Old brace use?

[Farmer Giles]

I had a workshop full of kids this morning, the eldest daughter had a friend sleeping over and the youngest daughter joined in so three girls around 9 to 11 YO.

I have been saving a box of smaller tools for kids to use so out they came including a small brace that I renovated long ago, subject of my very first post on the forum

A longer throw brace would be easier for kids to turn but I thought it would be fine for smaller bits. We made all sorts of stuff for their hamsters cage, ramps, platforms etc. they had a great time, but the workshop that was looking clean now looks like a bomb site :lol:

I couldn't get the bit in, on closer inspection, it's not geared up for traditional square ended bits, but small shaft drills, probably round, I think.

I tried it out with a modern lip and spur and it grips it well, but a bit slow on the cut, probably best in an old egg whisk drill. This made me think, what was this brace used for? It has a ratchet, small throw and tiny jaws, an M4 screw included for scale. If you open the jaws to the maximum then the jaws are about 8mm wide but the grooves suggest this was unlikely to be this wide much unless there bits were square shafted. Probably more like 1/4" max. Was it used for drilling or screwing or both and with what type of bits?

Cheers
Andy

 

[Boringgeoff]

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 went to remove the bit from the hole it pulled out of the chuck.

This wouldn't happen with "normal" jaws as they have a ledge near the front to lock behind the shoulder of the tang.

Chapman offered replacement jaws but I've not seen them advertise the fact of being for round drill bits.

It's a bit hard to tell from the illustration whether the plain jaw is narrow or wide.
I have frequently heard small 5 and 6 inch sweep braces referred to as "Electricians" braces possibly because they were only boring slim holes in house framing to run their wires.
Cheers,
Geoff.

 

[Farmer Giles]

Thanks Geoff, very interesting, I like old tool catalogues.

I have a longer throw Chapman I can put in the kids box that does take normal square bits, it's a bit rough but works fine, I used it to fit the hinges on a field gate a couple of weeks ago. I had a healthy glow after that but more satisfying than a cordless

The kids have an eggbeater and this small Chapman for smaller stuff.

Cheers
Andy

 

[Boringgeoff]

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 hear great stories from old blokes (and ladies) when they were kids working with the old man fencing, as he planted a post they had to bore the five or six holes with a brace and bit.
Cheers,
Geoff.

 

[ED65]

...used it to fit the hinges on a field gate a couple of weeks ago. I had a healthy glow after that but more satisfying than a cordless

Is that a polite way of saying you were sweatin' like a pig when you were done? :mrgreen:

Boringgeoff beat me to it, if you would like the kids to be able to use the short-sweep brace with your brace bits you should be able to swap jaws no problem.

I just recently did this on a Chapman brace I was offered for pocket change. It was a no. 60, 10" and was in really good surface condition for its age but the shell was empty and there was no butt pad, so little use to anyone. But I knew I had a sacrificial lamb at home from the same stable that might have parts that would swap in, and even though it was a much later Stanley (a 144, possibly from the 60s or even the 70s) both fit well.

 

[Farmer Giles]

Thanks guys, I shall swap jaws for now. I need to get out to the car boot sales and pick up some more braces.

Yes I was sweating like a pig, this hot weather is weird, up in the Pennines in one of the wettest parts of the UK and my neighbours have run out of water. We have a bore hole so OK for now but no way of knowing how plentiful the aquifer is, but our spring dried up weeks ago. We are providing washing and shower services to the neighbours and I've offered the use of our spare IBC containers so they can get farmers in the valley to fill them up and deliver them to water the animals.