Yes, ideally a drill press makes it easier, but if the hole is accurately measured and marked up from each side (from the pre-cut end of the tube bought from Bunnings which should be nice and square), and ideally using a centre punch to put a dent on the exact marking, then drilling two holes from each side should be just as accurate. I do have a drill press which made the job a bit simpler. And yes, I always drill a small pilot hole first, often go up in a couple of steps - maybe 2.5 or 3mm, then 6mm, then 10mm (you don't want to go bigger than the 10mm bolt to keep things nice & snug).elantra wrote: ↑Fri Sep 29, 2023 12:01 pmGreat find thanks.Andy01 wrote: ↑Wed Sep 27, 2023 6:38 pmThis one (for about $15 and an hour's work) and a steel rule works just fine;stevenaaus wrote: ↑Wed Sep 27, 2023 6:11 pmHanger alignment tool is well worth it. Most every bike I put it on, needs adjusting.
Mine's only a half decent tool, but it puts you in the ballpark.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWdO4dnu18g
The Author (RJ) uses a bench drill for accuracy.
Many of us won’t have a bench drill but I don’t think that matters much as long as you are careful to align the drill holes on each side of the square steel tube fairly accurately.
I find it much easier to drill into steel or aluminium with a step drill bit, works perfectly with a relatively inexpensive battery powered Ozito handyman drill.
I managed to find a superb little step drill bit for 8 dollars in the specials bin at the local Mitre 10.
The step drill bit goes in 2mm increments from 4 to 12 mm diameter.
I’m no expert but it seems to work best if you drill a pilot hole with a 2 or 3 mm ordinary drill bit first
The "hardest" part is finding the bolt and nuts because it is a finer thread (I think from memory it is M10 x 1.0 - please check) than the "standard" M10 bolt available at Bunnings, which is M10 x 1.5. I bought mine over the counter at a local Brisbane bolt supplier - I think the bolt + 2x nuts cost me about $4.50 or something. Also get some washers to suit 10mm (if you don't have any lying around).
I just bought a 1m length of 20mm steel square tubing from Bunnings for a few $. I am not sure that 20 or 25mm aluminium tubing would be strong enough unless you go for 3mm wall thickness
Steel - https://www.bunnings.com.au/metal-mate- ... e_p1130463 - $9.12
Aluminium - perhaps the best option at Bunnings (should be strong enough, hopefully - they don't seem to list 3mm wall thickness anymore) - https://www.bunnings.com.au/metal-mate- ... e_p1138270 - $9.76
I think I would stick with the steel tube myself.
I have used mine a few times and appear to be able to get the hanger straightened quite accurately within a few minutes. Is it as good as the Park Tools equivalent - undoubtedly not, but it is about $100 cheaper