Modernize your brace with new gear!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 พ.ย. 2024
- New woodworkers need a new brace for drilling! Plus an updated tool list! (see below)
More video and exclusive content: / rexkrueger
Products in this video: (Scroll Down)
Garrett-Wade Versatile Brace: www.garrettwad...
Hex adapter for standard brace: www.fine-tools...
(Scroll down, look for item #300221)
The following are affiliate links:
Quick-Release Hex Adaptor: amzn.to/3ng8vGS
Keyless 3-Jaw Chuck: amzn.to/3n7jaUx
Ship Auger Bits: amzn.to/2SjLx3o
Freud Forstner Bit Set: amzn.to/36yr2IV
Irwin Spade Bits: amzn.to/3ncv7s2
Diamond Hone: amzn.to/3cQFVr5
James Wright's video on Wood Owl Auger Bits: • New Favorite Tool What...
(If you buy the bits, use James' link and he gets a little commission.)
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Wood Work for Humans Tool List (affiliate):
Cutting
Gyokucho Ryoba Saw: amzn.to/2Z5Wmda
Dewalt Panel Saw: amzn.to/2HJqGmO
Suizan Dozuki Handsaw: amzn.to/3abRyXB
(Winner of the affordable dovetail-saw shootout.)
Spear and Jackson Tenon Saw: amzn.to/2zykhs6
(Needs tune-up to work well.)
Crown Tenon Saw: amzn.to/3l89Dut
(Works out of the box)
Carving Knife: amzn.to/2DkbsnM
Narex True Imperial Chisels: amzn.to/2EX4xls
(My favorite affordable new chisels.)
Blue-Handled Marples Chisels: amzn.to/2tVJARY
(I use these to make the DIY specialty planes, but I also like them for general work.)
Sharpening
Honing Guide: amzn.to/2TaJEZM
Norton Coarse/Fine Oil Stone: amzn.to/36seh2m
Natural Arkansas Fine Oil Stone: amzn.to/3irDQmq
Green buffing compound: amzn.to/2XuUBE2
Marking and Measuring
Stockman Knife: amzn.to/2Pp4bWP
(For marking and the built-in awl).
Speed Square: amzn.to/3gSi6jK
Stanley Marking Knife: amzn.to/2Ewrxo3
(Excellent, inexpensive marking knife.)
Blue Kreg measuring jig: amzn.to/2QTnKYd
Round-head Protractor: amzn.to/37fJ6oz
Drilling
Forstener Bits: amzn.to/3jpBgPl
Spade Bits: amzn.to/2U5kvML
Work-Holding
Orange F Clamps: amzn.to/2u3tp4X
Screw Clamp: amzn.to/3gCa5i8
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I have my father’s brace and bits that he used to build his first house in Winnipeg in 1952. He owned no power tools, and he and my Uncle Hank and my Papa completed the build by themselves. The house was located at 56 Essar Ave, but alas, it was demolished several years ago because the owners wanted something larger than a two bedroom, one bath house. I also have his original claw hammer, which is lovingly framed behind glass in his memory and honor. Love your channel, Rex.
Treasured keep sakes for sure. I only have a few images left of my father now.
I wish I had that knowledge
Rex, I appreciate you publishing a "negative result" video. In science, papers that fail to prove the original hypothesis are often not published because they aren't sexy. But sharing what *doesn't* work is just as good as what does, even if it might not make for as satisfying a result. I've been holding off on buying auger bits I've seen at flea markets, but now that I know there aren't great modern replacements for bit braces I'll be snapping up good ones I come across.
I bought my augers from a vintage tool dealer. Not cheap, but mine were about half the usual price because the box was falling apart and was missing the cardboard labels, so less attractive to collectors.
I was in the process of writing a similar reply when I saw this one. My sentiments exactly
I was in the process of writing a similar reply when I saw this one. My sentiments exactly
SECONDED!
hear, hear. Right on. It can't be moon beams, kittens, and rainbows out the wazoo everytime.
Well now I really appreciate my old compete auger drill set I bought at a yard sale twenty years ago. Thanks
Great video. Just a suggestion, being an almost machinist I took measurements of the movable jaws of my brace and made two new blanks that then had 120 degree inner faces (with back spring attaching them). When these jaws are installed my brace works very well with either hex or round bits.
Honestly you could sell those jaws if you wanted to, I know I would pay for a set and I imagine a number of people watching would too. I have a number of braces I've gotten over the years (usually had to take them with bits) so would love to convert them. Or if you have any specs/details maybe release them for us to get local machinists to make them.
2 jaws and the notch is just 120 degrees? Hmm. Maybe I can file some spares down.
Would buy a set, though.
Mainly I am a traditional woodcarver but I've recently started a journey into woodworking using hand tools. My journey so far has been reading The Anarchist's Tool Chest and restoring several brace bits, and old axes. One thing I've noticed reading the book and from several TH-camrs is they all mention how cheap it is to buy old hand planes and other tools online through eBay. I haven't found that to be the case at all. Most of the hand planes I've seen sell for more like 60 to 70 bucks not the 20 bucks that they speak about. I really enjoy watching your videos and you are very practical and helpful. Thank you.
I kinda love that you spent most of the video actively trying to get your knickers in a twist...
"And how do they work? LIKE TOTAL GARBAGE" --- I spewed coffee on my keyboard. Best darned laugh all week.
The god DAMNIT James was my fav
Good video. When I was new in the Marine Corps as a helicopter mechanic ( 1973 ) we used a three jaw brace or a rotary hand drill ( most often called an egg beater drill ). Since battery powered tools did not exist then it was perfect for working out on the flight line. Fine tools rarely had any issues with drill bits providing quality holes. No margin for error on an aircraft.
