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I used two squares sitting on the bench top. One at 12:00 and one at 3:00 to the mark and a 10" brace with a 3/4" Russell Jennings pattern bit. I am always surprised at just how much fun using hand tools is, it's such an enjoyable experience for me! Like someone else said, the holdfast will work just fine if that's hole is a little askew.
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(09-29-2018, 08:22 PM)overland Wrote: My bench is a 6" thick oak slab. Can I drill a couple holdfast holes with a spade bit or a hand brace and still get it straight? That's what I've got at hand.
if you need to buy a drill bit for this buy one longer than you need and drill a guide block on the drill press first. Then drill through the guide block to make your holes. It should keep the holes nice and straight.
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Holdfasts don't work too well in a top that thick without an oversized counter bore in the bottom 2-3" of the hole. You might get away with an oversized hole all the way through but I would try that on scrap first.
I would drill a pilot hole first then use a long shank forstner bit for the top 3 -4". On the bottom use an oversize bit like 7/8 or 1".
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Here's what I did. I took the simplest route, which was to use the tools I have. I bored a 15/16" hole with a 10" hand brace. It wasn't too tough. It took maybe 15 minutes. I used small squares to keep things straight, or at least close to straight. The hole's not perfect, but it works. I'm using French-made holdfasts, by the way. They're just a little less than 1" in diameter.
