Auger bits and hand brace drill ... a few questions !!!

[mikey78]

HI you all,
I'm italian and, many years ago, when I was still a boy and while digging in some old stuff bins,
I found my grandfather's hand brace drill.
It was rusty and covered in grime but, for the love I had for my grandfather,
I decided to give it some tlc, after cleaning I coukld read on it that it was made in Sheffield,
so I said to myself what an uncommon find for a tool in a forgotten village in the southern Italy ...

Anyway the tool didn't come with any auger bit so I really never had the chance to use it
this is way it sat on a shelf for many years until a few weeks ago when I managed to aquire some auger bits on ebay.co.uk.
The deal was what I call fair and for 50 pounds (plus shipping plus customs) I came in possession of an extensive set in its canvas roll.
Auger bits are still in good conditions, no rust and some of them still sharp. There are about 10 auger bite (jennings style) Ridgeway auger bits raising from 1/4" to 1", plus some screw drivers bit, plus a countersink, plus ten or more other bits in different shapes.
Now It's time to go to the point ...

Other than the Jennings style auger bit you see two more bits with a different shape ... what are they used for ???
Also you can see I sharpened the bits with some sandpaper attached on some wooden sticks, none of my files really worked on the bits ...
Yes I'm aware there are auger bit files but they are quite rare to find and really expensive too for what they are, any suggestion ?

 

[mikey78]

Also when I first tried inserting a bit in the hand brace drill I found out that even the 1/4" bit tang was too big for the jaws of my chuck,
what a disappointment .... Luckily enough I found a cheap chuck in the shop just around the corner and for a couple of pounds i managed to came in possession of a set of jaws that both fits in my drill chuck and accept all the auger bits tangs !

On the right hand side of the picture you can see the original set of yaws,
on the left hand side you can see the ones that made my day and let me use my newly acquired auger bits ...
Any thoughts on the different designs ???

Also I was wondering if there is any chance that my Hand brace drill is on the smaller side for the drill bits I acquired ...
I have bored holes with the 1" bit and feel that using the bigger ones would be too stressfull for my tool,
but maybe it is just an impression ...

 

[raffo]

The bit in the middle is a Forstner bit.
Check this video out, it has tips on how to sharpen them and more.

 

[mikey78]

Hello raffo, thanks for replying !!!
I already saw this video when it was released and I agree it is very interesting,
but still did not find answer to my questions, anyhow thankyou again !

 

[ChaiLatte]

The one on the left is a shorter version of the one on the right.

If you were to bore a deep hole with the one on the left, where would the shavings go? They would pack up and jam up above the cutting edge. The helix on the longer one ejects the chips from the top of the hole and also guides the bit so the hole stays straight.

If you had to bore through floor joists at 16" centres, the right hand bit is too long to allow the hole to be square to the joist face. The shorter bit on the left gives you more options in tighter spaces.

 

[mikey78]

Thankyou ChaiLatte, your words make sense to me,
the one on the left also has got one spur ....
Any thought about the use of a forstener bit ?

 

[Jacob]

The simpler they are the cheaper they are but they don't stay on line quite so well.
You get what you pay for!
32mm is a common size in the simplest form as it is the size for fitting Yale locks and the finish doesn't matter as it's covered by the lock plates.

 

[ChaiLatte]

I have always understood Forstner bits to make a very clean, flat-based hole (compared to standard auger bits) with little tear out.

My feeling is that the Forstner would be used for higher class work like cabinet making and the standard auger for rougher work, like timber framing, gateposts, etc. where the quality of the hole is not so important.

 

[Just4Fun]

I have always understood Forstner bits to make a very clean, flat-based hole (compared to standard auger bits) with little tear out.

My feeling is that the Forstner would be used for higher class work like cabinet making and the standard auger for rougher work, like timber framing, gateposts, etc. where the quality of the hole is not so important.

hmmm ... not quite my experience. I find that Jennings style bits and Forstner bit can both produce neat results if they are sharp. I find Jennings style bits easier to sharpen, but that may just be me.

I find Jennigs style bits clear the waste better and are easier to keep in line when boring long holes.

Forstner bits produce quite a flat hole with a very shallow projection for the central point, so are better when I want to drill a stopped hole near to the far side of the wood, especially in thin material. With a Jennings style auger it is easier to poke the point through the far side of the work.

Many Forstner bits I have seen have a round shaft more suitable for an electric drill chuck. Do Forstner bits with a square or hexagonal shaft exist? If not, I would not use a Forstner bit with a hand brace. I would not use a Jennings style bit in an electric drill as it grabs too easily.

I have more Jennings style augers than Forstner bits, and that reflects my usage preference. I only use a Forstner bit when I have a specific reason for doing so; my default is to use a Jennings style Auger.

 

[mikey78]

Do Forstner bits with a square or hexagonal shaft exist? If not, I would not use a Forstner bit with a hand brace.

Yes they do !!! In the second picture you can clearly see a Forstener with a square tang !!!

 

[Just4Fun]

Oh, now I feel stupid. Or blind. Or both.

 

[rob1693]

Your brace only looks like it has a 6 inch swing, for the larger bits you need one with a 10 inch swing or you'll struggle

 

[raffo]

Hello raffo, thanks for replying !!!
I already saw this video when it was released and I agree it is very interesting,
but still did not find answer to my questions, anyhow thankyou again !