Even though this is three years late, I just had to comment. Thanks for making this video - drove myself nearly to distraction trying to find a solution for the four jaw chuck/hex-or-round shank bit problem. This is a tool I want to use for building pegged log walls and simple furniture in a bushcraft shelter. The solutions you offer here will work very well indeed - way more versatile then a scotch eyed auger, since you can swap bit sizes, lengths and types. Kudos!
Good for you for admitting that you haven't found a solution yet! Your integrity is a breath of fresh air on the internet.
I think woodworkers need to get a little more real about how many bits they need. I highly doubt really anyone needs the FULL set of Wood Owl bits. Aren't we really only drilling maybe three or four hole sizes? Seems like chisels, where you probably don't need every single size
This. I just picked up about 100 bits at a thrift store, and still do not have a full set. I was like "aw man?", but then realized that I don't think I will ever have the need to drill a 15/16" hole. And anything over an inch, I'll use an expansion bit for it.
Yes! I have so many chisels that are just completely unused. I have about 10 different sizes, but I find myself going back to the same 3-4 for everything.
I will say the only exception to this is probably forstner bits. Maybe it's just me, but I have found myself needing all kinds of sizes.
I concur with the comment about about the number of sizes needed. I have a set of three Wood Owl bits (1”, 3/4”, and 1/2”) that work very well. I use them directly in my vintage brace and I’ve found if I set it to not ratchet that the hold is better. Combined with an old square shank expansion bit, I can most of my larger holes drilled without using my power drill. If I had a egg-beater drill that took round shank bits, I’d be set.
Wish I could help. You've made me realize what a screaming deal I got last year at a flea market. Got a brace for $10 and the guy threw a price of $1 each for the bits or $20 for the whole lot - a BUNCH of them- turned out to be about 40 plus 2 adjustable bits. After a soaking in Evaporust and hitting them with a wire brush there were two that weren't usable, both die to bad snails. The rest just had a patina of age on them and the nickers were all still sharp. Thanks for lifting my spirits! I just spent more to have a shop built than it will ever produce- if you don't count mental health.
I paid more for the brace (different seller) but also found a great deal on the bits (45 euro for 43 pieces, 40 of them where snails). All they needed were a day of soaking and scrubbing (and I just oiled them lightly on principle). Yes, they were still sharp enough to cut my skin from the strat. So happy (I bought them online, so it was a bit of a gamble.)
Great talk man. You hit the nail on the head. I have been eyeing one of those braces for a long time now. Maybe someday I'll pull the trigger. If they made it in a long throw, or short throw version I would easily throw $100 at it. Thanks for the shout out.
It would be great to see you both work together.
Again :)
You guys are my favorite woodworkers, love your stuff James.
Same - I'd have already bought one, with all the extras, if it came in 14".
*_Damnit James!!! bahahahaha :) :) good work friends!!_*
Long throw? Short Throw?
What do these mean with regards to braces?
Made my own from an old brace. 1/2" drive is brilliant, also bought a load of old auger bits and cut the square shanks off so they hold really well in the 3 jaw chuck.
Good idea, any pics on Instagram or anywhere of your setup? I just bought a set of old auger bits, but looking for the brace now. Not sure what to get yet. I see alot in very bad shape. Thanks
@@scott8351 start with a stubby 1/2 " drive extension. Remove the chuck from the brace. The ratchet is usually taper pinned to the shaft. Remove shaft, keep ratchet and pin. Machine down the stubby shaft to fit brace body and ratchet. Cross drill through the ratchet and stubby whilst in brace body. Knock in the pin. Job done. Took me about 2 hours of fiddling about, mainly looking for a socket drive shaft of the right size, they're not all the same.
STAR-M Short Auger Bits are super cheap and good quality. Made in Japan I've used sizes from 10-32mm with hand brace. It's important to start as plump as possible and then no tear out. Cost from 6-10euros for the most used sizes for furniture making in fine-tools.
From my experience, I purchased and used the ship auger style bits from harbor freight. HF is cheap, but i decided to go with the "Bauer" brand. I actually used those during my joiners bench build with pretty good results. Worked alot better at low speed than in my drill, pretty clean hole and cuts left, and it made a difference when i sharpened it up too. Even w larger size bits, i was able to make clean 3/4" holes for holdfasts in the bench. The snails have bigger thread for more positive engagement too, and decently priced.
I have come to pretty much the same solution. That’s why I bit the bullet and bought second hand bits on ebay. 2 or 3 here and there to slowly grow my collection over time plus a nice imperial set from the UK to complement my metric ones. Now I’m all set. And I have to say, I love them. I only recently finished my Morovian workbench which I built using ash. I actually ruined my power drill when I started drilling dog holes into it, smoke was coming off of it. With the brace it was no problem at all, so thanks for recommending them!
I just purchased several new manufactured square shank bits from a company in Wisconsin called ICS Cutting Tools. They are under $10 a piece. I haven’t fully put them through their paces yet, but I ran a few test holes. The 1 inch bit went through oak like butter.
Finally got a chance to try out the Garrett Wade Versatile Brace. The brace arrived last week, but the quick release chuck didn't get here till yesterday afternoon, so I used it, along with a daredevil bit from HD, connected using the recommended quick release chuck. Now I didn't notice this until I was pulling the bit back out of the hole, but the ball bearing that's part of the quick release on the brace doesn't stick out enough to hold onto the chuck. I've been using my dads tools since I was old enough to hand them to him, and I'm used to that ball bearing actually sticking into the attached tool so that it stays on. With the tools he uses you're supposed to push it back in with your fingers (or with a button on the back that lets it slide in in the Snap-On tools he had) to get it to release. With the GW Brace I had to fully disengage the snail before pulling the bit back out or the quick release chuck would disengage from the brace. To be clear, this is not a problem with the chuck as the chuck that comes with it does the same thing (pulls off with little to no effort). I'm not saying this is a problem with manufacturing quality, I don't believe it is. This is a design decision someone made so that they wouldn't have to include one more moving part to release the chuck. It's a decision I disagree with, but it's one I understand. The brace is otherwise very nice for what you're paying for it, but I don't know that I'd use it with daredevil bits again given the choice.
