Flexible single rail drilling system

An apparatus comprising:

• an elongated flexible rail including a plurality of attachment devices adapted to releasably attach the rail to a work piece, the rail includes a longitudinal axis and a transverse axis;
• a main carriage operatively coupled to the rail to be longitudinally moveable;
• a secondary carriage operatively coupled to the main carriage to be transversely moveable and adapted to receive a machining device;
• and,
• a fastening device coupling the main carriage and the secondary carriage and adapted to clamp the secondary carriage downward to the main carriage, wherein the main carriage and the secondary carriage are substantially braced against one another to prevent the secondary carriage from moving;
• a coupling device operatively associated with the secondary carriage and operative to releasably affix the secondary carriage to the surface of the work piece by vacuum;
• and
• a controller in operative communication with said coupling device and adapted to control said coupling device so that said coupling device is used to place said secondary carriage and said main carriage in any one of a fully clamped state relative to said work piece, a fully unclamped state relative to said work piece, and a partially clamped state relative to said work piece.