Thread: Brace to id

I'm going to guess that it could be a Skinner but it's only a guess.

Originally Posted by hiroller

I'm going to guess that it could be a Skinner but it's only a guess.

I think you nailed it in one, HR - thanks! I quickly found this once you'd pointed me at name, and I think they match in every detail, so if they're not out of the same stable, there was a bit of clandestine stud work going on, somewhere.....

Cheers,

Marvellous what you can dig up once you have something to look for! I found an old (2011) Forum thread on Skinner braces. Boringgeoff was just starting out on the forum, it seems (I thought you'd been part of the furniture forever, Geoff!). It appears there wasn't much known about Skinners then, and from the info I can turn up with google, not much more has found its way onto the interweb since.

This thread does a very thorough WIP of brace restoration, and just happens to use a Skinner as the 'patient'. I don't plan on trying to make mine look 'as new', but it did give me a very good look at the jaws. I'm thinking the jaws on mine are ring-ins, which might explain why they don't close properly. At the very least they have lost their connecting spring, which doesn't help smooth operation, either. I would like to have original jaws, because they were claimed to be able to hold round bits as well as the traditional type. I may have to try making new ones, which will be a trifle tedious, but should be do-able - I imagine bright steel would be suitable for the job? Can't see why they would need to be especilly tough. I don't suppose any of you tool hoarders custodians out there would have spares? Seems highly unlikely, as the jaws are probably the least durable/most easily lost parts of these tools. I'm amazed at how well the ratchet mechanism has travelled on my brace. I've got a couple of newer examples, & on both the cog is badly worn, whereas on mine it is barely marked. One of the other braces has a scungy alloy collar, which has cracked, too.

All good fun...
Cheers,

I associate the tapered octagonal chuck with Skinner although I'm sure there were others.
Looks like a good match. Certainly a shiny example.
You've got some polishing to do on yours!

Originally Posted by hiroller

.....You've got some polishing to do on yours!

No way, Jose! But I wish I'd seen those restoration threads before I made the new bun for the cap. I made mine flat on the bottom like the one that came off it, but I noticed the originals seem to be recessed to receive the metal disc that it attaches to. I could turn up a jamb chuck and put it back on the lathe, I suppose, but it's probably easier to make a new one from scratch, if I wanted to incorporate that 'original' touch. Someday, perhaps - it's only taken me 7 years to get this far......

Good morning, you've done a nice job of that repair Ian, is it she-oak? You are correct that the handle was slipped on prior to the final bending of the frame. Another possible manufacturer is James Chapman, of Sheffield, due to the style of the head mounting to the frame and also is the chuck octagonal or nonagonal? If it's octagonal Hiroller is probably on the money but if nonagonal then I think Chapman gets the guernsey. Due to the lack of information about Skinner, also of Sheffield, I'm beginning to wonder if they were part of the Chapman empire?
The first time I came across a Skinner with the "scungy" alloy ratchet selector and handle retainers I took a dislike to the brand but in its day may have been seen as a progressive development. Skinner also seem to have branded their braces fairly faintly so that in a lot of cases there's nothing to read after a bit of weathering. Chapman also made a lot of unbranded braces.
I'll take the time today to have a look and see if I've got one similar to yours.
Cheers,
Geoff.

I had a look through my Chapman and Skinner braces and can't find any that are actually the same as yours Ian. First the head of a Chapman Ratchet selector 001.jpg Ratchet selector 002.jpg Ratchet selector 003.jpg
which is nearly the same. But it's the ratchet selector on yours which has me intrigued, I've looked at all my braces and can't see any the same. Of the rotary collar type there are two basic styles. The left hand one has internal cams that raise the pawls as it is rotated left or right, the cut out at the top of the collar contacts the short pin to limit it's travel.
The one on the right has the cut out on the bottom of the collar, it still has an internal cam that raises the pawl but rotation stops when the shoulder of the collar contacts the lower pin. The pin at the top simply stops the collar falling off.
The collar on your example has the cutout top and bottom, I looked at all my braces and have none with that design collar.
Cheers,
Geoff.

