🟢 Drill STRAIGHT Holes (5 Easy Ways without a Drill Press)

I'm going to go through 5 easy ways to drill straight / perfectly perpendicular holes WITHOUT a drill press or making drilling jigs that take hours to make. I'll show how to drill straight holes with different methods and tools that are fast, easy and reliable. We'll discuss options like an easy to make guide, drilling tricks and a couple of commercial alternatives to help you keep your drill bits straight when making holes.

Here are links to tools I talked about in this video.

Milescraft Drill Block:

Other Drill Guides that are Block-like (apparently Milescraft has a trademark on Drill Block)

DrillMate Portable Power Drill Guide

Other portable drill guides:

My legal disclaimer.

DIY and Home Improvement involve risk of personal injury and should be done with care. Please adhere to all safety recommendations from material and tool manufacturers and check your local codes. Some work may involve permits and it is your responsibility to comply with your local building officials.

My videos are for entertainment purposes only. Although I hope you learn something, I'm not a professional and you are responsible for making sure you know what you are doing before taking on any home improvement task. If you do something dumb that results in personal injury or property damage, that's on you. I'm in no way responsible for your workmanship and results if they are terrible, or even if they come out great. That said, I wish you much success in your DIY projects.

[tmedina]

How dare you make an informative video in under four minutes? Great info and to the point.

[yougetagoldstar]

I'm new to drilling. I actually thought I was a failure for failing to drill a straight hole. Nice to know that this problem is so common that products have been made to solve it.

[rboggyi]

Thank you for making this as straightforward as possible

[charlescole]

Just used the two blocks of scrap wood in the clamp option. Fantastic result. You will make experts of us all 😀

[apvj]

Have seen too many videos on this topic and almost gave this one a pass, but then, glad I watched it. Very nice video, no fuss, straight to the point and most importantly, very nice options listed out.
Do post more tips&tricks for DIY'ers..

[chrisclarke]

A major plus for the drill block you showed is the V shaped cutout in the bottom that allows you to drill crosswise through the centre of a dowel or pipe.

[AWBuilder]

The clamping together of 2 pieces of wood is a great idea since it is quick and the surfaces can be shifted/re-sawn as they become worn.

[technoman]

I love the CD trick, I'll try it next time

[fxp]

I've used a drill block for years, and it's great. My top pick.

[ffnrgpg]

This is why I love youtube. Thanks for posting this.

[paulkolodner]

Since I have a drill press, I drilled a hole into a block of wood, put it on the bench and made sure it was level. Then I chucked the bit into my hand drill and stuck it into the hole. Then I glued a circular level to the back of the drill and made sure it was level. Now, I can free-hand a vertical hole pretty well by keeping the bubble centered in the level as I drill.

[dominantmale]

The only cutting faces on a drill bit are the two leading edges so once you've got the hole started the rest will follow, so removing the drill block to drill deeper or thorugh a peice is no issue so long as you let the hole guide the bit. Nice post by the way.

[TM-xmzj]

Thank you! The portable drill guide looks perfect for drilling horizontally - it's so easy to get this wrong if the hole is a different height than you are, or if drilling into brick etc. Off to buy one now.

[erwinbenally]

Thanks for the reminder. I have a drill block, now just locate it 😅

[robertwoods]

Thank you for sharing this. I used a speed square with mixed results. A drill block is in my future. Thanks man.

[umetnic]

You are a great teacher! Looking forward to see your channel grow exponentially! 💪👏

[radstorm]

You can also use a plunge router to start a straight hole at least. It has the flat bottom plate to align it with the material you want to drill. It functions similar to the alignment tool. Just the travel is pretty limited. .. :o)

[bracsyller]

Dude, thank you so much. Im here because I made a mistake, more than once. Headed to Lowe's for both a drill block and drill guide.

[geoffmead]

Excellent video. Great ideas, clearly presented. Very helpful. Thanks.

[idahodad]

The offset blocks are a great idea. Great info!