That awl is a great tool if you like bloody fingers... For hand stitching I lay out with the "pricking irons" aka chisels then drill with a Dremel... Hopefully I won't be doing much of that anymore because my Tippmann Boss arrived yesterday!!! It's all set up and seems to be working great... After a few hours or so of tighten this, pull that and twist this... Thank goodness I have a wife that can look at a stitch and tell what needs to be adjusted...