Carpenter's hand-brace questions.

**seanz** · 5th September 2009, 02:33 PM

I recently purchased some new auger bits for a job I'm doing 'round the house....they are a hex head type and do not fit all that well in my hand-brace which has the traditional crocodile (2-jaw) type jaws.
I swear on a stack of woodworking books that I once owned a hand-brace with a 3-jaw chuck on it. All I can find around town in hardware places is 4-jaw chuck or 2-jaw chuck type of handbraces. The 4-jaw chuck on the Stanley unit I looked at seems to twist around the hexagonal end of the auger-bit and doesn't look very.....it just doesn't look right.
Does anybody know of a brand of hand-brace that has a 3-jaw chuck?
Or am I missing some simple trick with the hex-head bits......grinding them flat is not a simple trick

.....well, it's not a simple trick that I want to do.

Thanks
Sean

When I say "my handbrace" I mean any of the three handbraces that I have.....but you blokes knew that already.....right?

**Claw Hama** · 5th September 2009, 02:43 PM

Just buy some oldies but goodies off ebay or the local markets 50c to $1ea sharpen them with a file or oil stone if you get really keen and away you go. I got a whole set with a brace and a roll to hold them for about $30, no rust all shiney like new. The other thing to do would be to make an adaptor, get one of the magnetic extension thingys and weld an old school bit to it and pop that into your brace then you can stick your new bit into the adaptor. Sounds good when you say it fast.

**bsrlee** · 6th September 2009, 10:31 PM

Lee Valley only have one that they consider worth carrying - made in France! - and it only comes with a 3 jaw chuck, but it apparently has part of the inside cut so it will still take the traditional tapered square shank as well.

**Zsteve** · 11th September 2009, 08:40 PM

Sean, Hex bits should go fine in a normal brace with standard jaws as you decribe - they certainly do in mine.

Maybe its wobbly for you - try pushing the bit in further. Or get a brace with universal type jaws that also take normal drills and morse taper #1.

Regards

**seanz** · 11th September 2009, 08:59 PM

The smaller sizes (8mm & 12mm) definitely do fit, they locate quite well in the groove in the jaws and hold just fine but 16mm is a bit wobbly and causing some extra wear......but I'm done with the large sizes for now.
bsrlee; Lee Valley have adaptors as well as the brace you descibe....hmmm, might have to wait for my next birthday. If I start ordering tools online there might not be a next birthday.

Zsteve; Universal jaws? I know there are jaws that hold round bits as well as the tapered bits, is that them?

Thanks for all the replies.
cheers
Sean

**toolemera** · 12th September 2009, 04:38 PM

Sean

I have some of those too. They're meant for use in heavy electric drills with major step-down gearing, speed controls and clutches for boring big and/or deep holes in timber or beams. The spiral chip feed is quite steep on these in order to get the chips out quickly. Even so, you have to go slow else you burn the bit.

Gary

**Zsteve** · 14th September 2009, 08:39 PM

Hi Sean,

Yep, the universal jaws will grip a variety of shank shapes and generally look something like thishttp://www.oldtoolheaven.com/brace/b...nUniversal.jpg

basically the jaw can move about quite freely and I have seen lots of stanley braces at the tip recycling shop minus jaws as they can fall out on some of the more recent stanley type braces.

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