Hi Geoff - thanks for the detailed replies. Yes, the wood I used is (eastern) She-oak. Not at all traditional, I realize, & I could have used some young River oak I have, which in colour & grain pattern would quite closely match the northern hemisphere Beech of the original, but She-oak is nicer, imo, and it comes off the old home farm where the brace lived for 60-something years, so there's a good connection there.

The chuck is octagonal, and from what I could find in my internet searching, I do think Skinner is the best bet, despite some minor elements not quite matching your examples. I guess certain details got changed over time, and the way things were sub-contracted & done in Sheffield, it's probably unsurprising that the same 'brand' pops up with minor variations. There is no alloy on this one, thank goodness, which no doubt helped the mechanism to survive as well as it has. I have two other (un-branded) braces with alloy ratchet parts, and neither has fared well.

I must've been having a brain fade when I said the spring was missing from the jaws - I was confusing it with one of the other chucks I'd pulled apart to check how they should fit. The jaws on the 'heirloom' were in very poor shape, the 'teeth' were badly distorted, and the two halves could not close together neatly. So yesterday, I took to them with a couple of files & they cleaned up quite well - it was a bit like saw sharpening with a difference, getting the 'teeth' to match neatly as they would have done when new. However, they still won't close fully, they seem to be about 4mm too short - with the chuck screwed fully closed, they aren't pushed out far enough, leaving a gap of several mm between the protruding jaw ends. However, as I said, they will still grip any standard auger bit quite satisfactorily, so that's ok. There is some wear at the back of the jaws & I can't figure out why it should be there, because that part doesn't move against any part of the chuck during normal operation so I'm wondering if someone has gotten at it & modified the jaws to suit some purpose.

Anyways, it is now quite useable, and with its 10" sweep complements a good 14" brace that I picked up for nothing somewhere. Someday I hope to stumble on a 6", which will give me a very nice choice, enabling me to match the torque to exactly what the job needs!

Cheers,

Originally Posted by IanW

Anyways, it is now quite useable, and with its 10" sweep complements a good 14" brace that I picked up for nothing somewhere. Someday I hope to stumble on a 6", which will give me a very nice choice, enabling me to match the torque to exactly what the job needs!
Cheers,

Ian, I think you will be lucky to find a 6", I have never seen one (if you see two, can you keep one for me?). Probably dozens of 10" braces have moved through my hands, but only a couple of 8", a few 12", and no 14" or 16" braces. There must be a reason why 90%+ of braces are 10".
Cheers
Peter

Originally Posted by Heavansabove

..... There must be a reason why 90%+ of braces are 10"....

Perhaps because it is a very good all-round size, Peter? Yeah, I know small-sweep braces are as rare as hen's teeth in this country, but you never know what you might stumble on in some unexpected place! You can be assured I would grab them both if there were two - I can't help giving strays a home...

Cheers,

10" certainly seem to be the most common size 'all rounder" being a good description Ian. James Chapman made as small as 5" up to 14", while John Fray made a whopping 17" monster in their Spofford range. The 6" was often referred to as an "electricians" brace and in fact a friend of mine who is a sparky, did his time in Queensland in the sixties, on seeing a 6" in my collection said " ah the old electricians brace, I used to use one of those".
They seem to sell like hot cakes when they come up for sale, perhaps due to the "cute" factor.
Cheers,
Geoff.

I'd like a 6inch for driving screws

Originally Posted by code4pay

I'd like a 6inch for driving screws

Yes, I think that would be one of my main uses for a narrow sweep brace, too. You can easily apply way too much torque with the wider sweeps, if you're not careful. I's easy to shear screws if you don't drill an adequate pilot hole in hard woods, or strip the head trying to remove old, corroded screws 'frozen' in. DAMHIK!

Ok that's three 6 inchers I need to look out for now. Must be some old 'lekkies out there with one stuffed away in a musty corner......

Cheers,

Originally Posted by Heavansabove

Ian, I think you will be lucky to find a 6"

6" isn't all that rare on US ebay ... I have two in the lounge-room here ... bycast of the whole saw-trawling thing (ahem).

I had to check but yes, I was using one to countersink when I made my mum's gate ...




They are generally all pretty much only labelled as "brace" ... (many times selling at $10 and $15) ... so it's usually only been by observation that I have noted the smaller sweep sizes.

Cheers,
Paul