Hi Rex, please remember that a lot of people are ‘working’ from home now and their may be little ears around so please watch the language... otherwise another great video and I learn something every time I watch you!
My brace is a "Fuller 10"/4 jaw" #890-1072. I bought it about 40 years ago and it still works fine. They are still made and are about $45 Canadian. The chuck holds both square and round shanks. I collected the bits I have now over many years from yard sales. My treasure is a Greenlee #8 adjustable. With two cutters it has a 1 to 3" range.
Excellent video - your honesty, sincerity, authenticity and integrity make you a highly credible TH-camr!
Rex! I am using Irwin's "The Original" Auger Bits instead of the Speed bits you used in the video. It works fine for me! Bought Bit Braces because of your videos and recommendations, I have to say, never regretted the decision. -Love from Singapore.
I just have got an offer from a used tools dealer on Facebook. It is 10 random quare shank drill bits, all came from Japan and still sharp for $11. So cheap, right? 😄 I understand those bits value after watching this. Thank you so much, Rex ❤
Rex.. get a ring that you can put around the chuck end of your braces and tie a piece of rope or chain that doesn't stretch to it... take a little quick level and level your brace then step on the cord/chain on the floor and you can ride your wobble almost completely out. A bearing with an outside race works very well but adds a lot of weight.
For shallow holes nothing beats a properly sharpened center bits. I don’t think anybody still makes them but they show up frequently on eBay.
For all their faults auger bits are still the best choice for deep holes.
Rex I really liked the video and the idea of a 1/2 drive brace. I find a lot of braces, bits and other old tools at estate sales and these are not frequented by many tool collectors. I found a rusty brace (outside ratchet) that was frozen solid at one and picked it up for $0.50. I tried all the different ways to free it up but nothing worked until I heated it up with a propane torch and that freed up the chuck that was sprung and got the ratchet loose. Some time on a wire wheel cleaned it up nice. I got a 1/2 inch impact extension set on amazon and turned it down to fit and drilled it for the pin. I have less than $10 in this. I used the chuck adaptors you mentioned in your video.
I was pondering using my old brace and bit set and remembered the woodwrights shop on PBS, now that's some real vintage tool users show. I have seen many of the bits at antique stores all over the south, you just have to learn how to sharpen them, and one of the woodwright shops shows taught that. he's been on the air for over 30 years so I cannot remember the episode. He also demonstrated spoon bits as well. Looked very labor intensive.
I actually have the Garrett wade and I love it.
Rex, try again with the Irwin Speedbore. This time, take your file to the front edge of each of the nickers to lean them backwards. Then file the inside face to produce a knife edge. That reproduces the same geometry that's found on traditional bits.
However, I run into old bits all the time in second hand stores, and they are cheap.
I've thought about trying this. You're saying to rake back the very leading edge of the nickers so that they don't bite into the wood as aggressively?
@@kylewoods9182 Yes, you are correct. Nickers evolved to be like knives, narrow, and sharp on the cutting edge. That edge has to be right at the outside of the circle that the bit cuts. The angle of the front edge should lean back, but that's a relative term. It should slope away from the direction of rotation. The closer to the tip, the further back you get, until you end at the tip, which is the furthest back. Think of using a knife to cut a piece of leather laying on a piece of scrap wood. You draw, or pull, the knife along the line you are cutting. You don't push a knife along a line because the knife will pull the material upwards and leave a ragged edge.
Huh.
Might try that tomorrow.
They're not too expensive individually, so if I mess it up a bit, it won't be a big loss.
That said, still gonna hunt around for more square shank bits and one of those expandable ones. Love them.
@@Vincent-S Old auger bits are pretty common at flea markets, and second hand stores that sell any tools. I'd go that route first, but if you can't find any old ones for cheap, buying a few of these modern bits and modifying them for use in a brace is very doable.
@@deezynarThanks for the tip, I think there's a second hand store nearish to me that might have a few bits. I've also been going to estate sales for them and end up being a bit picky about condition for main stuff like the spurs, thread and how straight it is, so it's a little slow going.
My brace is a Yankee 2101A, it holds modern hex shanks very well! I still intend to get an adapter though to help save the jaws a little for things like screwdriver bits. It's been well used and loved.
I picked up my brace at Tokyo Hands a few years ago. It has no problem gripping drill bits that have a hex shank on the end.
The modern bit braces are with the square drive are usually called speed braces. I make engineering apprentices use them for a while before being allowed impact wrenches so they can get a feel for how much force to use. Then hopefully they won't spend their careers snapping things with impact guns.
Wow. For once something is available this side of the pond that is not available over there. Last year my father gave me my Grandad's brace. Dad had it 50 years, so God knows how old it is. It works perfectly and in superb condition. I love using it.
My grandpa was a mechanic and had a bunch of braces with these socket heads on them. Thanks for showing me how I can make them useful again!
Yes, Rex, I commented on your earlier video. Not sure if it is still there (I get banned from TH-cam occasionally). Like you, I just think the bit brace is one of the all time great wood working tools. I could not have made my Ikea Stuva/Besta shelf system without it. The brace is the only tool for accuracy and control to bore with Forstner and spade bits. For some reason I kept forgetting to purchase one, until I realised I really needed it on this Ikea.
