screws securing the base & drilled out the hole, that’s where I store the chuck key, supplied grommet keeps it in place. Good idea for the fence.
I have this drill guide already. I agree it is a very good product. I used it to drill holes in piece of plywood for a plinko board. It worked great and a traditional drill press would not have worked for the project.
I bought one, it is ok. I took the spring off as it cants the chuck/drill bit towards the shaft with the spring as there is a bit of slop in the sleeves that ride up and down the shafts. I removed the two hard plastic sleaves from the chuck carrier and replaced them with a piece of ultra slippery Teflon PTFE 1/16" thick sheet (McMaster Carr part# 8545K13) that I rolled into a cylinder. To cut the strip uses the full height of the hard plastic insert to measure for the width of the strip and marked a line with a sharpie. Cut the strip off with sharp scissors. Then roll the end of the strip around one of the steel shafts(PTFE is soft) and mark the approximate length needed to make a complete cylinder, you will have to trim off tiny amounts of the length to get it to fit perfectly into the holes in the drill chuck carriage(it should be a tight fit), push the piece of PTFE all the way to the bottom, I needed to use the edge of a 3/8" dowel to to get the PTFE piece to bottom out. There is no need to reinstall the two screw they are not necessary as the Teflon fit it tight. All the slop is gone. Reassemble the drill guide and put a thin film of gun oil, 3 in 1 oil, synthetic motor oil, or the like on the steel shafts, it will be silky smooth and it will be an excellent tool. I would recommend mounting it to a 8" or 10" square base for stability. This is a light duty, hobbyist tool, do not expect to be drilling holes for pegging mortice and tenon joints in huge timbers.
I want one of these! I don’t have room (or justification) for a full-on drill press but this drill guide looks like something I could really use! Thanks for the demo. Might be asking Santa….
I have this and I found it so unstable but usable. Now that I saw you attache it to a base, I am going to do that and it will instantly become more useful. I also stick the chuck key in the the rubber that comes through the hole that comes from the feet. Thanks Matt!
I was just looking into these because I don't have the space for a drill press but came across the Rockler which costs more than your Wen, so I gave up. I'll have to pick this up. Thank you!
Wow. I have one of these in my shop but haven't used it much since getting a drill press. That will change... I agree there are scenarios where it'll be useful - none of which I ever knew of until tonight. THANKS!
You know how I know that you are good at reviewing tools? I literally already have this but just listening to the talking points I am sitting here like "Wow, I should get one!"
I bought one. I tried it a couple of times. I make knives so I needed to be able to drill perpendicular holes in the scales for pins. It's not all that stable. It wants to wobble with the weight of the drill on it. My biggest issue with it was the difficulty in getting the drill chuck tightened to the bit. I threw it in a drawer and bought a bench top drill press for $215. Worth the money for what I do with it.
This is an improvement over the old Portalign drill guide (later sold as the Craftsmen Drill guide at Sears). I still have my Portalign from the 70’s and it works quite nicely.
I replaced the hard plastic sleaves that are inside the chuck carrier with 1/16" thick Teflon PTFE and all the slop/misalignment is gone from the drill guide. See my comment for step by step instructions and the part# for the PTFE
BTW, the shaft of the chuck fits neatly and tightly into the holes in the rubber feet. Of course, that's moot when you have it screwed to a base, but I like it as a feature.
