BullseyeBore Core is a simple power drill accessory that mounts to the front of your drill chuck. It rotates with your drill and produces several easy to see circular patterns on the work surface. When the circles are aligned (concentric) on the work surface, the drill is straight, and you’ll always get a straight hole.

It’s really that easy.

Every day around the world, as many as 100 million people use a power drill. In their job, for their hobby, or just to fix the odd thing around the house, and before they pull the trigger on that drill, everyone asks the same question:

Am I drilling straight?

In the old days, some drills tried to solve this with built in bubble levels, but bubble levels only work if the worksurface is completely parallel to the plane of the earth, which is rare. There are also external drill and bit guides, but these are separate clumsy accessories that often block your view of the worksurface, scratch up your work, require a second hand to hold, and can often be dangerous to work with. Moreover, they are bit size or drill type specific, so none of them work universally across all bit sizes and all drill types.

A power drill alone just gives you a hole, but it’s always been a challenge to drill perpendicular to the worksurface. Until now. 

BullseyeBore Core may look unassuming and small, but it’s a feat of engineering with ten years of R&D and testing poured into it— we’ve kept things simple so it’s seamless to use and works on common commercial electric drills.

No other drill accessory or drill guide offers you this kind of contactless functionality, safety, or easy compatibility with common drills or drill bits. In fact, its versatility is why it maintains four patents and patents pending.

We created BullseyeBore Core with one primary objective: we wanted to create a simple power drill accessory that would help people, regardless of their expertise level, to always drill straight holes perpendicular to the worksurface. This meant the Core had to be super easy to use, operate in any orientation regardless of gravity, and work with your existing power drill.

To ensure we achieved what we had set out to do our team spent ten years in R&D and experimentation, ensuring that there were no size or weight limitations and every component was impact and spin tested, among a hundred other things. We developed, implemented, and tested well over 300 prototypes over the course of years, and that’s something that no other legacy solution can come close to.

This is why, although BullseyeBore Core looks small and unassuming, a lot more engineering, precision, and components have gone into creating it versus other laser based tools. This is also why it costs more than generic laser tools, bit guides, and bubble levels. The Core is designed to give you much more than those tools can.

Here are just a few examples of the R&D and engineering that went into BullseyeBore Core:

• We designed our own lower power red and green lasers: Lasers are power hungry, so even small laser pointers typically use a minimum of three coin cell batteries. To overcome this size and weight limitation, we designed and built our own lower-power red and green lasers that operate with only two tiny LR44 or 357 coin cell batteries. Our custom lasers also have a 10,000 hour estimated time-till-failure rating and have been exhaustively impact and spin tested.
• We developed our own laser lens and calibration equipment:  Our optics and laser calibration process is designed to obtain sub 1 degree accuracy from each projected beam. There is even an IC in BullseyeBore Core that is running some code.
• Developed a safe connection mechanism: The chuck attachment mechanism was an extremely difficult design challenge given the wide diversity of drill chuck shapes, sizes, and materials, but the solution turned out to be very elegant, and has been tested on several hundred different drill and drill chuck combinations.

We also had to come up with a physical product shape that was small and light enough to operate on a drill and also virtually transparent during rotation.

And that’s what you see today when you look at the Core:

The Core works by projecting a minimum of two light beams on the work surface that produce circular patterns during drill rotation and help you align the drill against the worksurface.

The Reference Beam is projected parallel to the drill bit. It creates a circular reference pattern on the work surface as your drill rotates. The beam is circular and unchanging even if the drill is tilted or misaligned when working on a flat work surface.

The Alignment Beam is also circular when the drill is aligned with a flat work surface. However, unlike the Reference Beam, the Alignment Beam Pattern will distort into an elliptical shape when the drill is misaligned/tilted on the flat work surface. To get your holes straight both Beams need to be circular and aligned (concentric).

The Extended models of BullseyeBore Core introduce a second Alignment Pattern. In these Extended models the first and second Alignment Patterns are projected at slightly different angles which translate into different diameters on the worksurface and thus work with a wider array of drill bit lengths.

There are four models of BullseyeBore Core with different characteristics for battery life, visibility, and operational drilling range. The right model for you depends on your individual drilling needs.

As a general guide, if you plan to use BullseyeBore Core indoors and battery life is essential, choose the Core Red versions CR1-100 and CR1-101. If you intend to use BullseyeBore Core in bright indoor conditions or outdoors in indirect sunlight, choose the Core Green versions CG1-100 and CG1-101.