So I went to a salvage yard and purchased a 2-jaw 60 year old, Australian-made one. Then I installed a 6.35mm hex drive quick release chuck and left it as a permanent mod. Now I have access to all the readily available modern Forstner and spade 6.35mm-shanked bits.
A vastly underrated, under utilised tool I wished I had, 30 years earlier. I've always liked them for their simple ruggedness, but there is nothing like owning one to appreciate how good the brace really is. I'm going to attempt a full restoration on my old brace, but I'm also after a new French-made brace you see online. Since it is new, I will choose a 3-jaw version. Cheers 👍
The last type of auger bits you tried actually works well if you change the geometry a bit. The “nicker” seems to not cut ahead far enough, the solution was to file back the bottom cutting edge. Also the cutting angle of the bottom cutter is way to high, but that can be filed. The end result is a nice and clean hole. I did this on a dewalt bit. But they are not super cheap, but perhaps the same mod works with cheaper ones.
Another great video Rex. I've had an auger brace for 40 YEARS. Don't use it much because flat bits are cheap and effective, but it is brilliant for removing ancient flat head screws. Lock it, rock it back and forth until the screw starts to move. Enormous torque is produced, but it can take the head off Then the ratchet starts to work the screw out. Best regards to you!
I haven't had any problems using cylindrical or hex bits in bace or rotary (the beefier egg beater) drills.
I also don't by exspensive bits either, my primary set being from Lidl 😂.
I do suspect my chucks are the universal ones you mentioned in the previous video but considering I've been able to find all 5 drills with them for under £6 each it's without trying it seems like a pretty good solution.
I would personally recommend the Rotary drill since it keeps all the advantages of the brace drill while being more efficient and easier to use in confined spaces. Commonly using a 1:6 gear ratio.
This ratio also helps with increasing the speed the drill bit can turn helping the cheap spade bits work better will not exhausting you.
I'm in the UK so the commonality of universal Chucks and rotary drills may be different than in the US. E.g. many of them are stamped made in Poland or England.
Harbor freight 1/2in speed handle (10$)+ 1/2 square drive drill chuck (20ish$). May make it a bit easier for peeps to get if bit braces aren't easily available. But I love the video
Userjib said it well below: sharing negative results is important. Everyone benefits when we see the errors, mistakes, and misunderstandings. It's one of the things I like about this channel and the youtube fishermen I watch. Those guys show you the missed hook-sets, bad days, etc. It keeps the youtubers human--we learn a lot more that way.
Thanks Rex
I have used the Irwin adjustable auger bit on very low speed drill presses and variable speed electric hand drills. I don't have the proper adapter for my brace. The Garett Wade brace equipped with the appropriate chuck will provide good results because the Irwin is designed for slow speed and the single nicker has a "back slope" grind so that it severs the fibers upon entrance like a chef's knife, leaving a clean entrance hole. The screw tip pulls the bit into the wood (unlike the other bits that require applying your muscle or body weight). With the two fully adjustable cross bars, it allows hole drilling from 7/8" to 3" diameter so you only need one bit. I have dressed/sharpened the cutter many times. And it's almost long enough to go through a railroad tie if you're into that kind of "fine woodworking" out in the back country. About $35 at the local hardware store.
In my experience, the Irwin Speedbore bits are ALSO crappy in a power drill. I think they are mostly use by electricians, plumbers & others that need to quickly bore holes in framing. (I got one to wire my basement, 6 years ago. Haven't use it since.) Appearance is not important to those trades because the evidence is covered up later.
Of course. They are called *SPEED-bore* bits.Think about it.
Several years ago, I tried to use an Irwin to cut a fat dowel hole in a bed post. Complete disaster. I wish I had had a bit brace back then.
@eloscuro704 just need spade bits or forsener bits. They can cut a clean hole in a power drill with ease provided you do a bit of practice.
That being said the speed bore bits DESTROY wood even when your experienced
I have a big old brace that can hols a 1/2" square or round shank. I just bought a 1/2" socket extension for $6 at the hardware store (we live in a Walmart-free zone, closest one is 45 miles) My plan is to cut off the socket end and square off the stub so I can drive standard sockets, which in turn can drive hex shank bits.
Rex, one idea for those of us with older-style braces -- modify a half-inch socket extension by grinding or filing down the female end to form a square taper...
I have never found a two jaw chuck to have much trouble with hex shank bits at all. I mostly use brace for screws, I work with a lot of old brass slotted screws and the down force and torque is unrivaled, and very effective with soft brass screws. So I keep a normal cheap magnetic bit holder in my brace almost all the time. When I want to use an Auger bit I tend to use a very old, but lovely, brace that has a square taper hole and holds traditional bits much better than an adjustable chuck.
Hey, Rex. You really should try Star-M bits. It's incredible quality japanese tools, especially made for a low speed drilling.
I use it with my brace & millers falls mechanical drill. Probably, this is my go-to drill bits. Not extremely cheap, but not really expensive.
Sorry 4 language, greetings from Russia.
My brace grabs hex-shank pretty well. I have not had any problems with them slipping or falling out. I have not tried it with round shank bits.
Hey Rex, Fantastic videos.
I have learned a lot and been inspired in my wood working. As I watched the video, there is one thing I was waiting for you to try but you never did.
I work in the trades, and we get clean cuts with cheap tools by putting down blue tape where we are going to cut.
I feel pretty confident that you could get very clean holes from some of those more disappointing bits IF you drill through some blue tape. I don't own a bit and brace, but if you can try this, I look forward to the feed back. Thanks Rex!