▼EXPAND FOR TOOL LINKS and INFO▼ Video to Watch Next: No Track Saw? No Problem! ua-cam.com/video/IL3OZl_jp48/v-deo.htmlsi=dShX9Fgkf76rspuu Tools in this Video: Milescraft Portable Drill Guide (Amazon) amzn.to/47eMJKm WEN Drill Press - amzn.to/3sImyNd Irwin Forstner Bit Set (good budget option) - amzn.to/46gehOg Fisch Forster Bit Set (top of the line) - amzn.to/3MOQyxz DFM Square - amzn.to/3sCducL Milwaukee Drill I Use - acmetools.pxf.io/m50WPD DeWALT Drill I Use - amzn.to/47vt0G6 Rare Earth Magnets - amzn.to/49Lmvky As an Amazon Influencer, I earn from qualifying purchases. This helps support my channel so I can continue to make content like this. Some of the links used in this comment are affilate links and I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases. 📲 Never miss another tool deal. Sign up for my Tool Deals SMS Alerts - NOTE: I text out tool deals so you don’t miss any! text DEALS to 1 (731) 207-7151 Be sure to add DEALS to your text to me so you get added to the proper list. You can also click this link my.community.com/731woodworks Important to add the word DEALS to the text! 🇺🇸 Join the Tubafour Nation on Patreon to get an exclusive Tubafour Nation sticker, access to exclusive member-only behind-the-scenes videos, member-only livestreams, discounts, and other cool member-only perks! www.patreon.com/731woodworks Some other useful links: Daily Tool Deals on my website: www.731woodworks.com/tool-deals Subscribe to our email Newsletter: mailchi.mp/7e44c16eefdc/731-woodworks-email-newsletter Outlaw's Board Butter - So Good it Should be Outlawed: www.731woodworks.com/store/boardbutter
I purchased a Milescraft doweling jig and was very disappointed. I used it for the project I was working on and returned it afterwards. Here is my question. How accurate are the preset angle detents? Did you happen to check or verify them? Thanks
A drill guide can replace a drill press with a fence, but it's not always a good idea. The important rule or thumb is "use a big tool on a small workpiece, use a small tool on a big workpiece". While you can make repeated holes on a small piece using a drill guide with a jig, you're much better off going to a drill press with a fence with flip stops or other aids. The fence can also make it easier to keep the small piece in place. On the other hand, you can't bring many large pieces to the drill press, or keep them there safely, or drill a hole close enough to the center of the piece. Drill guides give you the freedom to easily drill anywhere on a large piece. The Milescraft Drill Guide is fine. There are fancier ones, but the price jumps steeply. At this is light and at the price point it's probably the best. There a similar Chinese design that sells for around the same price, but I think the 4 screw holes for a jig make the Milescraft the better design.
This would be great for dog holes on a work bench. WIsh I would have seen this before I ordered one from a competitor because it is much cheaper. Thanks for sharing Sir.
I have one of these and didn't know about all the features on it, got it for making dog holes when I eventually get around to building a workbench. You could probably improve the fence idea by putting sets of holes in the board at measured distances and then dropping something like a clevis pin through them for whatever distance you wanted at the time. Another thing that could probably be done to this is attaching some of round rare earth magnets with a screw hole in them to the feet or recessing them into the platform you made so it can easily be attached to metal surfaces, it wouldn't support the full weight of the drill but it would make it way less awkward to drill into the side of a vertical surface.
There was lots of slop in the chuck carrier so I removed the sloppy hard plastic liners and rolled a 1/16" thick strip of Teflon PTFE into a cylinder as a replacement for the hard plastic pieces and all the slop is gone and it rides smooth now. It is still a cheap, light-duty hobbyist tool at best, but at least it is usable now.
I bought one to drill holes into the studs to install lag bolts for a floating shelf. Needed the hole square and it did a really good job. Wish I knew about the self centering function, would have used that for the holes in the shelf as well.
Even though I have a drill press I think having something like this is great for when you have an item that can't fit into the drill press such as if I'm doing a tabletop and I need to drill a hole in the table top the table tops not going to fit so this will help me drill the straight hole
This would be great for some smaller projects I have coming up!! I could just grab this, and go outside, instead of trying to carry my drill press ( because I live in an apartment building and have basically a whole woodworking shop stacked up in my apartment).... Tools like this are definitely handy for guys like me.
I have the Rockler version with the accessory vise, which I have to believe is the US clone of the Axminster UJK version in the UK. . The vise was a freaking miracle when I had to drill lanyard holes in 80-100 small wooden spheres. . Spendy and heavier, but the chuck accepts 1/2" bits and it feels safer with larger Forstner bits.
IMO you really need to get the Rockler or the woodpeckers version. If you are only going to use it once and never again you might be happy with the poor quality and inaccuracy of the cheaper versions but they really aren't any good. The vice you purchased is the self centering one?
