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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.)
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
@@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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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!
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 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 ❤
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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...
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 👍
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).
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
@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
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.
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.
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 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.
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!
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 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!
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).
Stefan Vogel I don‘t own some, but I own a set of regular Fisch Drill bits. They are top notch and you have to conside, that you will own these for long time.
@@kurtkurt3626 I don't disagree with the quality point (I myself own Fisch drill bits and they are good) and Dieter Schmid is for sure not selling nonsense. But here I must confess that the Woodowl Tri augers will probably be the superior option at half the price. You can buy them at Amazon Germany as well. Unfortunately not the 11 or 15 parts sets. I hope that fine tools (Dieter Schmid) will offer them one day as well.
Thanks to a reply on a comment I left on one of your videos several weeks back, I started looking on Ebay for hand planes. I also started looking for braces and bits too, and I got a great vintage brace with some bits for $25 + shipping. They worked great! I also scored a lot of 27 vintage bits for $40 + shipping that were also in good shape and work well. I can recommend watching Ebay for deals on vintage stuff. However, I do want a set of those Wood Owls someday after my skills improve.
I have an old Stanley 10” bit brace but the chuck is mangled so I’m actually sawing off the threads of the chuck and tig welding on a half inch drive so I can get all the versatility of this tool and the quality of an old Stanley. Thanks for the vid, I would have never had the idea to do this without seeing this a week ago.
Harbor freight 1/2in speed handle (10$)+ 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
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
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.
Great stuff here. Grew up with a brace and bit in my dad's shop. Actually he had two or three always set with certain standard bits. I currently use my 1\2" socket brace frequently, and I converted a smaller one to work with 1\4" hex in my small mechanic box. There is always a place in the shop for a good brace.
Your face expression at 3:14 when you rotate that chuck is like Eli Wallach in "The good, the bad and the ugly" when he builds his own customized revolver at the gun shop. ;)
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.
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.
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.
Just the video I've been waiting for. I blindly bought my vintage bit brace without realising it has a different shank to modern ones. I then realised that we have a scarcity of vintage bit braces over here in the U.K. and to buy them from the USA would be way too expensive (the shipping typically costs twice as much as the bits, themselves) I was then planning to get rid of my vintage brace and replace it with a contemporary one so I can take advantage of the range of modern auger bits.......which you have, now, demonstrated are all crap! Thank you, REX, for stopping me in the nick of time!
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.
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.
Was smh at Rex's naive, enthusiastic optimism until 10:32 when the truth came out. Kudos for that honesty and for trying "new" things. As an aside, any one who has had to drill many repeated, precision holes learns a high quality forstner bit is worth the cost.
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.
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
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.
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 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.
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, i got my brace bit with square shape inside and 2 braces for clamping. And i got some great augerbits but with a round shaft. So i got some kind of dissapointed. But then i thought, why not shaping the end to a square cone. Tried and it works very well! now i can use them in my brace bit and with my electric drill. even with hex shaped bits that sould work.
Rex - I have 3 (at least) vintage braces. I keep a 1/4 inch bit adapter in one of them dispite the 2 jaw chuck and it works just fine (even drives 3 inch deck screws just fine). I can get massive torque with it. So I don't see why I'd need anything else. I will admit that, other than vintage Irwin bits, it's a little hard to fit any modern drill bits, but the old Irwin bits aren't that hard to find in the Middle Eastern States (perhaps they are hard to find in Western states like California). I see Irwin (and the other style - I forget the name) bits at all the Antique Malls around here. Keep up the great info!
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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.
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.
Good Stuff. Thanks for posting. I don't have a good solution as I bought all my bits from eBay and am still learning how to get them nice and sharp and that is not easy. In my latest analysis, I think the snail is the main problem and I am trying to work that out as well.