I was thinking the same knew i would see this
Oh, that sounds like a great idea to me !
Irwin still makes square tang auger bits. You can buy the 13 piece set of for under $150, look for Irwin item number 43697. Individual bits are available too. They also make many of their other style auger bits in square tang or hex, both in one bit. You cut the square tang off if you want to use the hex shank in a 3 jaw chuck. Of course you can't go back to the square tang once you've removed it, but that opens up a lot of bits for use in either drive.
I just found (buried amongst a lot of other stuff in my garage) a bucket of old auger bits and I collected my 3 braces to put them back into service. I second you talking about how to clean up the auger bits! One of the three braces was my grandfather's - he came over from Scotland as a carpenter a bit less than 100 years ago now - sadly, I am not sure exactly which of the three was his...two of them look a lot alike! I have some snail-type bits that I use in my brace that I will have to go dig out and try to see if they are any better than the ones you tried. Thanks for another great video!
I was fortunate to buy some old wood working machinery from a retired shop teacher and in the lot were a full set of new auger bits still in the plastic wrap
Thank you so much for actually linking to his video. So many youtubers will mention another, using their real name, or something that's only part of the other tuber's name making it nigh impossible to track them down. It's refreshing to see someone give proper credit on something like that.
If you are using square adapters you could use a mechanics speed brace which come in half inch and three eights square drives, probably pick these up in a flea market a lot less than $50.In the UK you can get Black Smith drills Larger metal drills with half inch shanks. I have never tried them in a hand brace.
I personally own and use a vintage 1/2" square drive brace with my sockets. It's solid and reliable. Paid less than $5 at a thrift shop. Never thought to get a chuck adapter, thanks!
Suggestion: in my experience, the old adjustable bits gave the cleanest holes, so I think that a modern day implementation is needed.
Oh my god THIS. I’m slowly working through cleaning the rust off of and cleaning up all the “primitives” I’ve acquired over the years in my recently finished garage.
Well yesterday I had used the 5 largest of a full set of augers I got this winter for $15 an so finished cleaning and sharpening them. Before I put the stuff away (I was too lazy to work on the remaining 8 smaller bits) I decided to clean the single sided adjustable and give it a quick file.
Well I can testify that after a quick test at 1-5/8”, followed by too many holes at various smaller sizes that the adjustable cuts cleaner holes than the already delightfully clean holes of the main augers.
As someone who is looking to get into manufacturing, this makes me want to make these beautiful tools since I know there's a market in despite need
The market has to be tiny, but don't take my guess for it, try testing.
Just bought the Garett Wade and the 3-jaw chuck is back in stock. Pretty nice. And the four jaw chuck also has a 4 sided hole in the bottom to grab old style auger bits. I have a pretty complete set of auger bits so good to go for now ($20 and a hundred mile drive).
For years I have used a garden variety of multibit tools that you would buy at Walmart that have hex shank bits. I use step down bits to make holes in wood by hand, using these. Now the quality of the bits is important. Some of my bits are Bosch and I think a couple are Canadian Tire brand. They work much better than spade bits on manual drilling. When I used to use spade bits I would get massive blow out and tears. I have a few Amazon sourced step down bits but they are made of Chinesium and can’t do much except for MDF and even that is asking allot.
So perhaps try a step down bit. You can get some in standard 1/4 hex shank. The only drawback is that the thicker your material your hole size will be slightly harder to drill because a step bit doesn’t just have a set width so a little extra work such as drilling from both sides etc may be needed.
These old tool's built all the old things post electric . I have three old braces ,one with no ratchet ,one with a ratchet and a Russian one with a ratchet. I worked as a handy man in the UK for many years, i sharpened all my old vintage saws myself . Many times on a Friday teatime on a job my Metabo drill which is my very best one, but come four thirty died on me before the job was done .If not for my old brace drill i would have to get up with a hang over on a Saturday morning to finish a job for the sake of half a dozen half inch coach bolts that needed to be fitted into a hundred x hundred mm fence posts.
1/4 in ratcheting wrench and a spade bit Bosch or Diablo. Simple and quiet.
I use great harbor freight Bauer augers with hex shanks in my 2 jaw Chuck for my brace works great can’t recommend enough!
I have an old Stanley 10” bit brace but the chuck is mangled so I’m actually sawing off the threads of the chuck and tig welding on a half inch drive so I can get all the versatility of this tool and the quality of an old Stanley. Thanks for the vid, I would have never had the idea to do this without seeing this a week ago.
Take a look at Irwin Brace Bits. Traditional tapered square shank, two flutes down a solid center, and sizes from 1/4" to 1" by 1/16ths. I get the same performance out of those as I get with my 100 year old brace bits (father in law was a carpenter during the Depression). Good nickers, too.
I have a brace that was modified to use hex and round bits, by cutting the grooves in the jaws square. It doesn't sound like it'd work, but it does. I use old paddle bits with threaded spurs. They're not marked with a manufacturer, but they're decent quality.
I've got a rcanvas rollup set of about a 16 bits that I use with my grandpas brace. I don't use them as much as I could but am always impressed at how they make quick work of larger holes.
Brace is great to use with extended Robertson bits for driving screws without having the screw slip. Thanks for looking into this!
A little late to the party. I have only found 2 applications where modern bits are useful in a brace.
1. Holesaws- I use them to cut round tenons in things. You have to take the temper out of the steel and put a more aggressive tooth on them with a bit of fleam.
2. I have a couple of rounder planes I use a lot that are neither imperial nor metric. I ground down a bit to match each and beveled the edge as well as the top cutting edge. Do they cut as good as brace bits? No do they cut better than regular spade bits yes.
Great video keep up the good work it’s been 42 years since I did my apprenticeship and I still pickup lots of tricks.
