The Portalign drill guide is very useful when you need to make holes at 90 degrees to the surface and the drill press is not an option.
It was made by Portalign Co in San Diego, CA and marketed by Sears. "was" because its no longer in production and the company is
already out of business.
This is whats in the box when bought new (this is vintage 2nd hand)
Close-up shot of the most important part
The two shafts are made of iron. So are the locking screws. Other parts are made from cast aluminum.
To use it you would normally need a drill with 3/8x24 UNF chuck. You remove the chuck from the drill and put the Portalign
in between the drill and the chuck. Its not easy to remove the chuck from the drill, so you will probably have a dedicated drill for this duty.
Re: Portalign Drill Guide
Now this duo comes to the rescue.
Its a 10mm capacity keyless chuck and a bolt/nut of the same size thread.
Connect the chuck
Remove the head of the hex bolt (I practiced with an SDS drill bit)
Screw it into the other side and lock with the nut
Re: Portalign Drill Guide
Now you don't need to have a dedicated drill for the Portalign
There is some wobble with this setup. JayL (who also owns one) said the wobble can be eliminated when you have a dedicated drill.
Will post action shots later.
Re: Portalign Drill Guide
Very nice hack.
Wolfcraft and others still markets drill guides (with spring-loaded shafts).
I borrowed something like that once, and was not entirely satisfied:
vibration in the drill caused the whole device to wander slightly around
the surface of the board I was drilling just before a hole was started.
I rough-cut some anti-slip matting to place under the drill-guide's base.
Using bradpoints further helped me stay on target.
Re: Portalign Drill Guide
I haven't used one yet coz I don't have one but I think this gadget could be a very useful and practical help in keeping your drill straight in making a hole or two considering the fact if one has no drill press in the shop. I guess one has to simply clamp this down or fasten it with some screws so it doesn't wander or travel during drilling holes say on some pieces of metals.
Now I am saying this coz from the pics that have been shown I see screw holes on the circular base and I suppose these are for screws to fasten the drill guide and prevent wandering, vibration or whatever movement may occur during drilling. You can correct me if I am mistaken. 🙂 :banana2:
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Re: Portalign Drill Guide
Here's a pic of the drill guide fully assembled. Note the adjustable depth-stop on the left shaft.
The Portalign in action:
@horge, I cannot personally comment on the Wolfcraft and its contemporaries. But from what I read the build of the new ones are flimsy.
The Portalign does vibrate if you drill at full speed. This is due to the wobble of the hack I made. But we get around it by drilling at slow speeds.
