Woodpeckers AutoAngle drill guide.. opinion

[blues]

https://www.woodpeck.com/autoangle-drill-guide.html

Any of you bought this? Thoughts../ opinions?
@500 for the standard and 600$ for the deluxe kit, is more expensive than a drill press!

Is it worth it? If any one has bought the older version (fixed base).. thoughts?

Thank you

 

[Packard]

And Rockler's version:

 

[Michael Kellough]

Unlike the blue jig or a real drill press the WP drilling jig is nodal with the center of the bottom of the base. To what level of precision I don’t know but it’s a potentially valuable feature.

 

[Packard]

The difference I see between Woodpeckers' products and the products (for example) from Rockler and Kreg, is that Woodpeckers appears to be married to CNC machining and Rockler and Kreg (and probably others) have sufficient faith in their market research to invest in tooling.

By investing in tooling, they are able to offer the same quality at a lower cost.

I am not suggesting that Rocklers' drill guide is a better product but the reviews have been generally excellent and if I had a need for a drill guide, and a Big Gator guide was insufficient, it would be my first choice.

 

[Packard]

The difference I see between Woodpeckers' products and the products (for example) from Rockler and Kreg, is that Woodpeckers appears to be married to CNC machining and Rockler and Kreg (and probably others) have sufficient faith in their market research to invest in tooling.

By investing in tooling, they are able to offer the same quality at a lower cost.

I am not suggesting that Rocklers' drill guide is a better product but the reviews have been generally excellent and if I had a need for a drill guide, and a Big Gator guide was insufficient, it would be my first choice.

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This post appears to be some sort of advertisement.  How do we report this?

 

[waho6o9]

spam

 

[rst]

As a door and locksmith guy, the Big Gator guides are a god send.  Retrofits and repairs are so much easier on site work.

 

[aCircle]

I ordered one because I’m a sucker for quality… and tools. Happy to report back once it arrives in a few (six  [blink]) months.

 

[rmhinden]

I bought one of the Rockler Drill Guide in 2020.    Works very well, my main use is for drilling vertical holes on pieces that are too big to bring to the drill press.

The Rocker seems to do most of what the Woodpecker version does, but costs a lot less.  Since I got it, Rocker now offers several new accessories.  I can't verify this, but the Rocker seems to be more robust than the Woodpecker one.

Bob

 

[DynaGlide]

I bought one of the Rockler Drill Guide in 2020.    Works very well, my main use is for drilling vertical holes on pieces that are too big to bring to the drill press.

The Rocker seems to do most of what the Woodpecker version does, but costs a lot less.  Since I got it, Rocker now offers several new accessories.  I can't verify this, but the Rocker seems to be more robust than the Woodpecker one.

Bob

More than a few (a lot) of reviews say the Rockler one has a binding issue on the posts. I was all set to buy one but it isn't an insignificant amount of people saying this. Hopefully yours works well.

 

[Packard]

The Rockler unit has a 1/2" chuck and roller bearings.  I don't know what the Woodpeckers' version has.

For most of what I would imagine I would need a drill guide for, the Gator guide would do the job.  In addition it is smaller, lighter and likely more reliable at $25.00.

Milescraft and Kreg both offer knockoffs at about $10.00.  For $25.00 Milescraft includes a full set of brad point bits and matching stops. 

In any case, I  would not order one of any of these until I had a project that required it.  Then I would order the simplest version that would efficiently get the job done. 

 

[rmhinden]

More than a few (a lot) of reviews say the Rockler one has a binding issue on the posts. I was all set to buy one but it isn't an insignificant amount of people saying this. Hopefully yours works well.

I have not had any issue with binding.      I just went back and read the 1-star reviews, they don't match my experience.  Though, I do agree it's not a substitute for a drill press .  More like a supplement   

Bob

 

[4nthony]

If any one has bought the older version (fixed base).. thoughts?