You have to turn to aviation. My Dad was a cabinet maker and after working with him during my teens another relative helped me get a job in aircraft FBO/MRO work. I went thru all the training and OJT in Sheet Metal. Long story short you have to look at Roto-Broaches , Spotface (spot facers) tool cuts, Hilok removal tool styles (the cutter type), and any other machine circle cutter type. All for a clean cut.
I also have an update to the whole bit brace equation, which is like the hot rod one: Good, available, cheap: Pick two. You can pick up the Wood Owls and the are good and available. The ones in your video are available and cheap, as are most sets on E-Bay. The $20 set I picked up on Amazon? A few bits worked great like the one I used on my hand plane, but the rest, well they were like those in your video. In the end, I wound up with something that is good, somewhat cheap, and sort of available, if you are willing to look on E-Bay for awhile. The key to finding good bits is to only look at ones that are in the original case and the original brand. Some are almost as expensive as the Wood Owls, but you can find some deals. I found a complete Irwin auger bit set in the case, and the photos showed every bit and snail to be in excellent condition. No rust or anything else. $100. I almost started to ask the seller: "Would you take $75?", but decided that $100 was just as good a deal as $5 for Thor's hammer. So I bought it. And these are nice! Given that most other complete sets were over $200, I think I got a good deal.
But in my experience, finding a good bit brace is hard. Our local flea market doesn't have tools, and there aren't millions of them out for $1 at least where I live. So I headed over to Veritas to pick up a new one. I mean, it is $70, but it is Veritas, so it must be good, right? Right? Well, it arrived rusty, and that was the least of my problems. I cleaned up the rust, and started using it. It's quality is about what you observed with the Garrett-Wade. That is until the jaws in the chuck failed and trapped the bit in it. Given that I already knew it was junk and the bit was a nice one, I am now using my power grinder to grind away enough of the chuck to get the bit out.
And speaking of Garrett-Wade, I picked up one of those - and it immediately failed - boring 3/4 into oak, the ratchet started slipping rendering it useless. Garrett-Wade is awesome, even if the manufacturer of their bit brace isn't. I returned the brace, and they sent me "two" replacements. One worked and the other failed with the same ratchet problem. So I returned the 2nd broken one and started it. It worked - OK - just like in your video. Until I decided to make Thor's hammer. That required drilling a 1" hole into ash. Drilling a large diameter bit like that into hardwood requires a *lot* of torque, and it stripped the jaws of the chuck of the Garrett-Wade.
So I once again turned to E-bay. Most of the braces were antiques of varying quality, but all seemed have some sort of problem. But one seller had a new Irwin 5420 12" Ratcheting Bit Brace. I didn't even know Irwin still made bit braces and couldn't find it on Amazon. I bought it - about $25 plus $10 shipping. Turns out it is made and sold in Brazil. You can't buy it directly here. Anyway it is - pretty nice. The handles are made of ash instead of the usually plastic, it is solid, and was able to plow through the Thor's hammer mortise holes without any problems.
I have made some adjustments on a cheap ship auger bit and it works really well. First I grind the worm to a square awl and second I sharpened the slicer and cutter. It is not as difficult as you may think poking the wood with an awl. Later I find that using this improved ship auger bit with a battery power drill is much more convenient. Shorter ship auger bits are also available and can easily be used with less powerful drills. I think if your auger slice well and cuts well, the worm's action of pulling inside the wood is not necessary. The worm should only act as a stabilizer. So an awl does the same. In addition to this, I find that worm does not work well on hard woods. Maybe that is only me. Feel free to share thoughts on this approach.
I bought the Garret Wade versatile brace and alternative 3-jawed chuck. I was delighted ... at first ... only to find, along with others, that the single nicker hex shank auger bits that are currently available in the market are very rough in a low-speed high-torque hand drill. For now, I have sourced a second-hand Jennings pattern 3/4" bit that will be suitable for a traditional hand brace (it's 3/4" holes that I most want to drill just now as I build a bench) and will use the square chuck.
I've come across some threads suggesting that the current pattern augers, optimised for power drills, can be relatively easily resharpened to work well in a hand drill. That's my main avenue of interest at the moment. But I haven't found anything that spells this out at the "idiot's guide" level that is what I really need. I will stay 'on the case' and report back if I find a proven solution.
sharpening / filing augers is easy and relaxing... get old ones and enjoy the quiet time filing. my old ones all came from Granddad... got about a dozen... all but one or two work excellently after filing... buy the right file first and enjoy.
if you want to buy vintage augar bits I suggest you look at the bushcraft community. They use them to pack a augar bit in for bushcraft wood word , shelters ect
It seems like the best solution would be a collet insert to adapt from a square base to a hex. Sort of like a Dremel collet. It would be a relatively easy thing to machine, and having it fit the profile of the original square base means that it could be used in any existing drill without needing to disassemble the original collet.
Great idea . Make one.
Brian Binns I 3D modeled a mock-up and sent it to Rex today. If there’s something there, I’ll put in the actual engineering time and get a couple samples machined up.
Good luck Terence.
That's a great idea!
I have several antique braces, and use them with hex bits via some $10 quick change adapters. It's worked fine for years, now. Stanley makes them, probably a few other companies.
I had a full meltdown and bought full set of wood owls. I was able to find a set of NOS Jennings bits as well. I now have both. I had been able to side by side them with the wood owls. I commented on this on James Wright's bit and brace upload Rex refers to here. As much as I love the Jennings, the simple truth is - the wood owls are just better. They aren't cheap, but they are a very high value product. I'll keep the Jennings 'cause I have them - but I'd recommend the wood owls, whole heartedly. Well worth every penny.
