A Handy Drilling Template

Handy Drilling Template Getting bars and pulls centered perfectly on the front faces of drawers can be a challenge. So to locate and drill the mounting holes quickly and accurately, I made the simple drilling template that’s shown at right.

The template is a piece of ¼″ hardboard with two wood cleats attached to the back (see Assembly View at right). A pair of holes in the hardboard serve as guides when drilling the mounting holes. By fitting the cleats over the drawer, it registers the template and automatically locates the mounting holes.

One thing to keep in mind is that the cleats affect the size of the template. My cleats were ¾″ × ¾″, so I cut the hardboard ¾″ longer and wider than the drawer front.

After gluing on the cleats, the next step is to mark the centerlines, as shown below. Then lay out and drill the mounting holes for the pulls in the template.

To make sure the holes are located accurately, it’s a good idea to temporarily mount the handles in the template. If everything checks out, you can go ahead and drill the holes in the drawer fronts.

Good woodworking,

Wyatt Myers
Online Editor, Workbench

Send for
yours today