Customer Reviews for Milescraft DrillMate Portable Multi-Angle Drill Guide with 3/8 in. Chuck

The “new” product I purchased arrived damaged and was clearly opened previously

The Milescraft DrillMate was well packaged and contained all necessary components. Assembly was a snap even though the instructions were more of a pictorial guide …. My project really needed holes to be square to the surface. The Milescraft DrillMate did a great job with alignment and the handle kept it steady… Spindle is very smooth and chuck held tooling tight with no slips The spring can be a if you need the end of chuck to go below base level. I highly recommend the Milescraft DrillMate!!

I Just received The Drillmate 1318 and I started to play around with it. 1: It is almost a the perfect tool accessory that helped me drill a hole in a straight downward angle. 2: Even drilling a hole into a pipes and wooden dowels without even the bit slipping 3: with the design of the base, I can drill a center. The Drillmate 1318 is awesome. However there is one slight hiccup though. The DM-1318 should have an upgraded model that is equipped with a 1/2 chuck instead of a 3/8 chuck.

You tell me...does this look like a 90 degree hole?

I bought this to drill holes for pins in wooden tent poles because an 8’ foot pole won’t fit in a drill press. Thankfully the poles were wide enough that off center pins weren’t an issue. For any detail work this product won’t help.

Bought this drill guide to replace an older one (different brand) to use on a project installing new balusters on our staircase. This one is mostly metal, the handle is a good idea to help hold it in place. Suggestions for improvement, make the handle able to switch sides, and allow the guide to pivot in the opposite direction, these would have helped when I was drilling holes in the underside of the hand-rail.

Excellent tool. Seems very well build. Assembly was a but wonky but not too difficult. Very excited to use it, then I could give a better review, but having assembled it and given a little test run I’m very happy with the purchase.

great for guiding masonry bits into concrete!

This Milescraft DrillMate Portable Multi-Angle Drill Guide is a pretty handy tool to have around, but there are a few caveats. First, you have to understand up front that this is not a drill press. You can use it as somewhat of a drill press if you're in a pinch but really it's just a guide to keep your holes straight and true. I can't be the only person out there that has a problem with crooked holes, because that leads to your screws and bolts going in crooked and not sitting flush to your workpiece. It's easy enough to insert a bit into this piece and then hook it up to your drill and go. I personally like to use it as a guide when I'm drilling into a wall or a floor and I need to be plumb and level. The caveats are as follows: 1) There is some side to side play when you're pressing down on it, because there's a spring on only one arm. However, if you're slow and careful there's no issue. 2) There is also some ability to twist at the upper end of the arms. Again, be careful and this won't be an issue. 3) The chuck is a 3/8" chuck, so it may not be able to take all of your bits if you're used to using a 1/2" drill. 4) The instructions are not great. During assembly you should install the bottom screws into the position anchors first, then slide them into the frame and screw down the poles onto them. This is not explained well through the provided diagram. 5) When changing angles you have to unscrew both poles and re-tighten them once you achieve your desired angle. This may seem like a lot, but it's really not and the tool is very helpful. I'm glad I purchased it and would do so again. Now, for my cabinet-making, I'll be getting a drill press for the hinge cups.

Never expected such QUALITY tool for the money, very pleased! Some assembly required, nothing difficult!

Man it was easy to put together. it came quit and on time. work better than I expected.

Drilling threw concrete wall using a hammer drill for hanging a mirror in the bathroom, using platic hole plugs to fit the screw holds very well. Must use a mason drill bit regular twist drill bit won't drill well on concrete.

I bought this to drill 56 holes in a board for a thread spool holder. It worked great, and all the spindles are standing straight. The set-up directions were not detailed enough for me, but a YouTube video made assembly easy.

Sturdy and functional. Using it to hang spidles (ballusters). Holes drill straight and spindoes stand straight. Great product!

Very sturdy, mostly metal build. The red/maroon parts and the depth stop are the only plastic parts. The unit I received has a bit of wobble, but it's still more accurate than my Harbor Freight drill press. Do not buy this to replace a drill press or for jobs that require precision. This will give you almost 90 degree holes at a decent quality. To get the best quality holes as possible, I had to use clamps to keep the base as steady as possible. Overall, I would recommend this product and would keep it. It's very handy for use in projects where you need to drill 90 degree holes in odd places where a drill press will not work.

I was considering buying this device some time back and ended up buying a drill press instead. However there are still situations where you need to make perfectly vertical hole in something too big or too heavy to be placed on a drill press' table. Accu Drill Mate is what you need in those situations. Solidly and aesthetically made Accu Drill Mate requires some assembly, which takes 3 minutes. It takes drill bits from 1.5 to 10 mm. It is easy to use. Not only it enables you to drill in perfect 90 degree angle but you can also set it for 75, 60 and 45 degrees to the left or right. It also allows you to drill in pipes or cylinders thanks to the cut in the base of it. It is equipped with a stop to prevent you from drilling too deep. Finally it makes lining up the drill with a center of your stock fast and easy. Size of a base, around 4.5 x 6", is a good compromise between stability and ability to fit confined spaces. Overall height is 13.5". Overall very neat device and certainly worth the money. I'm very pleased with it.

This device makes it so easy to drill straight holes.

The DrillMate made it easier to drill thru 4 inches of wood to hit a still plate underneath. This plate has 4 pre drilled holes I had to match. I was able to make many plate connections successfully.

Works okay for the price

I haven't used this one, yet, but have had the same one in the past. Works well for the money.

Arrived damaged with shaft missing

Wobbled badly during use and drilled sloppy holes larger that the attached bits. The issue is with the Chuck system, not balanced, moves off center when rotating

The drill bit did not spin correctly. It spun in more of an oval than a tight circle like a drill should. I returned it.

Works the way it is advertised.

Even with the drill guide secured to a jig there was still some "play" while drilling vertical holes. At times this prevented the bit from drilling into the board.

Received in good shape. Assembly instructions, were okay, but not great. Assembled and went to drill about twenty 5/8" holes. First getting the keyless chuck on the drill tight, as the drill guide columns are pretty close to the chuck is hard, a keyed chuck would be ideal. Biggest item is, even though I used the handle to keep it as flat as possible, the perpendicularity of the hole suffered with the off line weight of the drill, leading to some holes as bad as if I'd had done them by hand. Managed that bias after the first few misses, so got better with practice. It WAS easier to keep the drill 'focused' on the exact point I need to bore, but perpendicularity was/is the goal. Bottom line is this is indeed a guide and not a precision tool.

Way too much play. Far from solid and not a precision tool. Probably great for other things, but not precise enough for guitar building.