VE6AB Technical
Make it Straight
Have you ever had a problem when drilling a vertical hole where it was crucial that the hole be perpendicular to the surface the hole was being drilled in to.
If the material having the hole drilled in to is mounted in a drill press, then the problem doesn't exist. However when drilling a hole freehand with a hand drill, the end result can be less than satisfactory.
When it came time to add utility poles to my HO Industrial Switching layout, I was faced with the dilemma of exactly that, making sure the holes were drilled straight so that the utility poles were standing perfectly straight when dropped in to the holes drilled in the surface of the layout.
The solution was as simple as adding a bubble-level to the back of my cordless drill, using double-sided tape to attach the bubble level.
Once you have the drill centered over the location where you wan the hole to go, its as simple as keeping the bubble centered while drilling the hole, ending up with a perfectly centered hole perpendicular to the surface around the hole.
Although the holes I required were drilled vertically, by utilizing a bubble-level that allows for both vertical and horizontal leveling such as the ones available that mount in the hot-shoe of a camera, horizontal holes that require precision drilling are also possible.
Expand the photo full screen for a closer look.....