Gonna look into this. I'm in that category where budget, space and frequency of use are all issues. I'd really like a small device like this that I can get out for the occasional need.
I have a Drill Press and I also believe that every work area should also have a Drillmate type tool. Think drilling into walls or workpieces on the bench or throughout your home.
I bought this and it was inaccurate. It had a strong wobble as the pin on top was slightly bent. I measured with a caliper and carefully sanded off 0.1 millimeter from 2 of the 6 sides of the pinion. Now it's centered and stable. But it was a hard ride.
One suggestion. Before you attach the added base, put center lines on it. Then align those lines with drill guide center lines . Once you drill the new hole. Bring those lines down thru new hole. Now you can use center lines for guides when needed.
I've had one of those for a while. There's a ton of slop in the rails - at least a few degrees. It's barely better than drilling by hand. The only benefit really is the ability to clamp it down for a bits that have a tendency to walk.
ive been getting a lot of milescraft products. i really like the push blocks for my jointer and the push block that rivals the grr ripper is pretty dang good as well. the universal trim router subbase works awesome on my cordless ridgid router. the router itself has a terrible base so its nice to have handles and a biger base to keep it from wobbling.
We have a project where we have to screw in a lot of 240mm specialty screws through insulation and timber battens for a house facade and I was wondering if this guide will also work with an impact driver to make repeatable driving in screws at 90 degree angle easier
Binge watched a bunch of your content this week and this video got me to subscribe. You review and give tip to all the stuff I (think I might) need. Thank you for putting in the time and effort you put into making these videos. God bless!
I’ve found it difficult to get a true perpendicular hole with this with a Forstner bit. It helps if you take off the rubber feet and clamp it to the workpiece (but there isn’t a lot of surface to clamp to). The base is not wide enough to counter the leverage of the shaft and drill above, so it’s almost impossible to tell if you are perpendicular to the workpiece. The spring is also quite heavy, forcing you to put extra pressure on the drill and increasing the likelihood of error. I removed the spring and it helps some. Also mine seems to have a slight wobble in the shaft. I’d rate this 4/10
I have one also. No matter what I do, even after Milescraft sent me a new one, it wobbles. It kinda works, but not even close to my cheap Harbor Freight drill press.
Love this review. I recently bought a milescraft doweling jig and have been VERY happy with it. This modular press reminds me of a trim router / router table scenario. You gonna bring a table top to the router or the router to the table top?!? I have a floor standing Jet drill press. And now I’m about to have a Milescraft, too! Great review! I’ve always trusted your judgement.
thnx for the review i just purchased this from a different manufacturer, its handy on field. i also purchased a drill press and was wondering what RPM range did you set yours for woodworking (as there is a wide range to set) ?
The speed of the drill press is determined by the diameter of the bit, type of bit (twist, spade, etc.), also type of wood (hard or soft) can come into play. There should be a chart with the drill press. If not let me know and I see if I can get something up for you.
I bought to drill a lot of holes in plywood to make a donut board. The bit wobbles and wallows out the holes. I can drill much cleaner and faster by hand. I hope I can send it back.
Matt, I need some help. I bought this drill guide, I misunderstood thinking that it would come with a drill chuck that would insert into my drill. Obviously it doesn’t. Is there a separate chuck that I should buy to go with it? I use Bosch cordless drills and impacts and they just don’t fit into this guide. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!!
▼EXPAND FOR TOOL LINKS and INFO▼
Watch Next: No Track Saw? No Problem! ua-cam.com/video/IL3OZl_jp48/v-deo.htmlsi=dShX9Fgkf76rspuu
Tools In This Video:
Milescraft Portable Drill Guide (Amazon) amzn.to/47eMJKm
WEN Drill Press - amzn.to/3sImyNd
Drill Press Fence - lddy.no/1iaoz
Irwin Forstner Bit Set (good budget option) - amzn.to/46gehOg
Fisch Forster Bit Set (top of the line) - amzn.to/3MOQyxz
DFM Square - amzn.to/3sCducL
Milwaukee Drill I Use - acmetools.pxf.io/m50WPD
DeWALT Drill I Use - amzn.to/47vt0G6
Rare Earth Magnets - amzn.to/49Lmvky
T-Shirt I'm Wearing - bit.ly/46peLBH
📲 Never miss another tool deal. Sign up for my Tool Deals SMS Alerts - NOTE: I text out tool deals so you don’t miss any! text DEALS to 1 (731) 207-7151 Be sure to add DEALS to your text to me so you get added to the proper list. You can also click this link my.community.com/731woodworks Important to add the word DEALS to the text!
