Thread: ot: brace bit pays for itself

My apologies for a semi-offtopic post, but I imagine many here will understand...

Recently, amongst other more preferred items that I picked up through craigslist, I acquired a brace bit- working but neither old or interesting, under the general principle that Every Proper Shop Needs One. I hung it from a water pipe above my "rough" bench and forgot about it, until today..

I was hanging a new storm door and needed a 9/16 hole thru for the latch mechanism. None of my power drills would take a bit that large, leaving me in an awkward position, facing the prospect of some fairly grotesque hacking or the purchase of a big enough import P.O.S. drill from big-box home improvement store . But, I recalled the brace bit and its commodious chuck, which took the drill no problemo and in 30 seconds the hole was in.

So paid for itself (by a long shot), its back hanging from its water pipe, and the door is done. So if you lack a brace bit and find yourself at a flea market, pick one up- you never know when it will pay for itself many times over in one afternoon.

Regards,

Greg

I have a couple of braces. We used to use them all the time for driving large wood screws as well as boring holes. I've used them alot for rewiring our old house. Everybody ought to have one.

Technically, they're a "brace AND bit".....used one for years in my phone installation job when the company wouldn't buy power drills. Good arm exercise. They put the first woman installer ever to enter the business under my wing back in 1977. I walked into the room where she was struggling with trying to drill a 1/4" hole through the floor. She stopped, dripping with perspiration and announced that the blankety blank drill was dull. I told her to turn it in the opposite direction. Voila! A hole.

Ever seen a "corner brace"? Same basic idea, but the entire unit is designed to allow drilling from a 90 degree angle, i.e. near walls, close to floor etc.

We used to use "spur bits" or augers with the screw point on the end. Drill until the screw begins coming through the opposite side, then drill from that side using the little hole as a starting point. Makes a nice even hole all the way through.

A very good tool when there's the time to do a craftsman like job.

Hey Greg, I agree with you the antique hand tools are very handy. Over the years I have accumulated a lot of tools such as the brace & bit in fact I probably have six or seven braces and a good coffee can full of bits. Another handy tool is the egg beater drill and the Yankee push drill. If the grid goes down these tools would become invaluable.

I probably should post this in the found in a junk pile thread but anyway a few years ago I found an antique Yankee push drill in a dump that was used by house re modelers its in god shape and has a patent date of 1895 also found a good draw knife and something that I have never seen extensions for a brace for deep boring. Two years ago I inherited the contents of m grandfathers work shop and ended up with a bunch of Goodel & Pratt\ Millers Falls egg beater drills, hand planes and a bunch of antique hardware and various assorted truck.

Recently the museum wanted to get rid of a big crate made of teak wood so I jumped on it as I have an idea about building a nice wood workers tool chest for all the antique hand tools.

Thank you.

James

I have a number of them and hand drills (emphasis on "hand"--no electricity). Cub scouts are not allowed to use power tools and there are so many things to drill holes in!

Auger bits are easy to use (especially in smaller sizes) and the adjustable augers make it sort of a do-anything drill.

If you like those, look into a "yankee-drill" as well. Great for small screws and holes.

My father has a couple egg-beaters, and I did my time on them before he let me use his power drill. Can't stand them, nothing in that line beats my nice old Makita cordless. 2nd battery in 20 years, oiled it once by accident, and its still going strong. If it comes time to go off grid, I'll happily pedal on a bike w/ generator a-la Soylent Green to keep that puppy charged.

But I love the grunt of the brace & bits, put in a 1.5" spade bit and go to town on the 6" thick sill plate and its done before you know it. Well, sort of.

I have a long auger from one of the previous renovation episodes, though I used a power drill and a 90 degree attachment for those fun & games. Theres a nice hex drive magnetic extension in a wall someplace, which dropped off the string I was using to pull some romex. Going to be a long time before those memories are golden, let me tell you...

Greg

im surprised none of you guys put a countersink in the chuck really handy to have in your tool box

my grandfather collects the old braces now he is running out of room on his roof lol

my old Stanly egg beater drill is my most loved tool

I always use my brace for hand tapping, lots of torque and a good sensitive feel!

The brace my dad bought to build the house I was born into in '39, hangs over my mantle, the tall metal box of very good chrome plated Craftsman wood bits, (augers) with it. Gets pressed onto service once in a while, lovingly.

Bob

A brace......for hand tapping? Now, that I've GOT to try.

I will have to try the hand tapping also. The braces work well with a zero flute countersink for chamfering large holes. Perfect for a CNC operator with to much time on his hands.

