Vik Olliver put up a great tutorial about how you can successfully drill down the middle of a shaft using a standard drill press and cheap vise. To do this, you drill the part backwards, by putting the drill bit in the vise and the part in the drill press chuck. The trick is that you can line up the vise precisely by placing the drill bit into the chuck upside down, lowering the tool, then using it to align and clamp down the vise. Once the vise is secured, you release the drill bit from the chuck (but not the vise), and put the part in the chuck. Of course, a lathe might be preferable, but sometimes you have to work with the tools you have! [via Hack a Day]