Are you ready to eliminate all the sweating, the cursing, the gosh darnits that come when you’re holding a power drill? Choose your perk today. 

Bullseyebore Core optional accessories will be available for purchase in the Backerkit survey sent 14 days after pre-order on Indiegogo. All accessories will be available to pre-order for $20 each.

The Standard Chuck Alignment Guides are set of 9 different sizes. These are optional but useful accessories that attach to the back of Bullseyebore Core to make it easy to center the device on the flat chuck face during installation. This makes repeated installations both easy and consistent.

BullseyeBore Core Worksurface Extension Plates are optional accessories. It is a flat aluminum circular plate that can be either held or tacked in place on a flat worksurface to create a larger surface area that the circular laser patterns can project onto. Worksurface Extension Plates extend a small worksurface so the Reference Pattern and at least one Alignment Pattern are visible. The plate is 6” in diameter.

Chuck Extensions serve to move BullseyeBore Core forward along the drill bit and are typically utilized to move BullseyeBore Core’s projected Reference and Alignment Patterns closer together on the worksurface at the start of drilling, which can make drill alignment or misalignment easier to visualize. They can also be used to reduce the overall diameter of the Alignment Pattern (or Patterns) if they do not fit on the worksurface.

During BullseyeBore Core testing, we found that an average DIY can typically drill with an error rate on a flat wooden worksurface of less than ±1 degrees after just a couple of minutes of initial BullseyeBore Core use, and its far safer, easier, and more productive than legacy Bit Guides.

Example of an accuracy measurement of a bit after drilling with BullseyeBore Core.

The Core is the perfect accessory for anyone who wants to get their holes straight. Its compatibility with common commercial drills and user-friendly design makes it a versatile and valuable accessory for professionals and DIYers.

In January 2024, Reekon Tools gave us a shout out on TikTok that quickly gained the attention of tens of thousands of followers. Kevin at Ravin Builders shared a video that reached more than 70 million people.

Over the past 6 months, the BullseyeBore community has grown dramatically. By the numbers, here’s who’s signed up for early bird access:

Out of more than 500 emails received from the community, we chose a few quotes to feature:

BullseyeBore Core came into existence because of one man’s obsession with creating simple products that help people get their jobs done well.

Meet John Cerwin, the principal inventor of BullseyeBore Core.

John has been a software engineer and an avid DIYer for over 25 years. The Core’s origin story starts over a decade ago when he was designing and implementing electronic instrumentation and measuring tools for constructing and maintaining high-speed rail lines.

These tools and instruments used a combination of software and sensors which he quickly realized had other applications as well, especially in the construction and DIY fields, and so the idea of making power tools easier to use became one of his primary goals.

Specifically, he began to look very closely at drills. Other than improvements in portability and power, electric drills have remained essentially the same for 40 years. So, John and his “Core team” started working on a simple power drill accessory that would help people, regardless of their expertise level, to always drill straight holes.

It took the Core team over 10 years to get BullseyeBore Core to what it looks like today. There were lots of challenges and stops and starts along the way. The team started with sensor and software based solutions, but eventually refactored the early prototypes into a simple visual based alignment system. During this time the Core team developed, implemented, and tested well over 300 prototypes and worked their way through the entire lifespan of 5 separate 3D printers.

This is a subset of the 300 prototypes

The Core team also placed great emphasis on user safety. During product development, they even tested the operation of the BullseyeBore Core early user experience with kids who had never used a drill. Under close supervision, the team put them in safety gear, told them to try to drill straight holes without any explanation of BullseyeBore Core, and they figured out how to do it within a couple of tries.

Using Core is just that intuitive.

These are the “milestone” prototypes that represent large steps in the evolution of the BullseyeBore Core

It turns out that the human eye can very quickly pick out pattern concentricity and non-concentricity, and this is one main reasons why the team elected to use the projected circular worksurface patterns as the basis for alignment and misalignment.

Through the years, the testing, the R&D, the Core went from this to what it looks like today.

These are injection molded samples from the factory

And the rest is history. 

With crowdfunding, we can create BullseyeBore Core with input and support from the entire community. It also helps us reach our production goals ahead of schedule and allows us to thank the early adopters of our product by offering a special discount.

