Where a 2 mm guide is used
Two millimetres is a usual pilot size for wood screws of 3 to 3.5 mm, which are the screws that hold small hinges, catches, drawer runners, picture frame hardware and the backs of cabinets. These holes sit close to an edge, in thin stock, where a screw driven without a pilot splits the wood. A 2 mm bit is also the easiest of all to break and the quickest to wander: it skates across the grain before it bites, and it bends if the drill is tilted. A guide block solves both. The fence sets the distance from the edge and the hole holds the bit upright for its first few millimetres.
What to measure
Measure the bit with a caliper; a 2 mm bit usually reads 1.95 to 2.0 mm, and the 2.2 mm guide hole leaves it free to turn. Then find the offset. It is the distance from the edge of the board to the centre of the screw hole, and for a hinge you can read it from the hinge itself: lay the leaf on the edge as it will be fitted and measure from the edge to the middle of a screw hole. This page uses 8 mm. The generator accepts any offset from about 2 mm upwards for a hole this small.
Block, fence and material
The block is 8 mm thick, four times the bit diameter, which guides the bit well and still leaves most of a short bit free to drill. A standard 2 mm jobber bit has roughly 24 mm of flute; through an 8 mm block it can drill about 15 mm deep, which is enough for a pilot hole. The fence is 5 mm thick and 8 mm high, low enough for 9 mm plywood. Print in PLA, which is harder than PETG. A hole this small wears little, because the bit removes almost nothing from the wall when it is started gently.
Printing
The jig prints as modelled, fence up: 60 by 35 mm on the bed, 16 mm tall, no supports. A 2.2 mm vertical hole is close to the limit of what a 0.4 mm nozzle makes round, and it usually comes out under size. Slow the inner walls down, and after printing clear the hole by turning the bit through it with your fingers or at the lowest drill speed. Use enough perimeters that the hole is surrounded by solid plastic: four is plenty here.
Outline drawing
To scale. Left: top view as printed, fence along the top edge. Right: end view, block 8 mm thick with the fence rising 8 mm above it.
Parameters the generator will use
| Setting | Link parameter | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Model | model | drill_jig |
| Jig length along the edge (X) | length | 60 |
| Jig width including the fence (Y) | width | 35 |
| Block thickness | thickness | 8 |
| Guide hole diameter | hole_diameter | 2.2 |
| Hole centre to workpiece edge | offset | 8 |
| Hole position along the length (0 centres it) | hole_position | 0 |
| Fence thickness | fence_thickness | 5 |
| Fence height | fence_height | 8 |
All lengths are in millimetres. Outer size from these values: 60 x 35 x 16 mm.
Open the generator with these values
This model needs the $7 licence key: one payment, one key, and it opens all five paid models. Get a licence key on Gumroad ($7)
The drill guide jig needs a licence key: without one the generator shows the model locked, lists the values from this link and fills them in as soon as you unlock. The fitted drawer organiser bin is the free model and downloads with no key.