The Original V-DrillGuide®! Big Gator Tools STD1000DGNP Standard Drill Guide Sizes 1/8" - 3/8"

Parts labelled as "STD1000DGNP" are available from several vendors on Amazon. I initially bought a slightly less expensive version. It was of poor quality - the base wasn't ground smooth, the etched markings were weak and not uniform, and the casting was a little rough had voids in it that could be easily seen when looking down the hole bores. The Big Gator Tools version of STD1000DGNP which I received has NONE of these issues. It is a beautiful part. Ground base, smooth finish, nice plastic sleeve/case, and deep markings which include one that says "100% MADE IN USA". Well worth the extra couple dollars in cost. Great value.

I bought this drill guide about a year ago to use for its intended purpose, and I've been very pleased with the results I've gotten with it in various projects. It really is a big help when I need to drill/align a few holes and getting to my drill press is not feasible. I see some reviews on here indicating that a few users have experienced problems with either getting it positioned correctly and/or keeping it in place during the drilling operation. It's important to realize that this is guide....and not a drill holder. So my advice...(and there is NO charge for this...[G!].)....is to follow the suggestions about placement carefully...use the guide marks on the side and end, and if needed, scribe two additional lines at right angles through the dimple you have made for the exact spot and then line the guide up with those scribed lines. A 'double check' by looking down through the correct hole will verify if you are right on the money. The hint about shining a flashlight through the V-groove to light up the marked spot is a good idea, as is the technique of sliding the drill through the appropriate hole, placing the bit end on your marked spot, then lowering the guide down to your work. At that point everything should be ready to go....but for a final check, remove the bit and visually sight down the hole...if you are even slightly off the mark, it will be very obvious. When starting to drill, trust the guide to get your drill bit started....take it slow, don't apply any side force to the drill, try to relax your grip on the drill so that it does not put any pressure on the sides of the guide....all the while keeping a firm grip on the guide. Clamping it is THE way to go with this, but if done correctly, there should be close to zero torque applied to the guide itself. A few people have remarked that they were unable to drill longer or deeper holes due to the size of the guide. Once you have the hole started, you can remove the guide, re-insert the drill and bit back into the correctly aligned hole and drill to the full depth of your bit. In addition to the 'normal' use for this guide, I've found it very helpful in a few other 'non-traditional' applications. When I am trying to decide what hole size and bit to use for a wood screw, I use the guide holes of this tool to find the outside diameter of the wood screw and then select a drill bit a size or two smaller...depending on the wood involved. It's a lot easier and more precise than trying to hold a bit alongside the screw threads and make a guess about how big...or small...the bit needs to be. This is also the easy way to identify the actual drill size of that bit that you picked out of the junk drawer and wondered what size it really is.... I've also used this tool to help make perfect 90 deg. joints with plastic rods that I needed to glue with Super Glue (CA). Since you have just a few seconds to position the rod or tube before the CA starts to set up...and the joint needs to be held perfectly still during this 10-20 second period, I use the guide to get my alignment accurate, apply a small amount of CA to the end of the rod/tube, slide it through the guide quickly and it goes into perfect position where I can apply pressure for the set-up time and not have to worry about any wobble on my part. Some caution needs to be used when doing this so that you don't glue everything together....but that's part of the challenge...!!! The truth of the matter is that if you are using so much CA in your joint that this might happen, then you probably are using too much CA in the first place. And...since this guide is moderately heavy....just under 1/2 pound, it gets used occasionally as a weight during gluing operations.

