This has been a bugbear of mine for some time, with guitars and other projects, so I want the o get one of these to mount to my drill press table:
https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/M1...mpound%20table
Ooooooo!!! Me want....

@Eponymous - Good work. It's a shame it cost you one body to get there, but you've got a good practical salvage plan!

As Frankie said, it certainly can go wrong even with a drill press (don't ask me how I know this ).
One trick to getting the ferrule holes in nice even line is: draw a parallel line off the centre line half the diameter of the hole size, then clamp a piece of hardwood (with a good square edge) along the line, then use it to plumb the edge of the drill bit to.

You still have the challenge of the centre to centre spacing, but the ferrules can be jigged around a bit to even up those little spaces if needed.

Look forward to seeing the rest of the build. Cheers