As far as torque goes, I used a brace plus socket to drive 7/16" lag bolts when I used to install satellite dishes and what I found was I HAD to drill pilot holes, first, or the bolt heads would tend to twist right off!
I bought a keyless 1/2” chuck with SDS shank from Amazon. The SDS shank is gripped really well in the two jaw shell chuck and the regular three jaw chuck will handle most things. Unfortunately, my experience with modern bits has been similar to you Rex. About the best I have found here in the U.K. are Wood Beaver. I’m not sure how widely available they are under that brand name but I suspect they come out of the same Chinese factory as the blue ones at the start of the review, except they are red. The hunt for good vintage bits goes on...
I never even thought of trying an chuck with an SDS shank... going to try that now. My granddad was good enough to leave behind his brace but I wish I knew where he put the bits!
eggypickle Good luck, let us know if it works for you. I’ve used mine with down to a 6 mm (1/4”) Brad point bit and it runs true ( I use an egg beater drill for smaller sizes).
I inherited my dad's old brace and bit set, great quality brace and lots of really good quality bits from no later than the 1950s. Dad was a carpenter/woodworker from waaayyyyyy back.
I also have a very old wooden brace with brass trimmings. It takes a square-shanked bit with a bayonet mount...you don't see that every day.
Rex, ya sold me on this Brace. I have been looking at the Garrett Wade. You pointed out some of the items I was concerned about but you put them to rest. Excellent video.
I recommend your channel to a lot of folks starting out.
I run an auction sale barn and we sell the original bits almost every other week. You can get all the great vintage tools you want at auction. The same with the old wood planes.
A few years ago I managed to break a 4" 1/4 drive socket extension. It snapped at the ratchet end. So I cut off the broken part and now I use it in a brace or an electric drill as a 1/4 drive adaptor. Great when you are putting in lots of screws into flooring or units, where and when your battery electric drill is dead or recharging
Craftsman made a set of augers bits. I use them at speed, 5 nickers I do not have a bit brace to test in currently. I got a set of 10 for $12 early this year on clearance. I also got a set of 3 with spade bits free. I'll have to find them.
My grandfather left me a bunch of old tools from his career as a master carpenter, oddly enough in the Cleveland area. one of the tools I got was a brace that was designed to be used by putting the saddle on your shoulder or hip and applying your body mass to aid in the bit biting in. Its gotta be from the '50s, before electric power tools were real common on a job site. it has a gear drive crank sorta like how an old egg beater works. I imagine it may work better with some of the more modern bits. I also suspect it can spin a bit faster than the style hand drill you have there. although, not fast enough to compare to a power drill.
Thank you and James Wright. You both havr great chanles and help me learn great deal. I wish I had time and patience to put into my channel but I rath injoy my time in my shop. But if either of you find yourself in Southern Indiana your welcome in my shop.
I don’t know where you have been but that brace is a new one, I must have at least twelve of the older models and you will find them with four chucks that not only hold the four sided bits but also hex screwdriver bits (and you can get a hell of a lot of torque on them to undo even the toughest screws) here in the UK you can pick them up at car boot sales for 50 pence (USA= $0.60) and I have just bought 3 twist bits from boss (£9:99= $12:41) and they work great
Yep - the braces and bits are super easy to buy in Australia too. Almost every boot sale / garage sale / fete / swap meet for a couple of dollars. The bits are throw-away items, you can get them for free if you buy something else. boxes.
It's stupid to try and use "modern" bits in these low-speed tools.
I get decent results with a cheap Wolfcraft brad point bit set, & a couple of forum acquaintances have recommended the Colt & Riss TwinLand brad point bits
One thing I tried that works pretty well is just to grind a flat on the side of a round shank bit. (Or one of the other type of shanks that you cut off with a hacksaw, leaving a round shank). With a flat on the side of the shank, the jaws on most chucks will grab and work pretty well.
Love the video, thank you for the good work.
My experience is only tangential to fine woodworking. I'm a farmer in Argentina, my woodwoking is only in rough carpentry. Bit and brace drills here are actually still produced and are very common in hardware stores in rural areas, along with new auger bits. They are essential tools in building and maintaining fences, gates and rural structures (very isolated countryside, not much money for batteries and generators). Auger bits produced here are abysmal.
I made an adaptor for my drill simply using a machine screw of appropriate size to interface with a modern 3-jaw chuck, filing the other side copying the shank of my 1/2 in. auger bit. Now I can use practically any bit I want. I find that simple, high speed steel twist bits work well with the tropical hardwoods we use here, and leave clean holes. Bits made to drill steel require you to push fairly hard, but you can increase the relief of the cutting edge ad maybe thin down the web of the bit if you know what you are doing, and then they work well.
I now use common twist bits for anything that isn't too deep or more than 1/2 in. I still use a lot the 1 in. auger, as it works well, and the long 1/4 in. auger for making the pilot holes for spiking large logs and fenceposts together. For the rest, the augers produced here are too awful to use.
With this setup, sharp bits, a good center punch and chainsaw bar oil I can even cut holes in 12mm thick mild steel. I know because i had to do it.
I just went ahead and bough a Stanley brand modern bit-brace. and I'm very happy I spent the 60$ I did on it. (hand tool only shop)
My plan is to get the adapter that taytools sells and gradually phase into the Woodowl bits as my small assortment of vintage augers die off. The snail of my 3/4” vintage Greenlee bit is shot and beyond repair - I basically have to lay on the brace to get it to cut through, since it doesn’t pull itself through any more. My most used brace bit, so that will be the first Woodowl, along with the adapter.
I had the same problem with the Irwin bit. Also tried sharpening it with no success. I bought a pack of those Owl bits, so here's hoping they work when they get in.