I have the fixed base version without the flip stops and extension rods. I recently used it to drill holes on the underside of a desktop for some threaded inserts. The WP guide operates smoothly, the fence system works well for consistent layout and clamping, and the unit is typical of WP's quality. The column with the stop collar is tapered to help prevent the collar from slipping. The chuck assembly can be rotated to accommodate a Forstner bit up to 2". I'm happy with my purchase and believe it will be very useful in those instances when I can't use my drill press.

That said, I could probably get by without it. Just like I used to get by with a trim router to cut mortises for loose tenons.

The Rockler unit has a 1/2" chuck and roller bearings.  I don't know what the Woodpeckers' version has.

From the product page: "The Auto-Line starts with a high quality 1/2" chuck supported by a pair of sealed ball bearings."

 

[Jason.L.Hagen]

I originally bought the Rockler one when it was released in 2020. I used it on one project and had issues with it. I returned it to Rockler and was told they had a bad first batch. I didn’t want to try another one as Woodpeckers had released their with accessories. At that time Rockler didn’t have any accessories. So I bought the Woodpecker version. I’ve been very happy with it. No issues. The sight marks are spot on. The Rockler version seemed off. I tried a few angled holes just for fun and they weren’t close at all. I had wished the WP would have done angles. Now they have the new one. I’m interested in as that as the original has been great for stuff that I can’t get over to the drill press. I’ve noticed that the Rockler are like Harbor Freight tools. They do an okay job. But will they last a long time? Who knows. Are they dialed in correctly? No. But if your okay with stuff not being perfect, then they should work for you.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

I love the disclaimer bit on the side of the gator thing. "Government regulations require eye protection and appropriate safety equipment". Really? maybe in a commercial situation where OSHA might have some oversight, in your own home/shop? Good luck with that.
I'm not against safety equipment at all, I wear safety glasses all day at work, from the moment of walking in the door. I'm so used to them that many times I realize that I still have them on, halfway home, but threats like that are just silly/annoying.

 

[blues]

Thank you all so much for sharing your thoughts and insights. I do have the big gator and that helps me get by. If there are good use cases... i might be tempted. But if one is willing to spend this much.. then the Mafell drill station is a better investment isn't it?https://www.timberwolftools.com/mafell-bst-drilling-stations
Thanks again..

 

[Birdhunter]

Just one last thought. I have the fixed base WP guide. It works very well. My only issue is that balancing a drill on top of the rather tall guide makes for a tippy situation.

Adding a dedicated motor to the package would be a nice feature although it would increase the price. Even better to include crossing laser lines to mark the drill bit entry point.

 

[jeffinsgf]

Admittedly, a biased opinion [smile]

The Mafell guides are well designed and well made. They are, however, built primarily with timber framing in mind. They're made to drill very long holes in diameters up to 1-1/8.

The AutoAngle is more aimed at furniture making. The stroke is significantly shorter, but that also means it's easier to maneuver, fit inside completed assemblies, and store. It can handle Forstner bits up to 2-1/2". And, there's a pretty significant price difference. (I so rarely get to write that).

 

[rst]

I have the Wolfcraft drill press Wolfcraft 4522 Tec Mobil Drill Stand which solves the height problem of a drill that attaches to a chuck leaving you with a very tall apparatus to negotiate.  This one accepts the 43mm collar on drills suck as the PDC and Milwaukee heavy drills where the torque handle would attach and is much more manageable.

 

[Cheese]

I purchased the Auto-Line for it's overall compactness. It can easily be used in small spaces which is similar to the Big Gator guides. This photo gives you an idea of how it compares to the UJK offering. The overall height is Woodpeckers = 9", UJK = 16" & Mafell = 25".

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I'm very happy with the Auto-Line and use it a lot more often than I thought I would because of its compactness. The plunge action is smooth, the drill chuck is very nice and it's just a nicely made piece of equipment. The only item I'm going to add is a different return spring with a lesser spring rate for those times when I'm using it in a horizontal position.

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