I do farm maintanence, and part of my job, is fixing bin augers. These augers are driven from one end, by a hub that fits over the end of the shaft, that has a bolt that goes through, coupling everything together. What happens, is that every now and then something will work loose, start to wobble, and wear out the end of the auger shaft. The fix is simple, cut the bad part off the end of the auger shaft, bolt on an extension sleeve, re-connect everything, and go. The problem, is drilling a new hole in the end of the existing auger shaft. The hole must be square and centered, for everything to fit properly. This job used to mean that I had to pull the entire auger shaft out of the assembly (some of these are 20+ feet long, and weigh maybe 80 pounds), haul it to the shop, figure out a way to jig it up in the drill press, all to drill one hole. With this guide, all I have to do, is pull the shaft out far enough to gain clearance for the drill, clamp this to the shaft, and drill the hole. Turns a 3 or 4 hour job into one that takes less than one hour. While maybe not Space-Shuttle precise, it does VERY well, guiding the drill bit straight and square. Just be sure you have it clamped securely, so it can't wiggle. The way it works, is very simple. This is a simple jig, that has a series of holes precisely drilled through it, which act as a guide for your drill bit. It is of hard enough steel, that the bits don't seem to be able to bite into it, and enlarge the holes. On the backside of the jig, a V-groove is machined, so that if you clamp it to a shaft or pipe, the jig is automatically centered, and squared to it. You are only limited to using it for the drill bit sizes on the jig, and in spaces where you can securely clamp it. However, for bigger holes, I also have had good luck using it to drill the pilot holes, and then following by carefully enlarging the hole with the proper bit, just go slow and careful. For drilling through flat objects, follow the tip I read in another review. Shine a light down the V groove, and you can look down the hole you will be using for a guide, to center the jig. It is one of those tools, that is so simple, and error proof, everyone who does any amount of drilling, should have one.

Bought 2 different sizes to drill holes through round dowels. Worked perfectly for the task I had.

No matter how good you are, if you need precision, you have to use some tools to drill perfect holes. This tool does the job good enough. I used two clamps to fix it properly, you won't be able to hold it in the same place with just bare hands. The only negative, it's a bit expensive, although I am not sure what's the material used inside the holes to protect the tool from the drill bit, maybe that's what makes it expensive.

VERY nice!

Solid metal construction. Came in its own storage container (not a high quality thing, but more than adequate, and helpful). Liked the numerous size options as compared to the smaller type of device I had.

Excellent drill guide for anyone who needs a little help. Clamp it down - drill straight. Boom - done. It’s durable, small, and easy. What’s not to love. The price is a tad high, but worth it for the quality after you spend money on all the junk products. Just buy this and be done. You’ll thank yourself later.

This is a great tool for woodworking when a drill press isn't available, can't be applied to the task, or is just overkill. Well-made, small enough to keep in your pocket or tool belt and to get into relatively tight spots, but large enough to hold onto while drilling, to register on the work surface, and to stabilize the drill bit sufficiently in use. You do necessarily lose some of the drill bit's capacity, and although the markings are recessed, they are small and would be easier to see if they were filled with black paint. Also, although there are center alignment marks along both sides for each hole, there is no obvious way to line up the guide in the other direction, so I don't find them useful. Instead, I just center punch the hole, slide the guide far enough up the bit to start the hole without it, then slide the guide to the work surface and finish the hole. A little pricey for what it is, I think, but it works great and looks like it should last a long time.

Es un gran producto, dado que es de acero y tiene un buen manejo inferior para las esquinas, no se mueve de ninguna manera la broca dentro del túnel. Me gustó mucho aunque el precio sea alto vale la pena.

Grâce aux avis d'amazon j'ai acquis ce guide perçage très solide. Je suis vraiment content de cet achat qui m'a accompagné dans ma formation de menuisier et qui va m'accompagner maintenant sur mes chantiers. Toujours dans ma trousse à outils ou dans ma poche. Les perçages sont précis et droits. Vraiment satisfait de ce produit même si c'est un petit investissement.

クランプして使うと大変使いやすい。 高かったが利用価値がある。

Excellent tool. Solid metal; should last a lifetime. However... don't make the same mistake as me and order this particular version unless you really intend to use it with imperial drill bits. A metric version is available from the same seller for the same price. Perhaps the product details could have made this a bit more obvious but no real harm done as I have managed to return this and order the metric one.