There's a lot of info to be found through Google searches, set your browser to include English in the search results. Then you can easily find what Forstner and center point bits are used for.

There's an italian file maker that uses the brand Corradi, I've one of their auger bit files. Sandpaper should work fine too.

This site went offline not long ago and had a lot of information. Millers Falls, which bought Goodell Pratt, offered many bit brace models. They patented several jaw designs. They were one of the early market players regarding these tools.

https://web.archive.org/web/2022092...olheaven.com/related/goodell-pratt-braces.htm

 

[raffo]

Your brace only looks like it has a 6 inch swing, for the larger bits you need one with a 10 inch swing or you'll struggle

In the picture, the brace arm seems to be about 14cm long, that's a 28cm sweep. That's on the larger side, his brace is rather a heavy duty type.

 

[Yorkieguy]

I get all my auger bits from 'UK Drills'. The have 15 diameters, and come in lengths of 155, 235, 460mm, and some are 600mm. They're the style with straight-sided flutes that don't wander off:

Auger Bits

I also by my Forstner bits from there. The have round shafts, come in 23 sizes from 10 - 60mm diameter. I mostly use them either in a drill press or lathe, especially for holes that are of any depth.

Forstner Bits TCT

They also stock a wide range of other drills, and despite the low prices, I've found the quality and durability to be excellent.

As for hand braces and auger bits that were used with them, I'm secretary of a woodturning Club and for many years we've supported a charity called Tools with a Mission ('TWAM') who collect old tools, refurbish them, put them into kits and send them out to Africa, where they train people in a range of skills and equip them with kits of tools so they can be self-sufficient, earn a living, support their families and send their kids to school. They also send out manual and electric sewing machines and teach men tailoring skills, and women dressmaking.

They have collectors in various part of the UK and the tools go to a central refurbishing centre at Ipswich. Last year they sent 14 shipping containers with 10,000 toolkits to four African countries. Carpenters, mechanics, electricians, bricklaying, groundwork etc.

Who We Are | Tools with a Mission

We often get hand braces and auger bits donated.

The braces tend to all be the same size. The picture attached below is what one Club member donated from a garage clear-out, at our recent meeting. Along with a brace and fifteen augers, there were more than fifty files and rasps which, though rusty and mostly unhandled, had had little use. We've also donated power tools - two lathes, woodturning tools, routers, scrollsaws, bandsaws circular saws, as well as handsaws. Often donated by people clearing out workshops of deceased relatives. Also, three electric sewing machines from members wives who had upgraded to newer models.

Hope that's of interest.

 

[Adam W.]

@mikey78 You shouldn't have a problem with the capacity of the brace. I've used 2"ø centre bits with my cheapo vintage brace which has a similar swing. It's best to make sure that the bits are very sharp and you can use a small triangular saw file and a couple of stones to sharpen them.

Cheapo brace on the left with a nice big centre bit.

 

[Rich_D]

HI you all,
I'm italian and, many years ago, when I was still a boy and while digging in some old stuff bins,
I found my grandfather's hand brace drill.
It was rusty and covered in grime but, for the love I had for my grandfather,
I decided to give it some tlc, after cleaning I coukld read on it that it was made in Sheffield,
so I said to myself what an uncommon find for a tool in a forgotten village in the southern Italy ...

View attachment 147786

Anyway the tool didn't come with any auger bit so I really never had the chance to use it
this is way it sat on a shelf for many years until a few weeks ago when I managed to aquire some auger bits on ebay.co.uk.
The deal was what I call fair and for 50 pounds (plus shipping plus customs) I came in possession of an extensive set in its canvas roll.
Auger bits are still in good conditions, no rust and some of them still sharp. There are about 10 auger bite (jennings style) Ridgeway auger bits raising from 1/4" to 1", plus some screw drivers bit, plus a countersink, plus ten or more other bits in different shapes.
Now It's time to go to the point ...

View attachment 147787

Other than the Jennings style auger bit you see two more bits with a different shape ... what are they used for ???
Also you can see I sharpened the bits with some sandpaper attached on some wooden sticks, none of my files really worked on the bits ...
Yes I'm aware there are auger bit files but they are quite rare to find and really expensive too for what they are, any suggestion ?

Hello Mickey, I’m 66 years old and still occasionally use May Dad’s brace and bit, as a child I would watch him use it when doing jobs. As well as drilling hole he had a bit to drone in screws. He bought a selection of second hand woodworking tools including the brace and bits in the early 1950’s so it must be quite an age.
I enjoyed reading your post.

Kind Regards Richard

 

[Sundial Colin]

Originally bits had a square tapered shank that fitted in a bit brace ( as in the picture at top), drills have a circular shank which fit in a 3 jaw chuck.
One other advantage of the Forstner drill/bit is that one hole can overlap a previous hole, which no other standard drill/bit can do.

 

[joshvegas]

Seems like a good place to ask. In my various acquisitions are a number of square section tapered reamers.... What on earth are they intended for?

 

[J-G]

Seems like a good place to ask. In my various acquisitions are a number of square section tapered reamers.... What on earth are they intended for?

A picture would be a great benefit

My imagination suggests that you may have Broaches rather than Reamers.