🇺🇸 Join the Tubafour Nation on Patreon to get an exclusive Tubafour Nation sticker, access to exclusive member-only behind-the-scenes videos, member-only livestreams, discounts, and other cool member-only perks! www.patreon.com/731woodworks
(If you use one of these Amazon and other affiliate links, I may receive a commission)
Some other useful links:
Daily Tool Deals on my website: www.731woodworks.com/tool-deals
Subscribe to our email Newsletter: mailchi.mp/7e44c16eefdc/731-woodworks-email-newsletter
Check out our easy-to-follow woodworking plans: www.731woodworks.com/store
Outlaw's Board Butter - So Good it Should be Outlawed: www.731woodworks.com/store/boardbutter
For anyone watching in the UK (like me) Rutlands do one of these and setting up of the angle drill is way smoother than the one shown here.
Milescraft is another one of those non big name brand companies that I have grown to love. I've never had any major issues with milescraft or wen. I've had this in my cart for a while now, but still haven't picked it up. I can definitely see this being easier than adjusting my drill press sometimes to fit awkward pieces.
keep up the great work with your videos.
I have one. I use it for something stupid, which is an up cut router bit. I have a 1/4” shank and 1/2” routers, but sometimes I just use the drill and press to do it.
I know, I know “what the heck why” is what they would say. But here we are.
I have one and I have to admit that it is pretty high in quality. I never owned one until I got into UA-cam. Most woodworking channels were telling me to get this so I did. I've only used it once. I hated the tiny chuck key because I have arthritis in my hands and it's small. My drill has a bubble level on the end of it and I just never use it.
I do have several Milescraft products and they make pretty good items.
Just don't run out and buy everything that you see on UA-cam. 731 himself has even said that.
I have one in my shop but haven't used it much since getting a drill press. You've shown me ways to use it I've never thought of before. Awesome!
Yeah I had to ask myself: if I think I don't have the budget or the space for a drill press, do I have the money or space to give up to a gimmicky "affiliate link" gadget that I'll end up not using and just replacing with a real drill press in a few years anyway? 🤔
I bought this before my drill press. Does a great job and gets in places my drill press can't
I have the same one and it's great for those small jobs that I as a DYIer have to get done. In relation to storing that tiny little chuck key, I plug it into one of the four holes in the base. These holes have rubber grommets and hold it in perfectly when not in use.
Thank you for the video, Matt. I appreciate the time you take to show a product, what you like/don't like, how to use, etc
The way you can angle this thing is brilliant. I need this ASAP
I have been using this drill press guide for a few years. It works great for me. I mainly use it to drill for threaded inserts on table tops. It is accurate and the depth stop works great for perfect holes for threaded inserts.
Fitted mine with the MDF base like yours, I left out one of the screws securing the base & drilled out the hole, that’s where I store the chuck key, supplied grommet keeps it in place. Good idea for the fence.
I have this drill guide already. I agree it is a very good product. I used it to drill holes in piece of plywood for a plinko board. It worked great and a traditional drill press would not have worked for the project.
