Steady turned parts for accurate boring

Recently, I faced the daunting task of drilling a straight, accurate hole through the center of a turned handle. To make it possible, I constructed a clamping jig from two 6"-long blocks of 4x4. First, I squared the faces of the blocks on the jointer, and then I cut the ends to length and perfectly square using my mitersaw. Next, I notched a V-shaped groove in one side of each block using my tablesaw with the blade bevel set at 45°. Finally, I vertically mounted one of the V-blocks to a scrap piece of ³⁄₄ " plywood.

To use the clamping jig, I place my turned part in the groove of the mounted V-block, and then clamp the other V-block to the first, as shown in the drawing. With the workpiece secured in the jig, I center the work-piece underneath the drill bit and clamp the jig base to the drill press table. By only fixing one of the two V-blocks to the base, the jig can firmly hold a variety of different-sized pieces, either square or round.

—Michael Millerick, Ridgefield, Conn.