The New LV Catalog is Here!

Re: No braces necessary *LINK*

Jonathan Peck - N.Y.

>Here's a close up of the chucks and ratcheting mechanisms. I like the dogs on the PS & W model


Close Up

Re: No braces necessary *LINK*

Jonathan Peck - N.Y.

>Pretty soon the top of your bench will look like this


Spofford Braces & Bits

Re: No braces necessary

Jonathan Peck - N.Y.

>And the inside of your bench like this. Hmmmm...got to get a shot of all the ..eh hem...users I got hanging from the rafters.

BTW - those are all non ratcheting braces from early makers that I have c-c-c-c-o-ll-ected

Re: No braces necessary *LINK*

Jonathan Peck - N.Y.

>And you must get yourself some good eggbeaters


Yankee & MF

Type of chuck for normal drill bits (1st question)

GolfSteve in Calgary

>A while back I though that a brace would be great to have. I bought a nice one for $15 but then found out that the chuck doesn't work with round drill bits. Actually it doesn't seem to work with hexagonal bits very well either. It's been relegated to the bin and marked up as inexperienced foolishness.

I don't have any interest in trying to chase down those auger bits with the funky diamond shaped ends on them - I live in old tool heck and they don't exist around here.

What type of chuck do you need for regular bits and/or bits with hexagonal ends?

Chuck for bits > 3/8" (2nd question)

GolfSteve in Calgary

>Is it possible to find a brace for bits > 3/8"? My power drill is great, but it only has a 3/8" chuck. Very occasionally I run into the need to use bits with larger shanks where a 1/2" drill would normally be used.

Since I'm cheap and willing to put a bit of elbow grease into things I thought that maybe a brace would be the answer.

Re: Type of chuck for normal drill bits (1st quest

Jonathan Peck - N.Y.

>Well the "Holdall" will...wait for it...hold all. Most later braces will hold round shank bits, although I am not sure after what year they started becoming popular (20's...30's?) Stanley's 945 is a super common brace that will hold round shank bits

On June 25, 1907, John A. Leland received a patent for a bit holding mechanism capable of maintaining contact with square, round, and tapered shanks throughout the length of its floating jaws. The result was a firm, well-aligned grip on the bit

brace's to do anything *LINK*

Dennis

>fun thread to follow, but the answer is simple....pick up couple,they are cheap and try them out. Then head down the slope and learn about what bits do what.

One will learn real quick that you need a lot more than one brace and one set of bits.

The yankee/stanley bell system 2101 is a good brace to start with and most i see in the wild down here in Florida are 1$ and don't work until you read the link......i buy every one i see,you just never know when you will need parts.

Dennis,who thinks saws and brace's are good buys anytime.

And thanks George for the info on how to the 2101 many times over


How to fix a 2101

Me Too...but...

Scott Burr Ben Lomond,CA

>He might be mad at me...:-(

Re: Type of chuck for normal drill bits (1st quest

paul womack

>...but then found out that the chuck doesn't work with round drill bits.

I can't think of a single round shanked drill I'd want to use in a brace.

Small twist bits (e.g. for drilling pilot holes) are much better used in a egg-beater drill; the high torque, low RPM characteristics of a brace are inappropriate to these bits.

If (OTOH) you're drilling larger holes, you want (trust me :-) to use a proper auger, which has the nice square head, held so nicely by a normal brace chuck.

Problem solved, or at least deemed not to be a problem.

BugBear

Re: I've got one...

Alice Frampton, UK

>Andrew,

Well I cheated; I've found myself reviewing the full line of Veritas planes and somehow this has led to Rob very kindly sending me the catalogue. At least I think it's kind... I'd send you the old one but I've already passed it on to someone :~(

Cheers, Alf

Re: No catalogue here either ...

Angus Barclay, in New Zealand

>Hello Mark,

thanks for the very generous offer. I've sent you an email about this.

regards

Angus Barclay

Thanks Rob,..

Don Thompson - Cutler Ridge, Florida

>.. for the reply. I hope that you find one worth selling. I just can not get along with the idea that a product should not be offered for sale if there are old used ones available. YMMV.

I spent hundreds of hours a couple of years ago looking for old tools at flea markets, auctions, estate sales and yard sales. I saw zero (0) braces for sale. I bought a Stanley one on eBay, and a set of auger bits. The chuck has problems, and so it is hard to get the bit lined up with the axis of the brace, so I only use it for rough, outdoors work. I like the idea of it, but wish it worked more smoothly .... like a new tool. One may choose to buy one used from Sydnas Sloot for $35-45 USD, but I am sure that there are some folks out there who would prefer to have a hastle-free, Lee Valley warranty. ;-)

God bless those who can find a dozen braces for $1-2 by spending an hour at a flea market on Saturday - it just isn't happening here.

Top Shelf!

Jim Shaver Oakville, Ont

>Hi Lyn,

You have said it So So well, Bravo to all the staff at LV and Veritas, I am proud to see this reponse to all the hard work of the folks up in Ottawa!!

take care,

Jim

Re: Type of chuck for normal drill bits (1st quest *LINK*

Robert Weber

>I bought item D on the page linked below to turn the square head screws I used to drywall my attic. Anything with the standard 1/4" hex end will fit snuggly inside.

Rob in Peoria


LV Brace Page

Re: Type of chuck for normal drill bits (1st quest

Mike Lietzow

>I agree and square-tang auger bits are not that hard to find, especially if you're willing to use a mixed set with some Jennings pattern and some Irwin pattern (not considering variations in lead screws). What _is_ hard to find are square-tang Forstner bits. Is there any major design difference in Forstner bits made for high speed 'lectric drills vs. those made for slow speed bit braces?

Cheers,

Mike

Re: Type of chuck for normal drill bits (1st quest

Jonathan Peck - N.Y.

>I think med and coarse lead screws are easy to find (read common) and are good for softwoods. Fine lead screws when found (read rarer) will cost a bit more(haha) and are good for hardwoods. If your trying to drill a piece of hardwood with a med or coarse lead screw, your probably scratching you head right now while reaching for your electric drill (read the lead screw will not pull the bit through) and wondering how them old dudes did it.

Catalog on its way - many thanks to Mark

Angus Barclay, in New Zealand

>If anyone needed any more evidence of the real community spirit generated on and by Woodcentral, this is it.

Mark Nowicki is sending his copy of the LV catalog half way around the world to someone who is essentially a complete stranger other than a shared interest in woodworking and Woodcentral.

Thanks Mark, your generosity is certainly appreciated.

regards

Angus Barclay

Re: Type of chuck for normal drill bits (1st quest

paul womack

>I imported one of those a while ago, courtesy of a helpful stateside friend. Sadly, the 1/4" hex hole seems a little oversize, so that the bits can turn a little and jam, making them hard to remove.

BugBear

Re: Brace..

Don Thompson - Cutler Ridge, Florida

>I just noticed that you still have the French brace. I had thought that you were braceless. My error.