I bought one, it is ok. I took the spring off as it cants the chuck/drill bit towards the shaft with the spring as there is a bit of slop in the sleeves that ride up and down the shafts. I removed the two hard plastic sleaves from the chuck carrier and replaced them with a piece of ultra slippery Teflon PTFE 1/16" thick sheet (McMaster Carr part# 8545K13) that I rolled into a cylinder. To cut the strip uses the full height of the hard plastic insert to measure for the width of the strip and marked a line with a sharpie. Cut the strip off with sharp scissors. Then roll the end of the strip around one of the steel shafts(PTFE is soft) and mark the approximate length needed to make a complete cylinder, you will have to trim off tiny amounts of the length to get it to fit perfectly into the holes in the drill chuck carriage(it should be a tight fit), push the piece of PTFE all the way to the bottom, I needed to use the edge of a 3/8" dowel to to get the PTFE piece to bottom out. There is no need to reinstall the two screw they are not necessary as the Teflon fit it tight. All the slop is gone. Reassemble the drill guide and put a thin film of gun oil, 3 in 1 oil, synthetic motor oil, or the like on the steel shafts, it will be silky smooth and it will be an excellent tool.
I would recommend mounting it to a 8" or 10" square base for stability. This is a light duty, hobbyist tool, do not expect to be drilling holes for pegging mortice and tenon joints in huge timbers.
I want one of these! I don’t have room (or justification) for a full-on drill press but this drill guide looks like something I could really use! Thanks for the demo. Might be asking Santa….
I have this and I found it so unstable but usable. Now that I saw you attache it to a base, I am going to do that and it will instantly become more useful. I also stick the chuck key in the the rubber that comes through the hole that comes from the feet. Thanks Matt!
First thing I did was attach mine to a length of 2X10 I had lying around from some project I did in the past
I was just looking into these because I don't have the space for a drill press but came across the Rockler which costs more than your Wen, so I gave up. I'll have to pick this up. Thank you!
Thank you so very much Matt , I needed a way to have a drill press compact and affordable , God bless everyone
Thx Matt, I have this tool and it works great! Way cheaper than the rockler version.
Milescraft tools are seriously under rated. I have a couple of their router circle cutting jigs. Good stuff, decent pricing.
Wow. I have one of these in my shop but haven't used it much since getting a drill press. That will change... I agree there are scenarios where it'll be useful - none of which I ever knew of until tonight. THANKS!
Thanks for watching!
You know how I know that you are good at reviewing tools? I literally already have this but just listening to the talking points I am sitting here like "Wow, I should get one!"
Funny.....similar to infomercials.....you never knew that you needed a chia pet 😁
🤣
Cha Cha Cha Chia!
Bonus tip…If it’s not mounted on a piece of wood, you can also slide the chuck into one of the holes of the rubber feet. It fits securely. 😊
I would gladly do that, but i already lost mine lmao
Perfect timing! We're about to replace our bannister and this in a jig should help with the stairs and railing
Hey, thanks for reviewing this! I've seen it in stores, but had concerns about how stable it was. Good to know it's solid!
I bought one. I tried it a couple of times. I make knives so I needed to be able to drill perpendicular holes in the scales for pins. It's not all that stable. It wants to wobble with the weight of the drill on it. My biggest issue with it was the difficulty in getting the drill chuck tightened to the bit. I threw it in a drawer and bought a bench top drill press for $215. Worth the money for what I do with it.
I just bought one of these a couple of days ago! Love it so far!
This is an improvement over the old Portalign drill guide (later sold as the Craftsmen Drill guide at Sears). I still have my Portalign from the 70’s and it works quite nicely.
Love this simple tool been in my shops for years. Don't forget you can make jigs for the bottom for your repeated hole needs.
I replaced the hard plastic sleaves that are inside the chuck carrier with 1/16" thick Teflon PTFE and all the slop/misalignment is gone from the drill guide. See my comment for step by step instructions and the part# for the PTFE
BTW, the shaft of the chuck fits neatly and tightly into the holes in the rubber feet. Of course, that's moot when you have it screwed to a base, but I like it as a feature.
