Handyman drill bit guide

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  • Handyman drill bit guide

    After my $1.89 tool review a couple of days ago, I'm shooting for a even lower priced tool review. I don't think anyone can beat this one!

    Has 32 drill sizes
    Made in USA!
    Handy hole for hanging
    Beautiful black plastic finish won't damage your sharp edged tools (but the tools might damage the gauge)
    relief bumps 10 mils high for drawing, perhaps?

    THis came free along with an offer to evaluate tools for free and keep the tools. I don't fall for that Malarky.

    But the drill bit guide is possibly useful, even if I already have a couple others (in white), this is in sexy black!

    First it covers 32 holes from 1/16th" to 1/2" in increments of 1/64th inch.

    I measured the holes compared to my HF transfer punch set. and then with calipers. The transfer punches were about 2.5 mils under the given size, and the Handyman drill guide was about 4-6 mils over size
    Presumably the transfer punches are sized so they will slip snugly into a hole of that size and the drill gauge is sized so that a drill of the stated size will fit easily into the gauge. It's clearly precision enough so that a drill will fit into the matching hole for that size but be too big to go into the next smaller hole. So this tool is fine for quick checking a drill bit before you chuck it up, or to help sort out a bin-full of random leftover bits without an index case. Or to check what drill bit size a screw might require.

    Its not useful as a circle template to draw circles... there's no centerline marking to help you align it and the holes are not oversized enough for a pencil thickness allowance.

    the thing is plastic and won't last forever, but you may get more in the mail eventually. The black plastic and the raised numerals are a bit difficult to read unless you have good lighting and enough contrast to see it. The size markings are on both sides, inches only on the top and both metric and inches on the bottom, a small plus. I keep the ones I got previously in the drawer with the drill bits, and another with the measuring stuff. they come in useful every now and then.

    Price: Free
    Value $.25
    Value to price ratio: Infinity thus making it one of my most productive tools.


    THis thing is so cheap the picture I uploaded does not want to appear!
    Attached Files

    • cwsmith
      #4
      cwsmith commented
      Editing a comment
      Thanks for the post.

      I have maybe a half-dozen or so of these guides, keeping one each in the drill bit pouches enclosed with my drills as well a few in the shop. I glued a small washer around the hanger-hole of a couple and they are now easy to hang on a magnet.

      Especially handy at the drill press, where I use it most often to match a particular screw or bolt to the proper drill bit.

      Thanks again,

      CWS

    • dbhost
      #5

      dbhost
      commented
      Editing a comment
      I have a couple of them knocking around my shop somewhere. Not awful, not wonderful. Useful enough for what it is. Certainly gets you to within the tolerance of common drill bits and fasteners.

    • dbhost
      #6

      dbhost
      commented
      Editing a comment
      It's Lorings fault!

      He HAD to bring these things up, and make me wonder where mine were! Once I was in the cabinet where they were to verify I still had them, the hand planes started up their talking to me... Take me out of here! Try your hand at manual edge jointing again!

      Before you know it I have a nice straight, square edge on a nice wide walnut board, a huge pile of whispy thin shavings on the floor and a big stupid smile on my face!

      Oh yeah, and I found both of the Handyman Club Of America drill bit sizing guides...
    Posting comments is disabled.

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