Small brace

[Sheffield Tony]

I bought this partly out of curiosity, and partly with the thought it might be useful for lighter jobs in confined spaces where a 10" sweep brace would be too cumbersome.

There it is, alongside a full sized one for comparison. It has a sweep of just 5". What do I have ? A small brace for small jobs ? Or from a child's toolbox ?

There is no maker's mark to be found, but looking at the red stain on beech handles, it looks very like that on an early (pre Stanley) Acorn #4 plane made by Chapman, who are a likely candidate for maker of a brace.

 

[AndyT]

Very popular with electricians apparently. Good for driving screws and countersinking too.

 

[nabs]

I have a slightly larger (7'') chapman and it is a comfortable size for lots of jobs. It is also quite good quality (much nicer to use than my no-name 10'')

It does not look like yours though (I think chapman may have been unique in using an octagonal shaped chuck? - hopefully boringgeof will be along to confirm)

 

[bugbear]

IIRC Chapman used a very distinctive 9 sided chuck. Or possibly 7. Definitely an odd number.

BugBear

 

[bugbear]

Very popular with electricians apparently. Good for driving screws and countersinking too.

I've got one with a countersink permanently mounted!

BugBear

 

[JimB]

It's a reminder in these days of power tools that woodworking and related trades often had to manage in confined spaces.

 

[Dovetaildave]

Very popular with electricians apparently. Good for driving screws and countersinking too.

I've got one with a countersink permanently mounted!

BugBear

Totaly agree with all of the above.

I've found that a smaller diameters are easier and less tiring when fitted into a smaller brace, quicker too.
As the drill bit diameter grows, so does my need for a larger brace with more leverage and mechanical advantage..............and they look very nice all hanging there in their graduated row .
Regards,
Dave

 

[Boringgeoff]

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 makers such as John Fray who also offered an octagonal chuck but slightly different profile.
If it is by Chapman, it's the first I've seen like that and would be very interested if anyone has a Chapman branded brace with the same head they could show us.
As far as I've seen Chapman chucks had nine or eight facets or are cylindrical.
Thanks,
Geoff.

 

[DTR]

Very popular with electricians apparently. Good for driving screws and countersinking too.

I've got one with a countersink permanently mounted!

BugBear

Totaly agree with all of the above.

+1. I really ought to find another 5" brace so that I don't have to swap between countersink and screwdriver!

 

[Sheffield Tony]

Chapman was only my guess, there is no maker's mark. The chuck is octagonal. The head attachment has no visible fixings between metal and wood, or any indication of what sort of bearing is within. One perhaps distinguishing feature is that the two metal collars that hold the handle in place are retained by four little punch marks in the quill (?), which I don't see on my Chapman/Stanley braces.

 

[bugbear]

+1. I really ought to find another 5" brace so that I don't have to swap between countersink and screwdriver!

I use this 3 1/2" swing/7" sweep light brace for screws.

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/bad- ... 99495.html

BugBear

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

This is a 5" sweep ..

Regads from Perth

Derek