▼EXPAND FOR TOOL LINKS and INFO▼
Video to Watch Next: No Track Saw? No Problem! ua-cam.com/video/IL3OZl_jp48/v-deo.htmlsi=dShX9Fgkf76rspuu
Tools in this Video:
Milescraft Portable Drill Guide (Amazon) amzn.to/47eMJKm
WEN Drill Press - amzn.to/3sImyNd
Irwin Forstner Bit Set (good budget option) - amzn.to/46gehOg
Fisch Forster Bit Set (top of the line) - amzn.to/3MOQyxz
DFM Square - amzn.to/3sCducL
Milwaukee Drill I Use - acmetools.pxf.io/m50WPD
DeWALT Drill I Use - amzn.to/47vt0G6
Rare Earth Magnets - amzn.to/49Lmvky
As an Amazon Influencer, I earn from qualifying purchases. This helps support my channel so I can continue to make content like this. Some of the links used in this comment are affilate links and I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases.
📲 Never miss another tool deal. Sign up for my Tool Deals SMS Alerts - NOTE: I text out tool deals so you don’t miss any! text DEALS to 1 (731) 207-7151 Be sure to add DEALS to your text to me so you get added to the proper list. You can also click this link my.community.com/731woodworks Important to add the word DEALS to the text!
🇺🇸 Join the Tubafour Nation on Patreon to get an exclusive Tubafour Nation sticker, access to exclusive member-only behind-the-scenes videos, member-only livestreams, discounts, and other cool member-only perks! www.patreon.com/731woodworks
Some other useful links:
Daily Tool Deals on my website: www.731woodworks.com/tool-deals
Subscribe to our email Newsletter: mailchi.mp/7e44c16eefdc/731-woodworks-email-newsletter
Outlaw's Board Butter - So Good it Should be Outlawed: www.731woodworks.com/store/boardbutter
I purchased a Milescraft doweling jig and was very disappointed. I used it for the project I was working on and returned it afterwards.
Here is my question. How accurate are the preset angle detents? Did you happen to check or verify them? Thanks
Just used one for drilling 500+ 1" holes in a few peg boards for a home gym. Worked great.
A drill guide can replace a drill press with a fence, but it's not always a good idea. The important rule or thumb is "use a big tool on a small workpiece, use a small tool on a big workpiece".
While you can make repeated holes on a small piece using a drill guide with a jig, you're much better off going to a drill press with a fence with flip stops or other aids. The fence can also make it easier to keep the small piece in place.
On the other hand, you can't bring many large pieces to the drill press, or keep them there safely, or drill a hole close enough to the center of the piece. Drill guides give you the freedom to easily drill anywhere on a large piece.
The Milescraft Drill Guide is fine. There are fancier ones, but the price jumps steeply. At this is light and at the price point it's probably the best. There a similar Chinese design that sells for around the same price, but I think the 4 screw holes for a jig make the Milescraft the better design.
This would be great for dog holes on a work bench. WIsh I would have seen this before I ordered one from a competitor because it is much cheaper. Thanks for sharing Sir.
I have one of these and didn't know about all the features on it, got it for making dog holes when I eventually get around to building a workbench. You could probably improve the fence idea by putting sets of holes in the board at measured distances and then dropping something like a clevis pin through them for whatever distance you wanted at the time.
Another thing that could probably be done to this is attaching some of round rare earth magnets with a screw hole in them to the feet or recessing them into the platform you made so it can easily be attached to metal surfaces, it wouldn't support the full weight of the drill but it would make it way less awkward to drill into the side of a vertical surface.
I bought one, used it once and returned it. Biggest cheap POS I ever bought. Genuine buyer's remorse.
I’m assuming you don’t like the dremel line of attachments either???
There was lots of slop in the chuck carrier so I removed the sloppy hard plastic liners and rolled a 1/16" thick strip of Teflon PTFE into a cylinder as a replacement for the hard plastic pieces and all the slop is gone and it rides smooth now. It is still a cheap, light-duty hobbyist tool at best, but at least it is usable now.
I bought one to drill holes into the studs to install lag bolts for a floating shelf. Needed the hole square and it did a really good job. Wish I knew about the self centering function, would have used that for the holes in the shelf as well.
I swear you have ESP! I have been in need of a drill press and don’t have the funds or the space…dude you rock!
Even though I have a drill press I think having something like this is great for when you have an item that can't fit into the drill press such as if I'm doing a tabletop and I need to drill a hole in the table top the table tops not going to fit so this will help me drill the straight hole
I used it this with the wood owl bit to drill 3/4” dog holes in my work bench and it worked great.