We have a couple of the big egg beater (breast) drills. My son uses one to drive screws and loves it.

We have a couple of the big egg beater (breast) drills. My son uses one to drive screws and loves it.

I have Stanley's largest eggbeater breast drill which I use frequently. Nice two speed you get by moving the "big gear."

Also a regular bit brace which has not two jaws (made for auger bit) but four jaws sort of like a jacobs chuck with polydacty. Meanwhile, I've been looking for an "extra large" version bit brace and am almost tempted to cut one of the lesser braces and weld in slugs to put it on steroids.

Also a yankee drill about 2-1/2 feet long. Nice when used in corners.

When in my home repair job sequence I worked for a woman who could see I liked nice tools. "Here, take this" she said as I was cleaning up and getting ready to go. "This was my father's."

Turns out she gave me one of Stanley's 1st year bit brace production: the one with a wooden knob but without the spinner handle for the other hand. Quite a gift!

Joe

Grandpas Brace and Bit sure came in handy building outhouses on the Rez in South Dakota when the cordless croaked .... we were miles from 110v.

Grandpa was 92 when he passed in '76 -

I'll be handing his well cared-for tools to someone who appreciates them as much as I do...

Thanks and a Tip of the Hat for a Thread that jogged good memories...

Well, I sort of collect "bitstock tools" - the tools with the funny tapered square head to fit into a brace are called "bitstock tools".

Did you know that you can get twist drills that have the bitstock head on them? They come in two general types, regular ones for drilling metal and another type with a 90 degree included angle between the cutting edges of the flutes for drilling into wood. (Early brace chucks can not grip round-shank drills at all, although eventually chucks that can grasp either the bitstock head or a small round-shank twist drill were invented. Best way to use ordinary twist drills in a brace remains the use of a three-jaw jacobs drill chuck with a bitstock adapter arbor.)

I have regular Irwin-pattern auger bits up to TWO INCHES. Now, that is a workout!

Augers will have a number stamped on the bitstock head. This will be the size in 1/16ths of an inch. For example, a 5/8 " bit will be marked "10".

Did you know that the "pilot" screw on an augur comes in three different pitches for different woods? A Fine pitch is used for dry hardwoods. Medium and Coarse for undried hardwoods and softwoods.

Did you know that braces come in different "sweeps", the "sweep" being the size of the circle swept by the handle. A small brace with a 6" sweep is a GREAT screwdriver! On the other hand, I get out a 16" sweep brace to wrestle with the 2" bit!

Braces are almost always $5 or less at a Flea Market. The bits tend to run $1 if in good condition. DO NOT buy bits which some klutz has filed on the outside of the spurs. YOu cannot correct these except by welding on some tool steel and regrinding, which is far more effort than justifed by a common and inexpensive tool.

It pleases me to see that others here appreciate these tools. - JRR

Don't forget the ''JOIST BRACE'' form serious torque

This is a home brew but Stanley etc made them

Google Image Result for http://www.mv-dreamer.com/images/CustomJoistBrace.jpg

Drill cabinet with brace, bits, extension, joist brace and corner brace. Also a yankee push drill residing in there with a large Yankee push drill in one of the other tool boxes. Second picture is of a Cole drill I rehandled. Plenty of electric and battery powered drills, but the old armstrong drills get a work out now and again.

That joist brace looks like it could do some VERY serious work.

Wyoming, that is the nicest setup I've seen in quite a while. Take good care of it! I've been trying to locate a Cole drill for some time.....very handy for drilling out studs in engine blocks occasionally. Unfortunately everyone else is looking for them too!

Originally Posted by George Andreasen

Technically, they're a "brace AND bit".....used one for years in my phone installation job when the company wouldn't buy power drills. Good arm exercise. They put the first woman installer ever to enter the business under my wing back in 1977. I walked into the room where she was struggling with trying to drill a 1/4" hole through the floor. She stopped, dripping with perspiration and announced that the blankety blank drill was dull. I told her to turn it in the opposite direction. Voila! A hole.

Push drill were another popular tool with Bell System installers. Quicker to zip the two holes for mounting a 66 block with a push drill, than drag out the power drill, find a receptacle, etc., etc.

Reggie_Obie:

Right on. And you NEVER have trouble with batteries that need to be recharged, as you occassionally will with a cordless electric drill motor !!!

You can now buy adapters to use the ubiquitous 1/4" hexagonal bits in a Yankee screwdriver. (McFeely's 9/32" Shank Yankee (#130) Mag Bit Holder, Drivers & Bits, Power Tool Accessories - McFeely's )


JRR