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
I was lucky enough to find a whole bunch of those traditional auger bits in a hardware store in Cebu City Philippines. That place was a goldmine for traditional/vintage hardware. It's called Yutivo&sons in Jakosalem St. (For those woodworkers who may find themselves there one day)
Your new brace looks like a socket speed handle that you can buy from most tool suppliers. They come in sizes from 1/4 inch and up. I have used them as a mechanic and they work good and they do the same thing your brace does without the ratchet. So yes put on your specific socket you need for your hex ended bit and fly at it. Wow you made me think there for quite a while ( I know that tool) so good job.
The Stahlwille 413QR Quick Release Speeder Brace, 1/4" Square Drive has a detachable palm head, but no rotating middle handle. Also the shaft looks a bit too long to offer a good control of the drill bit during rotation.
Hey Rex, I couldn't find any vintage auger bits here in Germany so I startet buying the ones branded "Star-M", apperently japanese, from fine-tools.com. They are reasonably priced at ~ 8 $ a piece and the ones I already own, a 12 and 19 mm, bit, work excellently in my vintage brace. Plus they are available in imperial measurements ;)
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.
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
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.
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
Well now I really appreciate my old compete auger drill set I bought at a yard sale twenty years ago. Thanks
"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
I kinda love that you spent most of the video actively trying to get your knickers in a twist...
You beat me to that one - was wondering how best to phrase it & then there was your comment.
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?
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.
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.
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.)
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
15 videos in, this was the first time I have laughed at one of your jokes. Totally worth it. You not so bad for an Ohioan.
I actually have the Garrett wade and I love it.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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 !
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.
Excellent video - your honesty, sincerity, authenticity and integrity make you a highly credible TH-camr!
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!
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 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 ❤
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.
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.
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.
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!
"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.
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.
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...
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.
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.
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 👍
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).
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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
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.
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.
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 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.
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!
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 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!
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).
Hey Rex,
an Austrian company called Fisch still makes auger bits with square end.
Keep your great work up,
Gretings from Austria,
Kurt
I got some 25 years ago in Germany and still using them along with my grand fathers old sets. I made my comments then saw yours.
They are quite expensive though (around 30 bucks each). You can get them here for instance: www.fine-tools.com/auger-bit-conical-square-shaft.html
Stefan Vogel I don‘t own some, but I own a set of regular Fisch Drill bits. They are top notch and you have to conside, that you will own these for long time.
@@kurtkurt3626 I don't disagree with the quality point (I myself own Fisch drill bits and they are good) and Dieter Schmid is for sure not selling nonsense. But here I must confess that the Woodowl Tri augers will probably be the superior option at half the price. You can buy them at Amazon Germany as well. Unfortunately not the 11 or 15 parts sets. I hope that fine tools (Dieter Schmid) will offer them one day as well.
Thanks to a reply on a comment I left on one of your videos several weeks back, I started looking on Ebay for hand planes. I also started looking for braces and bits too, and I got a great vintage brace with some bits for $25 + shipping. They worked great! I also scored a lot of 27 vintage bits for $40 + shipping that were also in good shape and work well. I can recommend watching Ebay for deals on vintage stuff. However, I do want a set of those Wood Owls someday after my skills improve.
Rex, I love your style of presentation, as always I really enjoyed this video.
I have an old Stanley 10” bit brace but the chuck is mangled so I’m actually sawing off the threads of the chuck and tig welding on a half inch drive so I can get all the versatility of this tool and the quality of an old Stanley. Thanks for the vid, I would have never had the idea to do this without seeing this a week ago.
Harbor freight 1/2in speed handle (10$)+ 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
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
I use great harbor freight Bauer augers with hex shanks in my 2 jaw Chuck for my brace works great can’t recommend enough!
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.
Thank you. This is just the information that I needed.
Great stuff here. Grew up with a brace and bit in my dad's shop. Actually he had two or three always set with certain standard bits. I currently use my 1\2" socket brace frequently, and I converted a smaller one to work with 1\4" hex in my small mechanic box. There is always a place in the shop for a good brace.
Your face expression at 3:14 when you rotate that chuck is like Eli Wallach in "The good, the bad and the ugly" when he builds his own customized revolver at the gun shop. ;)
"How much?"
