Corner Location Fixture

You know the routine: Measure and mark a hole location and then drill it. Doesn't take long for a few holes, but what if you have a major project that requires a bunch of holes in the same location? Rather than mark them all and then guide the drill to the spot over and over again try a Corner Location Fixture.

So this one goes way back to 1985. It is just a 1x6 with two 1x2 strips glued to the edges. You can see all the various holes that have been drilled in it. Also some marks from an assemble job where two ballasts were screwed to a frame member, 75 assemblies were made!

I use this corner fixture on the drill press the most. Here is how to set it up: First mark your work piece where you need a hole. With the motor off set the work piece in the corner fixture and bring the drill down on the mark. I usually lock the drill press quill here so I have both hands free. With your hands free put two clamps on the fixture to the drill press table. Once clamped then drill your first hole. If it looks OK, go ahead and drill the rest. This is a great way to put four holes in the corners of rectangular blocks. Goes really quickly. If your work piece wants to climb up on the drill you can add a scrap cover to hold the work piece down.

I don't quite remember why I made this one, but it must have been useful. I'll show it with a taller work piece in the drill press.

I wanted to cut the corners off of 60 or so plywood gussets. So I made this corner fixture with no nails or screws to protect the saw blades. I used glue and wood dowels to hold it together. Also the base is large enough to make it easy to C-clamp to the edge of the table. Don't forget to raise the blade so you don't cut the whole corner off!

Once you have the corner fixture located and clamped please be careful and keep your fingers clear of the saw blade. I used a pusher stick to hold any piece that is a bit too small to hold safely.

So there you go. I hope this will help you speed your projects along and also make the holes look more consistent. Don't worry about messing the fixtures up with saw cuts or drilled holes, when they look bad, just make new fixtures. Good luck and be safe. Carl.