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Andy, you can probably swap the jaws from brace to brace when needs be, or keep an eye out for an old wreck that has salvageable jaws. In Aus' I would say there were more holes bored in fence posts to run the wires than any other industry. I display braces and brace tools at country shows and...

Hello Andy, You're right that that the jaws in your brace are for round shank drill bits. I had a look among my James Chapman braces and found one with the same jaws. I was able to get it to hold the square tang bit diagonally and quite successfully bored a hole in a piece of pine, but when I...

Thanks for the video Andy, that's great hand -eye coordination by those men. Other American manufacturers Quimby Backus and William Ives, for instance, used a similar copper or brass cone, soldered in place, to retain the handles. I suppose there are different mixtures of lead / pewter just as...

There is a problem for me to compare the pewter rings on a Spofford, with the retainers on a brace like the one above. The wooden handled Spoffords are fairly rare in Aus' and the few I've got I've bought on line and to enhance their look the seller has polished them up. Whereas the likes of the...

Yes probably more likely pewter than straight lead. Time to phone my old boss, Bill, he was an industrial chemist and I'm sure will know what test to do. Cheers, Geoff.

I'm assuming you're referring to the handle retainers Ed, and that's a good point, but are they aluminium? I have always thought they are some kind of solder or lead alloy. I've based that on never having seen any evidence of corrosive reaction between the steel of the frame and the retainers...

Thanks Andy, That's very helpful and interesting. Poor old Arthur Pond was only in his mid 50's when he died. Your info' would date my brace from between 1891 and 1924 though I would put it nearer the later part of that period. Thanks for your help. Cheers, Geoff.

Good morning all, I bought this 7" brace at a swap meet on Sunday. It is marked "Beech & Pond. 108 Old St London EC" on the chuck and on the frame "Steel 7in". The only information I can find on Beech & Pond is this thread below from 2009. Where the OP mentions the dates 1895 - 1905. A...

The one big difference between your brace, Tony, and the James Chapman's I've got is the head attachment to the frame (is it called the quill?). It doesn't have a thrust washer or bearing as on its companion in your photo or Nicks example. It is very similar in that respect to a lot of American...

Thanks Tony, That looks like it, and on closer examination I think I can see J S and perhaps a W at the bottom of the oval. I've not come across this company before so your info is a big help. Cheers, Geoff.

Hi and Merry Christmas to all, This brace is a chrissy present to me from me. I can't make out the makers logo. There is nothing on it to indicate the place of manufacture but I'm pretty sure it's British. Any suggestions will be appreciated. Cheers, Geoff.

So maybe I've got to start looking for a set of sockets with a tapered 3/8" drive tang? Thanks for that CC you stirred what may be an ancient memory of the big socket set you described. Thanks for the link to the Amobrequin brace Andy, that's very interesting. The Michelin chauffeur was doing...

Hi all, I picked up this brace recently, it is branded: MELCO 1952 ^ ( this a Gov't arrow) and BC3052. The business end has a tapered socket 3/8in wide at the mouth and a bit over an inch deep, while the other end has a massive head nearly 4 1/2in wide. There's a single 7/16in steel ball as a...

Gasp! don't tell me ....you've mounted it on the drive pulley off a very rare 1953 Sudso washing machine. You Vandal!

I can understand your wanting to get your hands on that brace Pete. It's the iconic John S. Fray of Bridgeport, Connecticut USA. Incorporating the thumbscrew chuck patented by Nelson Spofford in 1859. The head and handle are Cocobolo. The handle, made in two halves, is held in place by two...

No Pete, that's the beauty of it, you put your favourite brace on it temporarily. If you're studying John Fray put up one of his braces likewise W'm Marples and so on, I'm sure it would help your concentration. When you're finished take it off and put it back on the wall. Looking forward to...

That reminded me of a project I started a few years ago and haven't finished, so I dug it out and dusted it off. It's a lump of wood with a turn table motor out of an old microwave oven let in underneath. The auger has the end cut off and a shaft brazed to it with a short bit of copper tube...

Well done Andy! Righto, come along now chaps, two down one to go! Eric, I've had mine sitting in a pot of wood shavings (Jarrah and Wattle) in a dry cool spot to encourage it to sprout a new spur but no luck so far. Cheers, Geoff.

That's quite an unusual method of attaching the chuck to the frame.

We had an antique and craft fair on in Perth this weekend and I found that brace yesterday. The chap I bought it from usually does a thorough job of cleaning the tools and coats them in some sort of varnish, though I prefer to do the cleaning myself. My chuck may be a later model than yours and...