I thought I'd share "Part One" of the results of some recent sleuthing I did into Woodpeckers Auto Line Drill Guide and the feasibility of using it as a portable tapping station (among other perhaps less obvious uses).
I've been contemplating the purchase of this drill guide since back when it was still under development. But given my hesitation to own the "Model A" of anything, I've held off, preferring to observe the roll-out while keeping a watchful eye for unsuspected problems or unforeseen limitations. I've also been waiting to see what would materialize in terms of any third party add-ons. More on this last point in a moment.
Anyways, given Wooodpeckers' promotional pricing on this tool for the month of January (2022), my interest in purchasing one has been rekindled. Never one to not exhaustively research a tool before purchasing it and also because I'm interested particularly in tools that serve multiple purposes (combination tools if you will) I set about considering all the different ways I might be able to use it.
One perhaps less obvious potential use is that of the drill guide as a mobile drilling and tapping station. What put me onto this idea is the technique of tapping holes using a drill press. In wondering if a similar technique could be employed with the Auto Line, I happened to stumble upon the following tool which immediately caught my eye given its potential for use in lieu of a powered drill/driver while tapping:
[Source:https://www.nejisaurus.engineer.jp/product-page/dz-50-ラチェットドライヴ]
The other thing which sent me down this road was this recent thread and, in particular, this post, the latter of which provides an elegant solution to a common problem. I've experienced that problem which is manifested by hardened taps slipping in a three jaw Jacobs chuck, but hadn't been aware of the simple work around which, in the case of the Auto Line, will only require the added addition of two socket adapters; a 1/4" and a 3/8".
So, with that problem sorted, all I needed to figure out was a) is there enough clearance from the posts/columns that the chuck carriage rides up and down on for the handle (un-modified) of the hex driver to rotate freely and b) is it possible to mount the return spring on top of (rather than beneath) the carriage. The idea here is to develop a little spring tension in the direction opposite normal to hopefully provide something akin to the light force that a drill press handle produces (again, when using a drill press to manually tap). I've only got two hands and so if the spring (or another shorter spring if the stock spring is too long) cold provide some downward force (IOW towards the aperture in the base of the drill guide) then that is one less thing I'll have to worry about. If the work is clamped to the drill guide (or vice versa) then the tapping operation could potentially only require one hand to execute. This is appealing given that one of the chief complaints of the Auto Line is its tippiness with a drill mounted on it. Obviously, this wouldn't be an issue were I turning the chuck shaft by hand (via the hex driver) but anything that simplifies an operation like drilling and tapping seems worthwhile.
When I contacted the manufacturer of the hex driver (keep in mind they're a Japanese company located in Japan), I kid you not, I received a reply within minutes. Now that's customer service! Turns out the t-handle is 100mm long making half of its length, you guessed it, 50mm. So, now I just needed to find out if there happens to be enough clearance between the tips of the t-handle (with the quick release head of the hex driver snapped onto the hex head of the chuck shank) and the posts/columns that the chuck carrier rides up and down on (keeping in mind the additional thickness that the return spring would produce if fitted to one of the posts) to allow for its use, unmodified. Note - I'd already figured that, if need be, I can grind off a bit of the end of each handle and in doing so probably won't lose much in the way of functionality.
And here's where I encountered a problem. First, multiple emails to multiple Woodpeckers email addresses and multiple comments on their facebook page all, after more than a week, went unanswered. Second, we all know that Woodpeckers has been trolled relentlessly by counterfeiters. Sadly, this has resulted in the staff (or at least some of the staff) being highly paranoid when it comes to their willingness to answer basic technical questions concerning the design of their tools. In the case of the Auto Line, however, that ship sailed a while ago if the plethora of counterfeit versions flooding the marketplace is any indication. Which is what makes the stonewalling response I was ultimately provided with (indirectly from the tool's developer after I opted to call instead of wait for a written response) so annoying. Apparently, the distance from the center of the shank to the vertical face of the posts/columns is a state secret, and is still a state secret even after a legit potential customer provides the background for why they need to know that dimension and even after they also make it clear that they need to know it in advance of clicking the "Buy" button.
