Surefire centerline for spindles

There are a few occasions, such as during chair or crib construction, when you need to drill multiple holes in a spindle and the holes need to be in a straight line with each other. The best way I've found to keep them in line is with a carefully placed and snapped chalk line.To prevent chalk dust from fouling open-grained wood, I first cover, with masking tape, the spindle area to be marked. Then, I tap a small finish nail into the holes left by the lathe centers on each end of the spindle, carefully string the chalk line between the nails, making sure the string comes off the same side of each nail, and snap the line.—Dick Benedetti, Lake Oswego, Ore.