Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
Bit brace chucks
Bill Lowrance in Geneva
>I work in metric (mostly) and English (sometimes) measure, and want to buy a good new bit brace. But it seems that in the U.S., bit shanks are square and tapered, whereas in Europe they are hexagonal and parallel-sided (although the situation may be more mixed than I am aware of). Can standard chucks -- which? -- accept both types? Would the nice-looking Millers Falls brace that Woodcraft sells, for instance, work with both?
Re: Bit brace chucks
Wiley Horne--So. Cal.
>Hi Bill,
I checked the Woodcraft on-line site and could only find an "economical brace" which will only accept 'standard auger bits', which I take to be square tapered shank. Maybe I've missed something somewhere along the line, but I believe Millers Falls has been defunct for some years now.
In any event, if I were going to buy a newly-manufactured brace, it would be Lee Valley's brace:
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=32300&cat=1,180,42337&ap=1
which does fit round, hex, and square tapered shanks. And has a ball-bearing chuck, which you will appreciate.
That said, there are many vintage braces which will also fit round, hex, and square-tapered shanks. Non-ball-bearing-chuck ones include the Millers Falls 730 'Hold All' series and Stanley 923. Ball-bearing-chuck models include Millers Falls 770 "Lion" series, Pexto 8000 'Samson' series, Stanley 813 and 813g, and North Bros. (later Stanley) Yankee 2100 and 2101. These are easy to come by in the US, but perhaps not so easy in Geneva.
Hope this helps.
Wiley
Garrett-Wade carries a brace
Chuck Nickerson
>which handles the four-sided tapered bits. They also carry an extra head that snaps on and handles round and six-sided bits. The quality is what you'd expect for the price: ok but not great.
I've got one of the Lee Valley braces.
Ian Smith (Sydney Australia)
>I bought one of the Lee Valley braces a year or so back. It is made in France. I wouldn't recommend it. It has a three jaw chuck, which is handy if you want to use it with round or hex shanked bits, but the chuck jaws spin in the chuck if you apply too much torque, which is fairly easy to do with a brace.
Figure 1 � Stanley Yankee 2101A (top) and Lee Valley (bottom).
Pictured above (Figure 1) are the chucks of two of my braces. The top one is a 1950's vintage Stanley Yankee 2101A and the bottom one is the brace from Lee Valley.
If you remove the outer barrel of the Stanley Yankee chuck (Figure 2) you can see that the two chuck jaws fit into rectangular notches in the threaded inner section of the chuck. When you apply torque to this chuck, the jaws can't go anywhere. They are held securely in their notches.
Figure 2 � Stanley Yankee 2101A chuck.
The chuck of the Lee Valley brace is entirely different to the Stanley Yankee. When you remove the outer chuck barrel from the Lee Valley (Figure 3) you can see that the jaw assembly just sits inside the threaded inner section of the chuck. The jaws are not held securely inside notches like the Stanley Yankee. In use, it is only friction that prevents the jaw assembly from rotating in the chuck when you apply torque to the brace. I have found that often this friction is not enough. You'll be drilling a hole and the auger bit and chuck jaws will stop turning while you're still cranking the brace around. Very annoying. Doing the chuck up really tight helps but doesn't totally eliminate the problem.
Spinning chuck jaws are not a problem if you use old square tapered shank bits with the Lee Valley brace. In this case there is a square socket in the back of the chuck that accepts the shank of the bit and effectively holds it in place during use.
Figure 3 - Lee Valley chuck.
I own two Stanley Yankee 2101A's, one with a 10-inch sweep and one with a 12-inch sweep. I bought them both on eBay from sellers in the USA. They are an excellent brace. You don't have to buy a Stanley Yankee brace to get a good chuck though. I think most good quality older braces have chucks that have the jaws captured inside the chuck like the Stanley Yankee.
I probably use my braces more as cordless screwdrivers than I do for drilling holes. You can apply a heap of torque with a good brace and you never have to re-charge them.
Regards,
Ian.
Hey Bill
Wiley Horne--So. Cal.
>I kinda collect Yankee braces. Ping me off line if you want one for the price of shipping. It would be a pleasure. And thanks to Ian for correcting my bad suggestion.
Wiley
Re: Hey Bill
Paul in NJ
>I think the North Bros-Yankee-Stanley 2100 series braces are the best of the ratchet type braces. They have the smoothest action and the least amount of play. They are quite a bit heavier than other braces. Like others have said, most of the older braces will do a fine job holding square or hex shank bits. You can't go wrong buying a vintage one, they are plentiful and cheap. You can't hardy give them away around here.
Paul Dzioba
Re: Hey Bill
Joe Rogers, Northern Virginia
>Wow...Nice gesture Wiley! You should consider this bill. Yankee braces are amongst the best.JR
Plentiful and cheap?
Scott Burr in Ben Lomond, CA
>Try finding a a 6" or 14" one!
More power to ya!
I'll stick to my MF loin chuck in the 10" range. I much prefer Spotford/Fray/Pig non-ratching braces.
Thanks Ian!
Scott Burr in Ben Lomond, CA
>Well written little tibbit to consider! Bill, I guess I misunderstood your question. I thought Wiley pretty muched summed it up.
Re: I've got one of the Lee Valley braces.
Stephen Kirk in Quakertown PA
>Ian, I see that you have the head of the chuck off. I did that with mine and I was never able to get the jaws back into the spring, and the spring eventually broke. Do you know how to put those jaws back in with a spring (I think some strong wire would serve as a replacement). The brace still works fine I just have to push the jaws open to insert the bit.
Chuck jaw spring.
Ian Smith (Sydney Australia)
>Hi Stephen,
I take it you are talking about the Yankee brace and not the Lee Valley one. I have not had a problem with the spring and putting the chuck back together after opening it up for inspection. The chucks on my Yankee braces are assembled as per the patent drawings shown here and here.
Regards,
Ian.
Re: Bit braces
Bill Lowrance in Geneva
>This Forum has once again provided me with perspective I needed, with no consulting fees charged!
Moreover, the generous Wiley Horne, whom I have never met, offered to give me a Stanley Yankee brace (or even two), and we have arranged for him to mail it to my sister's in North Carolina, where I will pick it up on my next visit "home." I am simply bowled over by this kindness.
I look forward to once again feeling and hearing auger bits planing their way down...
Thanks, everybody. Bill
Re: Chuck jaw spring.
Stephen Kirk in Quakertown, PA
>Ah, looks like I tried to put it together wrong. I thought that the springs had to cross over each other. Unfortunately, when I took it apart, the jaws flew off and I didn't get a look at how they were attached. Well, I might be able to find/fashion a new spring, but how I get it into the ring could be tricky. It'll be something to do some quiet day.