Editor’s note: Our Mind Upon Mind series is a nod to a 1937 Chips from the Chisel column (also featured in “Honest Labour: The Charles H. Hayward Years”), in which Hayward wrote, “The influence of mind upon mind is extraordinary.” The idea being there’s often room for improvement. To that end, we’ve asked you what else you have thought of, tried out and improved upon after building projects from our books.
Send us your own ideas! Email kara@lostartpress.com. You can read more about the submission process here.
Today’s pick is courtesy of Philip Otterness. Thanks, Philip!
— Kara Gebhart Uhl
Like many others, I find one of the more challenging parts of making stick furniture is consistently drilling holes at a set angle, especially without a laser or without another pair of eyes to make sure I’m keeping both the drill and bit at the proper angle. My solution is very simple.
First, I go to the kitchen and dig out the plastic bag holding skewers for making shish kebabs. I pull out several skewers and find one that is reasonably straight.
Second, I tape the skewer to the top of my drill, which is made easier in my case because the plastic casing on my drill has two grooves, one towards the back and one towards the front, that are centered along the top and aligned with one another. I place the skewer in the grooves, with one end extending over the drill bit. Using duct tape, which sticks to plastic more securely than painter’s tape, I tape the skewer securely in place.
Third, I line up my bevel, set at the proper angle, along the sightline and tape it in place so that it will be about 1/4″ in front of the skewer when the drill is held in place to drill the hole.
Fourth, I drill the hole. Lining everything up is super easy at this point. Because the skewer is right next to the bevel, it isn’t difficult to keep the two parallel with one another. Also, when sighting down the skewer, you can easily keep it aligned with the leading edge of the bevel.
— Philip Otterness
Dunbar Windsor chair maker here: this is genius! He used the same resultant angle method you folks do, but until much later in his career (rotator cuff) a spoon bit in a brace. If I put a short skewer on the chuck and sighted every revolution….? Hate to go to an electric drill when I have a set of Emhoff spoon bits.
Very clever! Going to try this on a stool tomorrow!
I love where you’re taking this most excellent idea. I’m going to tape a few on the chuck.
That was supposed to be a reply to Esther’s riff on Philip’s idea : – )
Worked great!
Very clever. This blew my mind.
Love it. Can also act as a depth stop for drilling blind stick holes.
That’s a nice Blue Spruce bevel gauge!
If this is something you do occasionally, perhaps you could glue a small piece of tubing to the drill casing…(cut around the speed switch after gluing). If the tubing (like a pen casing) inner diameter is slightly larger than the skewer, you still may need use the duct tape…but it would provide a bit of extra “confidence”…
The skewer is a great idea btw….