Please be aware that shipping and taxes are not included in the pledge levels. Approximately 14 days after you pledge, you will receive a survey link from Backerkit. We will collect your address at this time to ensure we have the most accurate place to send your product to. You’ll be able to confirm your shipping address via your unique Backerkit survey just prior to shipping.

Shipping charges vary based on your country – approximately $15 U.S., and $25 International. These are just estimates and actual shipping costs will be calculated as we get closer to shipping based on current market rates.

Taxes will vary based on where your rewards are shipped and will be collected after the campaign. For the following countries, we’re collecting taxes before shipping, so you won’t have to worry about paying them at the time of delivery, extra fees, or being held up in customs. No taxes are included in the prices on the campaign and will be collected after the campaign has concluded before shipping.

• United States: State sales taxes may apply
• European Union, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia: VAT/GST taxes apply.
• Other Countries: We will not charge any taxes in the pledge manager. However, you may be responsible for sales tax, VAT/GST taxes, duties, import fees, or other taxes/fees when your reward is delivered.

BullseyeBore Core includes a 1-year limited warranty covering any manufacturing defects when purchased from an authorized reseller.  This warranty does not cover drop damage, impact damage, damage due to normal use, damage due to abnormal use, or other user damage. The product outer housing and label are not covered under this warranty and considered consumables as part of routine use.

As this is a crowdfunding campaign that will be used towards starting many of the tooling and manufacturing costs (along with being offered at a substantial discount), returns or refunds will not be accepted.

Once the campaign has completed, every backer will receive a survey via email. In the survey, you will be able to:

• Enter your latest address
• Pay Shipping and Tax
• Order accessories (Standard Chuck Alignment Guides, Worksurface Extension Plates, Chuck Extensions)
• Add additional units to your order

Before using BullseyeBore Core, please read and follow the complete BullseyeBore Core Safety Guidelines for safe use of BullseyeBore Core and/or BullseyeBore Core Accessories (collectively defined as “BullseyeBore Core Products”).

Always Wear Protective Gear

Protective gear including an ANSI Z87.1 face shield and/or ANSI Z87.1 protective glasses are required as is the use of protective clothing and protective gloves while using BullseyeBore Core Products.

Extreme Caution Is Advised

Please exercise extreme caution when using or attempting to use BullseyeBore Core Products. Extreme caution is necessary to prevent personal injuries, property damages and product damages. Although the BullseyeBore Core Products are designed with safety in mind, impact of the BullseyeBore Core Products with fingers, hands, or body parts during drill rotation should be avoided. Always remember that BullseyeBore Core Products are mounted on a drill chuck and rotate at the same rotational speed as the drill chuck.

Please Read Your Power Drill’s Safety Guidance

Power drills are dangerous, and accidents can occur if they are not used properly and safely. Please read your power drill’s operations manual and safety guidance before using your drill with or without BullseyeBore Core Products.
Strong Magnet Warning

BullseyeBore Core and the BullseyeBore Chuck Extensions all contain one or more strong neodymium magnets. The strong magnetic fields of neodymium magnets can damage magnetic sensitive equipment and materials. Please keep any magnetic sensitive equipment or material at a minimum of 3 feet distance from BullseyeBore Core and BullseyeBore Chuck Extensions (or farther if specified by the equipment manufacturer). Further, Neodymium magnets can cause serious damage to fingers if caught between two magnets such as breaking bones. Please be extremely cautious of the BullseyeBore Core Product’s neodymium magnetic forces during handling, usage and or storage.

Legal

BullseyeBore Products are protected by copyright, trademark, patent, and other laws in the US and foreign countries. Any mention or depiction of third-party brand names, products, product names, trademarks, or registered trademarks is solely for the purpose of identification or depiction of use with BullseyeBore products and does not imply any endorsement, sponsorship, or affiliation with BullseyeBore products or BullseyeBore Inc. All other brand and product names mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective owners.

Risks and challenges

BullseyeBore Core is the first commercial product to be manufactured and distributed by BullseyeBore Inc. As with any new commercial product, there will be challenges and potential delays. Such challenges and delays may include but are not limited to: supply chain component acquisition issues due to ongoing shortages, component quality issues, unexpected problems arising during manufacturing, logistical challenges inherent in setting up a distribution system, and/or distribution issues related to changing geopolitical conditions. We will be sure to keep backers well informed of any progress and speed bumps we may hit along the way and are committed to delivering a quality product as quickly as possible.