Further, since I also plan to fit various jigs to the drill guide - but because Woodpeckers didn't heed my and others' request to include in their design counter-sunk mounting holes in the base (for mounting jigs to, etc., a feature every other drill guide on the market has) I also needed to know the threading of the holes in the base (or are they holes with threaded inserts? I can't tell from the videos and photos of this tool that are currently available online) that the guide rods thread into. Well, this basic information is also apparently another state secret.
So, not to be outdone I continued pursuing answers until I was finally able produce a response. Or at least that's way I hope this works out in the end. Stay tuned for "Part 2".
Oh, and returning briefly to the concept of third party add-ons (which there aren't any of yet any at least as the date of this writing): I've heard a rumor that there might be something in the works by one of the eBay sellers who produces 3D-printed accessories for Festool and other-branded tools to develop a carriage that the Auto Line will mount to that will enable it to ride along and register off of a standard guide rail (including maybe the registration holes in an LR-32 hole'y rail). This simple interface is something that some of us requested from Woodpeckers back in the development stage but is another feature they opted to overlook in favor of their proprietary system of outrigger and threaded guide rod extensions. The idea of being able to make use of a guide rail (and, potentially, multiple shop-built stops or store bought stops - see some of those same aforementioned eBay sellers for examples of the latter) would allow for setting a repeatable x-axis. Plus, at least for those of us who own one or two guide rail parallel guides, the additional use of a single parallel guide (to set the y-axis) would open up all kinds of additional potential for the Auto Line. One would only be limited by the number and/or length of guide rail(s) they own.
Personally, I'm in favor of a guide rail carriage which makes use of the t-slot on the top face of a guide rail since this would provide anti-tip services as well as perhaps also allow for the drill guide to be used in the horizontal orientation with the guide rail laying flat (horizontal with the ground) on a work piece. It would be handy to be able to let go of the drill guide in this orientation and simply slide it along, captured as it would be by the t-slot. Fingers crossed!
I've been contemplating the purchase of this drill guide since back when it was still under development. But given my hesitation to own the "Model A" of anything, I've held off, preferring to observe the roll-out while keeping a watchful eye for unsuspected problems or unforeseen limitations. I've also been waiting to see what would materialize in terms of any third party add-ons. More on this last point in a moment.
Anyways, given Wooodpeckers' promotional pricing on this tool for the month of January (2022), my interest in purchasing one has been rekindled. Never one to not exhaustively research a tool before purchasing it and also because I'm interested particularly in tools that serve multiple purposes (combination tools if you will) I set about considering all the different ways I might be able to use it.
One perhaps less obvious potential use is that of the drill guide as a mobile drilling and tapping station. What put me onto this idea is the technique of tapping holes using a drill press. In wondering if a similar technique could be employed with the Auto Line, I happened to stumble upon the following tool which immediately caught my eye given its potential for use in lieu of a powered drill/driver while tapping:
[Source:https://www.nejisaurus.engineer.jp/product-page/dz-50-ラチェットドライヴ]
The other thing which sent me down this road was this recent thread and, in particular, this post, the latter of which provides an elegant solution to a common problem. I've experienced that problem which is manifested by hardened taps slipping in a three jaw Jacobs chuck, but hadn't been aware of the simple work around which, in the case of the Auto Line, will only require the added addition of two socket adapters; a 1/4" and a 3/8".
So, with that problem sorted, all I needed to figure out was a) is there enough clearance from the posts/columns that the chuck carriage rides up and down on for the handle (un-modified) of the hex driver to rotate freely and b) is it possible to mount the return spring on top of (rather than beneath) the carriage. The idea here is to develop a little spring tension in the direction opposite normal to hopefully provide something akin to the light force that a drill press handle produces (again, when using a drill press to manually tap). I've only got two hands and so if the spring (or another shorter spring if the stock spring is too long) cold provide some downward force (IOW towards the aperture in the base of the drill guide) then that is one less thing I'll have to worry about. If the work is clamped to the drill guide (or vice versa) then the tapping operation could potentially only require one hand to execute. This is appealing given that one of the chief complaints of the Auto Line is its tippiness with a drill mounted on it. Obviously, this wouldn't be an issue were I turning the chuck shaft by hand (via the hex driver) but anything that simplifies an operation like drilling and tapping seems worthwhile.