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.
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.
I love the somewhat one sided rivalry between you and James. It is so funny.
Rex is just a lovely angry wood man.
I also love my GW brace.😊
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.
Just the video I've been waiting for. I blindly bought my vintage bit brace without realising it has a different shank to modern ones. I then realised that we have a scarcity of vintage bit braces over here in the U.K. and to buy them from the USA would be way too expensive (the shipping typically costs twice as much as the bits, themselves)
I was then planning to get rid of my vintage brace and replace it with a contemporary one so I can take advantage of the range of modern auger bits.......which you have, now, demonstrated are all crap! Thank you, REX, for stopping me in the nick of time!
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.
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.
Was smh at Rex's naive, enthusiastic optimism until 10:32 when the truth came out. Kudos for that honesty and for trying "new" things. As an aside, any one who has had to drill many repeated, precision holes learns a high quality forstner bit is worth the cost.
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.
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
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.
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 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.
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.
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
Great tips! Thank you for the info about Garrett Wade, they even carry bits for my Stanley push drill.
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.
Hey Rex, i got my brace bit with square shape inside and 2 braces for clamping. And i got some great augerbits but with a round shaft. So i got some kind of dissapointed. But then i thought, why not shaping the end to a square cone. Tried and it works very well! now i can use them in my brace bit and with my electric drill. even with hex shaped bits that sould work.
Rex - I have 3 (at least) vintage braces. I keep a 1/4 inch bit adapter in one of them dispite the 2 jaw chuck and it works just fine (even drives 3 inch deck screws just fine). I can get massive torque with it. So I don't see why I'd need anything else. I will admit that, other than vintage Irwin bits, it's a little hard to fit any modern drill bits, but the old Irwin bits aren't that hard to find in the Middle Eastern States (perhaps they are hard to find in Western states like California). I see Irwin (and the other style - I forget the name) bits at all the Antique Malls around here. Keep up the great info!
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.
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= $12:41) and they work great
Yep - the braces and bits are super easy to buy in Australia too. Almost every boot sale / garage sale / fete / swap meet for a couple of dollars. The bits are throw-away items, you can get them for free if you buy something else. boxes.
It's stupid to try and use "modern" bits in these low-speed tools.
I just went ahead and bough a Stanley brand modern bit-brace. and I'm very happy I spent the 60$ I did on it. (hand tool only shop)
Good Stuff. Thanks for posting. I don't have a good solution as I bought all my bits from eBay and am still learning how to get them nice and sharp and that is not easy. In my latest analysis, I think the snail is the main problem and I am trying to work that out as well.
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
I was lucky enough to find a whole bunch of those traditional auger bits in a hardware store in Cebu City Philippines. That place was a goldmine for traditional/vintage hardware.
It's called Yutivo&sons in Jakosalem St. (For those woodworkers who may find themselves there one day)
Where in cebu? Im retiring there in next 4-6 months
Your new brace looks like a socket speed handle that you can buy from most tool suppliers. They come in sizes from 1/4 inch and up. I have used them as a mechanic and they work good and they do the same thing your brace does without the ratchet. So yes put on your specific socket you need for your hex ended bit and fly at it. Wow you made me think there for quite a while ( I know that tool) so good job.
The Stahlwille 413QR Quick Release Speeder Brace, 1/4" Square Drive has a detachable palm head, but no rotating middle handle. Also the shaft looks a bit too long to offer a good control of the drill bit during rotation.
I finally went and bought a vintage Dunlap brace and now you find a modern one that can use a three jaw chuck.
Hey Rex, I couldn't find any vintage auger bits here in Germany so I startet buying the ones branded "Star-M", apperently japanese, from fine-tools.com. They are reasonably priced at ~ 8 $ a piece and the ones I already own, a 12 and 19 mm, bit, work excellently in my vintage brace. Plus they are available in imperial measurements ;)
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.
auger holesaws are the best, especially a set that comes with the optional guide-rod instead of guide drill
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.
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