Simple shop made tool

[Chrispy]

 

[baldkev]

Teaspoon?

 

[Sawdust=manglitter]

Allan key bit for use in a drill? Or maybe some kind of rotary hex broach to make hex shaped holes?

 

[Chrispy]

Well if you have a lot of these to insert then it's the tool to use.

With one of these

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Why not just use a piece of hex bar? Why the rounding? Or am I missing something?

 

[John Brown]

I'm guessing a hex shank doesn't work in brace chuck.

 

[Inspector]

Does the round part fit into the insert to keep it aligned while driving it with the brace?

Pete

 

[Terrytpot]

I'm guessing a hex shank doesn't work in brace chuck.

All the bit and brace style setups I‘ve come across had , in effect, four jaw chucks like this example

 

[Inspector]

A pair of two jaw and a three jaw. All will grip hex stock.
Pete

 

[Terrytpot]

A pair of two jaw and a three jaw. All will grip hex stock.
PeteView attachment 129721

Yup, those would indeed. Wouldn’t be much use on bits like these though which are fairly common over here..

 

[Inspector]

Terry the two jaw braces are meant to drive the square taper bits you show but also hold the hex. The middle brace above was my fathers, bought when I was a little crib crab back in the days when hex drive bits were rare.

Pete

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Yup, those would indeed. Wouldn’t be much use on bits like these though which are fairly common over here..
View attachment 129723

I've only ever used/seen a two jaw used with them. I've never seen a four jaw.

 

[John Brown]

All the brace chucks I've ever seen(probably no more than three, TBH)were two jaw. I can't say I've ever tried a hex shank in one.

 

[Marischal Ellis]

Is it not a drift...for belting things in or a depth gauge as well as drift. Just a thought. Why because I used to use one at home but originally borrowed from school metal class room.

 

[Chrispy]

The brace gives really good control and although it's a very old one it does hold the hex shank fairly well, the ground down area is a snug fit inside the m8 inserts which helps keep things straight and helps stop the bit caming out of the insert and chewing up the top.
The inserts i'm using are steel but are still quite soft so spoil easily but I think it would work just as well on the really soft alloy ones.

 

[baldkev]

I use a bolt and washer in the insert. the ratchet ( or sometimes impact driver ) winds the insert in and the bolt body stops it deforming. The clearance hole is the mist important thing, especially in oak!

 

[Auldfart2010]

@Chrispy It works for you, so don't change it. Sometimes special adaptions have to be made to help the job along.

 

[TRITON]

The brace gives really good control and although it's a very old one it does hold the hex shank fairly well

I had some huge(M14 i think) fittings to put a gate post onto a wall for some large double garage doors I'd made for a customers house/garage extension. Our drill died, it didnt have the power to drive the bolt home. The builders who had built the extension came out with a big hitachi , it didnt have the oomph either.
Had a sudden brainwave. I nipped out to our van, got a brace and bit, fitted a square drive to it, added a socket for the bolt, and worked it back and forth till i drove it home completely.
Many nods of approval from the builders

You cannot beat a good brace and bit for the jobs even the most modern of tools struggle with. I'll hazard a guess the builders added a brace to their inventory that day.