Wood drills and the chucks to hold them?

[julianf]

I have a whole load of wood drills (augers?) with those triangular / pyramid / wedge ends to the shank.

They seem impossible to reliably grip in any of the hand drills that I acquired with them.

Is there some purpose to this type of shank? The bits are near useless to me currently - I have been considering chopping off all the ends, so at least I'll have a round shank that I can hold in a standard chuck.

 

[Cobbler]

They are designed to fit in a carpenters brace, I think if you cut them off you may well have a job to hold them in a standard chuck without slipping. Also they want turning at very low speed as the screw point pulls them on in. Put in a standard hand drill I'm not sure you will get sufficient torque to use them. Only one way to find out, try one & see if it works.

 

[Shox Dr]

As Cobbler say cut the end off and the amount of tq required will make them spin.

(This I learned from experince)

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

The Augers need to be held in a Brace and Bit, as Cobbler said.

The tangs are left soft, so gripping them in a modern chuck can lead to all sorts of fun and games.

Good old Brace and Bits drills come up foe sale at boot sales and such. Normally need a oil and rub down.
Or new ones are available.

I tired to load a image of my old one, but had issues. so I borrowed this from the web.

 

[julianf]

OK. I have some of those contraptions, but they are only good for holes with a lot of clearence around them, to operate.

Plus they don't seem to grip well either.

I wonder if I can't get some sort of adapter for my SDS drill?

Otherwise, I think it will be a case of "anyone want to buy some wood augers?"

Which would be a shame, as I have a load of them and they should be very useful. : (

 

[WorkshopChris]

If you ever find one of these buy it,
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VTG-Corner-Brace-Bit-Hand-Drill-Wooden-Handles-Woodworking-Rustic-Decor-Tool-red-/252433369699?hash=item3ac6338a63:g:4G4AAOSwvg9XaYul&nma=true&si=5psfz8FQToHQEocbFjkJ5Ya9MAE%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
They are like rocking horse droppings.
Corner Brace Bit Hand Drill
I have never seen one in the flesh.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Some of the Brace and bits have a Ratchet at the chuck end to allow working in tight places.
Thy do freeze with lack of use. But simple to free up.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

I used to have one of these, until the Brace and bit liberation front arrived.

 

[brightspark]

the easy answer is cut the end off and file 3 flats in for the modern chuck to fit no loss of grip then . a decent drill will pull them no problem on slow speed

 

[Swift&Bold]

View attachment 88072
I used to have one of these, until the Brace and bit liberation front arrived.

I've still got one
Why not just buy some modern wood augers? brilliant for drilling large holes.

 

[Cobbler]

Those are for drilling joists, I seem to recall they were called electricians braces. I doubt if anyone uses one today, superseded by the battery drill. I've got a carpenters brace in the shed, had it donkeys years, I think I've only used it once or twice, I'm lazy & use an electric drill!

 

[mike os]

Cut the end off, and cut a slot into the thread on the sharp end so it can break out.... Make sure it's sharp and good to go

 

[rtbcomp]

OK. I have some of those contraptions, but they are only good for holes with a lot of clearence around them, to operate.

Plus they don't seem to grip well either.

... (

there should be a square hole in the chuck to take the square tang on the bit, they don't rely on the jaws to stop the bit turning in the chuck.

 

[nickk]

i still use my dads one …….for quickly swopping jaws on my 12" lathe chuck,with a square bit in the chuck,nice to use rather than gather dust/rust,the handles look like rosewood.

 

[Wendelspanswick]

A brace fitted with a good fitting screwdriver bit is superb at getting out old screws, you can apply loads of pressure and leverage at the same time.

 

[Shox Dr]

the easy answer is cut the end off and file 3 flats in for the modern chuck to fit no loss of grip then . a decent drill will pull them no problem on slow speed

I'd forgot that trick, easier still is just one small flat, the chuck jaws witth grip. Handy on larger steel drills rhat slip as well

 

[nickk]

I'd forgot that trick, easier still is just one small flat, the chuck jaws witth grip. Handy on larger steel drills rhat slip as well

how can that work when the jaws are self centring

 

[Shox Dr]

how can that work when the jaws are self centring

Dont ask me. I just know it works. For example on a 12mm drill the flat only needs to be 3-4mm wide.

 

[Dieselman 63]

Yeah the bit brace has a two jaw chuck which is built to withstand enormous pressure - the ratchet means it's possible to work in a very limited swing in awkward spots or through tough timber. They're fantastic tools. I got a lovely set of Ridgway bits in their original roll, when they were being made at Oscar Works. A light filing to the ends renews their use, and lightly oiling them helps them to glide through the workpiece. Don't cut them off, even a second hand Stanley bit brace will do and they're cheap as chips, as well as virtually bulletproof.

 

[nickk]

i understand its effective on a 2 jaw chuck in a brace but not in a modern 3 jaw which is self centring.