No clue about how well they work, but there was a video about the adjustable style auger bits. I would think you probably have some laying around....
Thanks for this!
I have a question about the G-W brace for Rex or any who've used it, and a couple comments about bits. The question is: is there a lot of angular slop at the 1/2' square joint with some of those adapters? I saw what looked like the bit waggling back and forth when first attached in that video, but can't tell if it was the 1/2', the quick-change drive adapter itself (sometimes those have a lot of play), or just my imagination.
MY MOST IMPORTANT COMMENT ON BITS:
If you get a vintage brace with a vee notch in the alligator jaws, it can usually straight up hold a hex driver with no adapters or modifications. You can buy a quick change hex adapter for a drill from Harbor Freight (or a better one, I'm sure) and lock it in the jaws, and start driving with your brace. For many tasks, it is far better than an impact driver, with more than enough torque, and a LOT more control. I like those DeWalt magnetic bit holders with the sliding sleeve for keeping the screw on the bit. Of course, from there you can attach any impact compatible drill bits, but a brace isn't really made for drill bits. It's made for augers.
OTHER COMMENTS
I don't have an affordable option for bits except lucking into vintage bits on craigslist, estate sales, etc. People who call braces "hand drills" tend to price the bits lower. I will say that some of the bits featured as "bad" here are great at other tasks in a power drill. Those speed-bor bits are great for drilling though a joist to run romex, for example. I use them all the time in construction tasks.
I am also going to say (as a guy who decided to take the risk and invest in Wood Owl bits when I had an infant at home who freaked out every time he heard a motor running) that they are truly excellent in most ways, and probably worth the money. They also just fit right into my braces that have the notched alligator jaws. WARNING though: In some woods, with the smaller bits, the snail might want to pull up fibers outside your circle before the knickers touch. On a delicate project, with a 3/8'' or 1/2'' bit, I will sometimes take a pass with a forstner for a few turns and then switch to the wood owl. It's a pain, and would probably be rectified if they fluted their snail or maybe made it a bit longer. At least these days, my kid won't freak at me using a hand drill, so I can chuck the bits in different tools and maintain some efficiency there. The brace is still better for through holes, or if I am drilling to depth on something too big for the drill press.
coming back here to say that this brace design is not great for stability, and the chucks wiggle a lot when attached. It would be far better to terminate this tool in some sort of machine taper.
I buy too, one big, one middle & use this chucks for tapping, it's more cheaper for special chuck. ~4$ for both.
I have my grandfather's brace and great-grandfather's brace & bits. GGF was a cabinet maker for a railroad company in Knoxville, TN (the place is now a restaurant).
I'm not a woodworker but tinker around a bit (pun intended). I've been a little intimidated by these braces & bits, not sure how the shank went in, and this and you other B&B videos have been very helpful.
I was hoping my great-grandfather's tools were worth more; he has a very (air) tight tool chest he built himself (about two, 2 1/2 feet high, with a lid and two trays) everything's in pristine condition; lots of Stanley stuff, spoke shaves and such.
I have a very old set of bits (made by Brades before most of us were born ) for square chucks but the largest bit will not fit the normal ratchet brace . It has more blade surfaces to cut the wood.They are easy to sharpen .There is a new conversion part to change the twin jaws to take modern phillips bits. Ideal for floorboards .
I am glad I watch you shows. I got a complete set of auger bits from my boss. I would enjoy a show on how to refurbish the set to use
Rex- I rarely comment to anyone on TH-cam but you have addressed a problem I have been wrestling with for some time. They do make some extremely high quality brace bits in UK but they make Woodowls look cheap. There are no cheap solutions. I have bought Woodowl augers from 7/16” to 1 1/2” which is less expensive, then bought a 3/8” 3 jaw chuck egg beater drill and a good set of 1/4” hex bits. I bought the adaptors and I’m probably going to buy a 3 jaw brace from Lee Valley (much better than Garrett Wade). I’ve looked and tried. You’re just going to have to suck it up and spend the money.
Hey Rex. Great show you have going on over there! You asked how your viewers solve the problem of getting drill bits for their braces. I live in the Netherlands and I managed to get a nice set of 28 assorted auger bits form a retired carpenter. Actually, from his grandson who had permission from his father to sell them. They were a bit rusty but I derusted the whole set with a car battery charger, a bucket and some soda and water. I also bought another vintage set of nine bits (metric sizes up to 25 mm) in a nice pine box, all made by C.I. Fall, Sweden. I'm not sure but I suspect there's still a lot of those around, probably even more (than a lot) in Sweden. Maybe you should ask your Swedish viewers about those. -- Best, Paul
I agree with the basic concept of what you are asking...... But There has to be a middle ground. I don't buy sets of bits anymore. I buy the ones I use and wear out and break. And back in the day when a brace and bit were what craftsmen used, they didn't buy sets either. They bought single bits of the highest quality, one at a time, that they needed, as they could afford. A good Quality Bradpoint bit will work just fine in a hand powered brace up to about 1/2 inch. (A starter set of these should be about $25.) Yes I have used them. Larger than that buy the one bit you need for the project you are working on that James Wright recommended.
Like you said the bit used in a brace have to be designed for slow speeds and are harder to make. They are going to cost a little more. Some times you do get what you pay for.
Or just admit that sometimes a decent cordless drill and bits designed to work with them are not all Bad.
"I mean really, who else is dealing with stuff like this?" Hahaha!
Rex, you are truly informative AND entertaining!
Thank you and keep it up.
Have been working with a rusty and slightly bent set until I found a 6 piece vintage set still in the wooden box. Set me back $90 but was worth every penny for the difference it made.