When I contacted the manufacturer of the hex driver (keep in mind they're a Japanese company located in Japan), I kid you not, I received a reply within minutes. Now that's customer service! Turns out the t-handle is 100mm long making half of its length, you guessed it, 50mm. So, now I just needed to find out if there happens to be enough clearance between the tips of the t-handle (with the quick release head of the hex driver snapped onto the hex head of the chuck shank) and the posts/columns that the chuck carrier rides up and down on (keeping in mind the additional thickness that the return spring would produce if fitted to one of the posts) to allow for its use, unmodified. Note - I'd already figured that, if need be, I can grind off a bit of the end of each handle and in doing so probably won't lose much in the way of functionality.
And here's where I encountered a problem. First, multiple emails to multiple Woodpeckers email addresses and multiple comments on their facebook page all, after more than a week, went unanswered. Second, we all know that Woodpeckers has been trolled relentlessly by counterfeiters. Sadly, this has resulted in the staff (or at least some of the staff) being highly paranoid when it comes to their willingness to answer basic technical questions concerning the design of their tools. In the case of the Auto Line, however, that ship sailed a while ago if the plethora of counterfeit versions flooding the marketplace is any indication. Which is what makes the stonewalling response I was ultimately provided with (indirectly from the tool's developer after I opted to call instead of wait for a written response) so annoying. Apparently, the distance from the center of the shank to the vertical face of the posts/columns is a state secret, and is still a state secret even after a legit potential customer provides the background for why they need to know that dimension and even after they also make it clear that they need to know it in advance of clicking the "Buy" button.
Further, since I also plan to fit various jigs to the drill guide - but because Woodpeckers didn't heed my and others' request to include in their design counter-sunk mounting holes in the base (for mounting jigs to, etc., a feature every other drill guide on the market has) I also needed to know the threading of the holes in the base (or are they holes with threaded inserts? I can't tell from the videos and photos of this tool that are currently available online) that the guide rods thread into. Well, this basic information is also apparently another state secret.
So, not to be outdone I continued pursuing answers until I was finally able produce a response. Or at least that's way I hope this works out in the end. Stay tuned for "Part 2".
Oh, and returning briefly to the concept of third party add-ons (which there aren't any of yet any at least as the date of this writing): I've heard a rumor that there might be something in the works by one of the eBay sellers who produces 3D-printed accessories for Festool and other-branded tools to develop a carriage that the Auto Line will mount to that will enable it to ride along and register off of a standard guide rail (including maybe the registration holes in an LR-32 hole'y rail). This simple interface is something that some of us requested from Woodpeckers back in the development stage but is another feature they opted to overlook in favor of their proprietary system of outrigger and threaded guide rod extensions. The idea of being able to make use of a guide rail (and, potentially, multiple shop-built stops or store bought stops - see some of those same aforementioned eBay sellers for examples of the latter) would allow for setting a repeatable x-axis. Plus, at least for those of us who own one or two guide rail parallel guides, the additional use of a single parallel guide (to set the y-axis) would open up all kinds of additional potential for the Auto Line. One would only be limited by the number and/or length of guide rail(s) they own.
Personally, I'm in favor of a guide rail carriage which makes use of the t-slot on the top face of a guide rail since this would provide anti-tip services as well as perhaps also allow for the drill guide to be used in the horizontal orientation with the guide rail laying flat (horizontal with the ground) on a work piece. It would be handy to be able to let go of the drill guide in this orientation and simply slide it along, captured as it would be by the t-slot. Fingers crossed!
] As for the other bits of info I have no idea and cannot help you.
