Timber Framing Question?

[PedroOhare]

I spent last weekend helping a friend build a timber framed cottage in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. He is using Simson Ties to hold the beams together. We got them all done (pretty much) but I am wondering if anyone knows a better way then what we did. How do you line up the holes through a  x6 beam so that you can drive a bolt through both sides of the ties? We basically drilled through each hole and they sort of matched up, and then squiggled the drill around until the bolt could be driven through. We were doing this thirty feet in the air (on quite a few), so please don’t suggest a drill press.

Pedro

For you viewing pleasure.

[CLETUS]

My great grandfather was a barn builder. I have all of his tools. I'll gladly loan you the 3' long auger bits and T handle.

[brianwelch]

Looks like fun...
 Maybe drilling beams/columns/posts on the ground using a clamp on drill guide...a short pieces of steel pipe welded to a steel plate? I would bet that the brackets are near identical, and I would think that you are using engineered drawings for layout...

[Bob10]

The drill guide is probably the way to go I have made several for drilling bigger holes in spots where they are over voids that did not allow for a pilot bit.  I would bet you could fab something like what was mentioned before but use a piece of angle iron or something to register it off the edge