could use some ideas!

http://lumberjocks.com/projects/14619 ... shop made drill press from Dale.

Or you can google “drill guide” ... looks like they run about $25 from sears, rockler, wc

-- Something, something, something.

Hmmm… What would happen if you used a big block of wood, drilled end to end with your 1-5/8” bit, then cut across it at 45 degrees? If you then could clamp this to your work peice, it might guide your drill into the panel at the desired angle.

I might also suggest a forstner type or perhaps a hole saw type bit instead of a paddle bit.

Caveat: This is a risky operation and should be untertaken with all due precautions.

-- "Hard work is not defined by the difficulty of the task as much as a person's desire to perform it.", DS251

+1 DS251 … thats the ticket! Id make that block plenty big so i could clamp it to the work piece. Tryng to hold it with one hand may lead to paddlebittothefinger-itis.

-- Something, something, something.

Thanks to both Chrisstef and DS251!
I looked into those drill guides and when I can, I will be getting one. they look like a viable replacement for a drill press until I can just buy a new drill press :P

DS251, great idea! I was thinking of something similar for a different project, but this might just work for this afternoon!
I have a piece of 4×4 that I have drilled and cut. Drilling it ate up my battery, so I have to wait for about an hour for it to charge back up and I will be giving this a shot. With some good clamping, this might just be the ticket, as I am only drilling 3/4 ply.

I am dying to get a decent set of forstner bits! I have one hole saw, but it is much too large for this particular project. I will be getting better tools as my budget dictates, but for now I live in work-around city…

Thanks a ton for the suggestions and I will post how well this worked for future reference!
N8

-- Work consists of whatever a body is OBLIGED to do, and Play consists of whatever a body is not obliged to do. -Mark Twain

ds251 is right on point but you might be able to go with a 2×4 drilled strt thru then cut on 45…little less work for your drill. forstner bits are great but @ 1 &5/8” might be a lil’ on the pricey side… a brad pt twist drill w/ those little wing guides on the sides of the point might do the trick too ! an extra pc of 1/2” ply clamped on the exit side to prevent tear out would help. you are young & probably have strong wrists… go for it let us know how you make out friend & good luck ! (if you had one of those little bitty drill presses with a tilting table and a drill press vice, you could fly through the project…got a friend nearby with such equip ? if not, you need to find a local wood-working club and make some new friends (ha ha) !...hey friends come in handy ! hope it works out to be a piece of cake for you .
don s.

-- The pig caught under the fence is always the one doing all the squealing !

I would expect to have a lot of problems with a spade bit if the outside edge of the bit begins to mill the workpiece before the center spike is firmly engaged. And I’d also expect problems if the center spike comes out the other side before the edges of the hole are milled through.

If it were me I would cut a 45 on a scrap block and clamp it to the front side of the workpiece, 45 cut against the work piece, so the bit enters the wood (the scrap block) perpendicular to the surface. This might also reduce tear out on the top surface of the work piece. I would also clamp a thick backer board on the back side – thick enough so that by the time the tip of the bit begins to break through that the hole is completely through your work piece.

A Harbor Freight corded drill might be a good value to you at this point if you can swing it.

-- Greg D.

I think Greg hit the nail on the head!

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

Thanks for the tips don s. and GregD! great suggestions that I think will help me with the next bit.
I have drilled a few holes in a piece of scrap, everything goes perfect right up to the end of the cut. when the paddle bit is more than half-way through the back of the piece, it starts to want to wobble around in it’s new found free space. I am having a bit of trouble with tear-out on half of the hole in the back.
I had a backer board in there, but it wasn’t thick enough to get all the way through the operation.
I think having a thicker back board will be the key to getting nicer holes.
I am off to try it!

Also, I used a router to cut a slot out of the jig just wide enough to fit on my board to be drilled. It allows me to quickly center the jig on the board without a lot of guess-work :)

Again, thanks for all the suggestions! They are helping quite a bit, and saving me a few headaches in the process!

-- Work consists of whatever a body is OBLIGED to do, and Play consists of whatever a body is not obliged to do. -Mark Twain

man, I need a drill press…
Drilling out holes with a paddle bit really gnarls up the battery, it will take forever, but I think I can get all these holes drilled by tomorrow and hopefully get this beast assembled.
using a thicker backing board worked like a charm. I do mill out the sides a tiny bit if I am not careful, but so far, nothing I can’t handle as far as quality. With just a bit of sanding, they come out pretty nice!
I really appreciate the suggestions, as they helped quite a bit! I had been playing around with this thing for days, and it’s nice to finally be getting closer to being done!
Thanks
N8

-- Work consists of whatever a body is OBLIGED to do, and Play consists of whatever a body is not obliged to do. -Mark Twain