Excellent!
Have one similar. Good in some situations.
thank you so so much now i can create jobsite and second drill press for shop to avoid changing bits non-stop
I love my drill press, but I still see this thing as a useful addition. Don't have one, but I will. Thanks for the review.
This would be great for some smaller projects I have coming up!! I could just grab this, and go outside, instead of trying to carry my drill press ( because I live in an apartment building and have basically a whole woodworking shop stacked up in my apartment)....
Tools like this are definitely handy for guys like me.
I have been on the fence about this one. But I did just order one. Matt I really do like your tool reviews.
Thanks for this Matt. Pitty about the base is ok but hold one summiliar and all you said it is ok. Blessed week👊
I think milescraft needs some more love and attention they're very reasonably priced and great bang for buck line of tools
I have a Nova voyager drill press that I use a lot more than I thought I would great quality as well 🇺🇸👊🏼🔨🪚
I'm SERIOUSLY thinking about buying the Nova to upgrade from my WEN.
@@731Woodworks
You will really wonder why you didn’t buy it long ago …🇺🇸👊🏼🔨🪚
II always store my chuck key in the chuck itself, just hand tighten it and then it's right there for the next job.
I have the Rockler version with the accessory vise, which I have to believe is the US clone of the Axminster UJK version in the UK.
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The vise was a freaking miracle when I had to drill lanyard holes in 80-100 small wooden spheres.
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Spendy and heavier, but the chuck accepts 1/2" bits and it feels safer with larger Forstner bits.
IMO you really need to get the Rockler or the woodpeckers version. If you are only going to use it once and never again you might be happy with the poor quality and inaccuracy of the cheaper versions but they really aren't any good. The vice you purchased is the self centering one?
@@KZ-yy9pm Yes, the self-centering one that attaches to the drill guide with 4 hex screws.
@@indigo_wolf3574 ahh thanks, I knew they sold one didn’t know it’s attached to the guide. Good to know.
Funny you should review this. I bought the exact same one last year. Good product. There are probably better, but it works for my purposes.
Oh I have the same drill press just the size bigger nice choice Matt
Gonna look into this. I'm in that category where budget, space and frequency of use are all issues. I'd really like a small device like this that I can get out for the occasional need.
I don't have room for a drill press, but I would like to have one. I'm sold on the Milescraft drill mate. Thanks for sharing.
I have used Milescraft pocket jig and it's good quality.
I have always been impressed with Milescraft. Will check this out.
Great for beginners! I just love your reviews. Thank you.
I have a Drill Press and I also believe that every work area should also have a Drillmate type tool. Think drilling into walls or workpieces on the bench or throughout your home.
We considered the Milescraft and Rockler but decided on the Woodpecker Autoangle and Auto-Line Drill Guides.
Ordered. Thanks for the info on one of these. Been tryin to figure out which one to get for a while. :)
I've been trying to save up for a drill press for a few years now, just to many other priorities. I have that same drillmate.
I bought this and it was inaccurate. It had a strong wobble as the pin on top was slightly bent. I measured with a caliper and carefully sanded off 0.1 millimeter from 2 of the 6 sides of the pinion. Now it's centered and stable. But it was a hard ride.
One suggestion. Before you attach the added base, put center lines on it. Then align those lines with drill guide center lines . Once you drill the new hole. Bring those lines down thru new hole. Now you can use center lines for guides when needed.
I've had one of those for a while. There's a ton of slop in the rails - at least a few degrees. It's barely better than drilling by hand. The only benefit really is the ability to clamp it down for a bits that have a tendency to walk.
ive been getting a lot of milescraft products. i really like the push blocks for my jointer and the push block that rivals the grr ripper is pretty dang good as well. the universal trim router subbase works awesome on my cordless ridgid router. the router itself has a terrible base so its nice to have handles and a biger base to keep it from wobbling.
I was looking at buying this, but haven't really seen any reviews on it. All of a sudden this comes out. Perfect timing! Love this channel!
Glad I could help!
There are around 8000 positive reviews on Amazon.
