Thread: Brace Bits.

No, unless you think you might want to reshape some of them into something else (use the steel) rust and generally those types are kind of a no go.

there are some oddball bits you could make use of in a brace - like gimlets or spoons or something of the like, but most of those bits are going to leave you wishing you had other types if you buy them and clean them up.

If having a collection of various styles of bits is your goal, then yes. If wanting to use them day to day boring holes, then no!

Gimlet bits are really only practical in a brace for drilling small-diameter holes (for screws etc.), and spade bits are not the best for deep holes because they don't eject the shavings efficiently and are too prone to wander. Once you get to ~6mm diameter, auger bits are far & away the better choice, imo. I think there's very good reasons why they became the dominant bit type before the 'lectric drill came along & substituted speed & power for efficiency....

Cheers,

Hi,

Glad I left them there as there would
be more clutter. Will see if they sell to some
one else.

Thanks.

Hi Martin

Some explanation of the bits you have shown here

Look like spoon bits to me . Spoon bits are used by chair makers or really any time one is making items with angled supports for stability. They don't mind been steered to drill on the rake. But they are not fast bits. T

One of the bits looks like it large diameter chamfer bit- useful at times The screw driver bit looks like it is intended for split nuts on saws. These are not common. I made my own split driver but if I had this one I would have used it.

I also like the centre bits -easy to sharpen and work well in a brace and create clean holes. Unlike auger they are non expansive- ie they will not spilt the wood when taking large holes near edges - augers will.

PS - I cannot see any gimlets but Ian is underrating gimlets. A sharp gimlet is very fast, also work on sharp angles. I added a thead on sharpening gimlets the other day as sharpening gimlets is lost lore. The sharpening method also works for brads

Not suggesting you should buy them unless you have a use.

Originally Posted by MartinCH

.......PS - I cannot see any gimlets....

You're right, of course, I looked too quickly & thought the fine spoon bits were gimlets...

I see a lot of scraping rust and sharpening

Sent from my Pixel 6 Pro using Tapatalk

Martin,
The important information you left out is, what price is on them? Fifteen bits in that condition I'd have to think twice before forking out $1 each for them. My interest would be in landing one with an unusual (to me) brand.

Cheers,
Geoff.

Hi,

I will go there today and get them.
I reckon I could get them all for a £ 1.00.
If there still there.
Martin.

Hi all,

Went to get the Brace Bits and they were still there.
There were 3 normal Brace Bits by W Marples which I put
in the bag. They charged me 50 pence for all. Have cleaned
a few up and the spoon ones are by J Gregg. The other ones
are by G Metcalfe of Aberdeen including the one for Split saw
nuts. The 2 smaller ones have no names on them but only say
3/16 and 9/16. I have not found out any info on the Web.

Martin.

Great price.

Hi all,

Looks like you were right about the Split nut
bit. It fits perfect. Just hope when my time comes
someone knows what it is. I did not realise my self.

MartinIMG_20230714_083526.jpgIMG_20230714_083531.jpg

Martin, split nuts were used in a variety of situations besides saws & I suspect your bit was intended for more robust objects than typical saw bolts. The shafts are quite fine (~1/8") on most saw bplts & if you got physical with that bit in a brace, you could easily strip the threads, methinks.

On many of the saws I've seen, the slots in the nuts were very shallow - handles were sanded flush after installation of the bplts & possibly subsequent owners had sanded them more - sometimes there is barely any slot left! These can be quite a challenge to undo without the bit slipping & making a bad situation worse. Using a bit in a small-sweep brace could be a big help because you can bear down on it firmly & reduce the chance of it slipping. When replacing, deepen the slots a bit (if you can, sometimes the nut is so thin I dare not cut it any deeper), & use a hand-held driver. It's very easy to make a suitable tool from an old, cheap driver.

Some folks I know have too much time on their hands & make unnecessarily elaborate drivers, just for saws: Split nut drivers.jpg


Weird!