I’m guessing you’ve got this resolved, but you want a center punch to mark the spot where you want to try to drill. Go as slow as you can with the drill until you get it started, and a pilot will help get you through, but without a drill press to keep the hole aligned, it can make the final hole wander when you try to bore it out to the final dimension.
Of course the hand tool method is to find a post drill, but they can be pricey and a big restore project. I think Pat’s right about the hole being punched out instead of drilled, but that seems to take specialized equipment too.