Thanks for the review. One question: "rare earth magnet?" As opposed to...?
We have a project where we have to screw in a lot of 240mm specialty screws through insulation and timber battens for a house facade and I was wondering if this guide will also work with an impact driver to make repeatable driving in screws at 90 degree angle easier
I can see myself ordering one of these very soon. Thank you for the product review 👍
No problem 👍
Matt. Thanks. Now that I have seen it I want to buy one.
You should review the Bora circular saw track thing. It looks nice but haven't tried it.
Agreed. Heard good things about it!
Binge watched a bunch of your content this week and this video got me to subscribe. You review and give tip to all the stuff I (think I might) need. Thank you for putting in the time and effort you put into making these videos. God bless!
I’ve found it difficult to get a true perpendicular hole with this with a Forstner bit. It helps if you take off the rubber feet and clamp it to the workpiece (but there isn’t a lot of surface to clamp to). The base is not wide enough to counter the leverage of the shaft and drill above, so it’s almost impossible to tell if you are perpendicular to the workpiece. The spring is also quite heavy, forcing you to put extra pressure on the drill and increasing the likelihood of error. I removed the spring and it helps some. Also mine seems to have a slight wobble in the shaft. I’d rate this 4/10
I bought that a year ago awesome product
Have you tried the Woodpeckers Auto Angle drill guide? I know you are a fan of their stuff.
I haven't tried that one
Ive had one of these for a couple years now. The shaft of the chuck key fits into the rubber feet for storage.
I have one also. No matter what I do, even after Milescraft sent me a new one, it wobbles. It kinda works, but not even close to my cheap Harbor Freight drill press.
exactly! to much play in chuck!
Love this review. I recently bought a milescraft doweling jig and have been VERY happy with it.
This modular press reminds me of a trim router / router table scenario. You gonna bring a table top to the router or the router to the table top?!?
I have a floor standing Jet drill press. And now I’m about to have a Milescraft, too!
Great review! I’ve always trusted your judgement.
Great review and some excellent tips. Thanks from Australia.
I love mine. Used it to make a MFT table.
the chuck will also stick into the rubber grommets on the feet(why one side it shorter.)
thnx for the review i just purchased this from a different manufacturer, its handy on field. i also purchased a drill press and was wondering what RPM range did you set yours for woodworking (as there is a wide range to set) ?
The speed of the drill press is determined by the diameter of the bit, type of bit (twist, spade, etc.), also type of wood (hard or soft) can come into play. There should be a chart with the drill press. If not let me know and I see if I can get something up for you.
I have this exact unit and it works well. Once my shoulder heals I will be making a base for mine.
Praying for speedy recovery for you!
Thank you!!! @@731Woodworks
Love your true story brother. Amen!
Great video / review and love the Top Gun part.
I bought to drill a lot of holes in plywood to make a donut board. The bit wobbles and wallows out the holes. I can drill much cleaner and faster by hand. I hope I can send it back.
Thanks for your answer. Have a great Thanksgiving.
Find a piece of relatively thick plexi to mount it on instead a piece of plywood for added convenience.
I love this tool I use it a lot
Thank you for the review on this product
Thanks, I am getting one of these right away
Hiya, many thanks for this video great stuff. How would i measure the depth stop on the vertical bar is it calibrated or use a caliper on the bar?
This thing and an appropriate forstner bit can make a better pocket hole.
This looks like a game-changer!! 🎉
Perfect Festool accessory!
Great video as always Matt another great item to check out and will be very helpful in the shop. Thanks for sharing
Great video Matt! This is exactly what I’ve been looking for. Thanks.
Matt, I need some help. I bought this drill guide, I misunderstood thinking that it would come with a drill chuck that would insert into my drill. Obviously it doesn’t. Is there a separate chuck that I should buy to go with it? I use Bosch cordless drills and impacts and they just don’t fit into this guide. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!!
Disregard, I bought a drill from Harbor Freight that fit perfectly. Thank you though.
I have one of these. It's biggest seller for me was it can drill deeper than 2"
Need this for a multi tool, like festool’s version
Ive had this for years, not bad