Drilling holes using a brace drill is really fun, but it can be tricky to keep the drill bit going into the wood straight. This sounds easy, and it will become that way, but only with practice.
When using the hand brace, you’re putting downward pressure on the head. It can become easy to lean the drill forward or backward or side to side. To prevent this, and become accustomed to what it feels like to have the bit going in perpendicular to the work surface, have a friend stand behind you and look down the drill to let you know when you’re getting off. Once you’ve done this enough times you’ll be able to tell on your own when the bit is not perpendicular.
How can you tell if your freshly drilled hole is straight? An easy way to tell is to insert a dowel the same size as the bit you use to make the hole and use a square or combination square to measure how straight the hole really is.
You might be surprised to find the first few times you try this how much your bit wandered as you drill your hole. Don’t be discouraged though, with a little practice it’ll become natural to you in no time. So chuck up a smaller size bit to begin with (1/4” would be good) and start practicing on a scrap piece of wood!
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