Tips & Techniques

Mar-Free Drill-Press Fence Alignment

Place a pencil in the drill-press chuck to align the fence without marring the wood's surface.

Issue 320 - Dec 2023/Jan 2024

When I need to drill a series of holes in line along a work surface, I have found that the easiest way to set the distance from the floating fence on my drill press to the drill bit is to put a sharp, straight pencil in the chuck and then mark and measure a board up against the fence as I adjust the distance. A pencil will leave marks that need to be removed, but it won’t mar the surface like a drill bit would.

—Chris Steck, Seattle

Edited and illustrated by Charles Miller.

From Fine Homebuilding #320

RELATED STORIES

Fine Homebuilding Recommended Products

Fine Homebuilding receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

Reliable Crimp Connectors

These reliable, high-quality connectors from Wirefy work on 10-22-gauge wire have heat-shrink insulation to keep out water and road salt.
Buy at Amazon

8067 All-Weather Flashing Tape

Available in 2- to 12-in. widths, this is a good general-purpose flashing tape that sticks well to most things. It features a two-piece release paper, water-shedding layers, and good UV resistance.
Buy at Amazon

Affordable IR Camera

This camera is super useful for tracking down air leaks in buildings. The one-hand pistol grip arrangement frees your other hand for steadying yourself while maneuvering tricky job sites.
Buy at Amazon
×

New Feature

Fine Homebuilding Forums

Ask questions, offer advice, and share your work

Log in or create an account to post a comment.

Become a member and get full access to FineHomebuilding.com

More Tips & Techniques

View All
View All

Up Next

Video Shorts

Featured Story

Painting Made Portable

The Titan ControlMax 1650 cordless backpack paint sprayer is handy for medium-sized projects like a shed.

Featured Video

Video: Build a Fireplace, Brick by Brick

Watch mason Mike Mehaffey construct a traditional-style fireplace that burns well and meets current building codes.

Related Stories

Discussion Forum

Recent Posts and Replies

  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
View More Create Post

Highlights

Fine Homebuilding All Access
Fine Homebuilding Podcast
Tool Tech
Plus, get an extra 20% off with code GIFT20

"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.

Video

View All Videos
View All

Fine Homebuilding Magazine

Fine Homebuilding

© 2024 Active Interest Media. All rights reserved.

Fine Homebuilding receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.