Milescraft 1318 DrillMate Portable Drillling Guide – Precision Drilling Jig Attachment for Drilling Angled or Straight Holes, Adjustable Drill Guide Attachment, Portable Drill Press with 3/8” Chuck

I've only tested it and it feels good and solid. I'll probably make a larger base plate from plywood to screw it to for more stability.

Almost perfect in every way except two f'ing little screw bolts which connect base to the uprights. It is a very solid and quite heavy piece of kit, well designed and easy to use, instructions are very simple and clear and easy to follow. Waited a week for it to arrive from the USA. The only let down is how fidley the bolts are which secure base to the two vertical uprights, i lost the plot big time and almost asked for a refund. But eventually managed to get it sorted. I have secured mine to a thick board and used a large forstner bit to make the hole. Will probably have to undo it all again and remove the spring to allow for a deeper hole as the board has taken up some of the drilling depth. I am glad i have it and will end up using it a lot on various projects so if you can be patient with asembly then its a great bit of kit.

Nice piece of kit. Much sturdier than others I’ve seen. Have used several times and pleased with the outcome.

The item feels sturdy and well made. However, I do have issue with the amount of free-play that is allowed in the axis between the pillars. So there is 2mm free play at the drill bit tip which is a lot imo. This means that the default is for the drill bit to be off-centre and in my view will mean that the hole drilled is not vertical. The spring will always make it off-centre one way - but with care, a true centre can be found by adjusting pressure on how the drill is held.I think that anyone looking for true precision may need to consider a dedicated drill press (expensive). Having said that, the Milescraft is a workable solution for the kind of things I want to do, it holds a drill bit more steadily than my free-hand would. I just need to be aware of its limitations.

Bit tricky to assamble but soon had it running unfortunately the drill I have still wonder of at a angle but I didn't have it clamped down( perhaps I should). So need to do more experiments with different drill types the photo shows the wood drill bit it is a 20 mm size wood bit, which I must admit is very difficult to drill with by hand so probably not suitable for this this drilling guide I have 16 mm fostner bit coming true the post this is shorter which should limit the play which at the tip is between 2mm or 3 mm. Can just say again these drill bits are not easy to use the one pictured is an Erbuer 5 fluted cutter maybe a 4 or 3 fluted ones might have more control. In addition to my last review I ended buying a light weight piller drill for some of these bigger wood drill bits that use. This drill has some good features if you are In the Market for light weight drill machine I would give great consideration to this machine photographed.

Good stand keeping drill straight

Quite helpful for vertical drilling, light enough to use on vertical surfaces. The soft rubber feet are not so good as they allow a bit of movement (leaning) away from perpendicular so extra care is needed. A more solid rubber would be much better.

Having read a few 'horror story' reviews of other cheaper products I paid a little more to purchase the Milescraft drill mate - and I'm pleased I did. It's well made, sturdy and stiff - no flex in it, as reviewers complained of for other cheaper makes of drill stand.I bought it for a specific 'special job' and you'd be well advised to have a practice on some scrap wood first, rather than jump straight as I did. The first use was 'OK' but after a little practice the rest of the work went well and I'm pleased with the result. There's a bit of a knack to it and having a play first lets you work out the best way to hold the jig and your drill to achieve the best result. That said I'm very happy with my purchase and would recommend the Milescraft, DrillMate Drill Guide