Hi.. Picked up a Mit-A-Mit brace the other day and was wondering if anyone had some info on the company.
Apart from the chuck its a clone of the Chapman No-17..
Will take some pics of the sucker ASAP.
Kenny
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Hi.. Picked up a Mit-A-Mit brace the other day and was wondering if anyone had some info on the company.
Apart from the chuck its a clone of the Chapman No-17..
Will take some pics of the sucker ASAP.
Kenny
Here are the pics.. I thought the chuck setup was unusual.. also shows the large diameter of the thread (31.5 mm)
As mentioned, the rear handle/pad is identical to the Chapman.. another Chapman similarity is in the middle grip, it is retained by two cones that appear to be made of lead !
Finish is a grey (possibly zinc) finish that was popular on tools manufactured during the war years
Wow! do a google on Mit a Mit and you get just one revelant hit in Australia. I have a mit a mit egg beater drill. #26R (ratchet). What a beauty too. Handy for tight spots. I love to use these where ever possible and have one handy at all times. Eggbeaters are so cheap to buy that it is easy to have 3 or 4 lying around with commom dedicated drills permanently left in them. Easier, quicker than changing bits in a cordless. Perhaps i'm lazy. Wait! No I can't be. I'm a dedicated ludite.
MIT A MIT: MADE IN AUSTRALIA.
WB
This forum has everything. Looking at my braces for a friend (Matt) - I remembered I had some cactus ones I'd picked up all together.
The 'end-less' one I found is otherwise all good - heavy duty - and holds round bits well ... It has a 10mm reduced-shank 14mm bit in the picture.
I papered off some rust and found the 'MIT-A-MIT' logo that I knew nothing about until I googled myself here.
Now I need to repair it :)
Cheers,
Paul.
They made hand tools and apparently fairly large machinery, is there any online info on this company?
Toby
Here's an extract from this thread.
There is not much out there in Google Land.
"Boringgeoff https://www.woodworkforums.com/images...er_offline.gif
Try not to be late, but never be early.
https://www.woodworkforums.com/images/icons/icon1.gif
Morning all.
Back at post #12 on 3rd August I posted some photos illustrating the similarities between Silex and Mit A Mit braces.
I recently became aware that Metalcraft Engineering Company of Woolloomooloo, NSW made Mit A Mit tools. Considering the similarities of the two brands of braces, it is my opinion that Metalcraft also made Silex braces, and probably other tools as well.
If you google Mit A Mit there are a series of photos of a Mit A Mit shaper which is quite informative. The name plate shown there says that Metalcraft is a division of Lober (?) service. It also shows a plate saying War Finish. I would attach it here but don't know how to.
Does anybody have any infomation about the Metalcraft Engineering Co, or Lober Service?
Regards,
Geoff.
Thanks Steck ,
Here is that image.
http://www.lathes.co.uk/mit-a-mit/img4.jpg
Toby
Hi All.
Here is the shaper's plate that steck was referring to and a copy of their Trade Mark.
Interesting to know what else this company made.
On the subject of Aussie made braces, there ware also the "Tough" series from W.A.
Kenny.
Thread-urrection! :oo:
At a local garage sale today I picked up a breast drill which judging by its two-speed mechanism I thought was a Silex or Millers Falls. After a quick clean-up and oil its stamped handle support revealed:
No. 50
Mit-A-Mit
Made in Australia
(inside a nifty arrow logo device)
Despite its single pinion design it is a very good hand drill.
Attachment 426891Attachment 426892
Attachment 426893Attachment 426894
Vaughan
PS
I reckon the decal remains on the gear still look like they say something other than Mit-A-Mit. More like 'SILEX TOOLS'. But that's probably just me...
Attachment 426895
Suspicions founded by a quick Google search!
Silex No 50 / 55 Drills.
Continuing with the full size breast drills of Silex we have the number 50 which has a 1/2" three jaw metal bit chuck its partner the number 55 with a two jaw chuck for carpenters auger bits. This is the only difference between them.https://sites.google.com/site/handto...=150&width=200Both are two speed, accomplished by removing the crown wheel and selecting the appropriate pinion gear.
Length of both drills is 16" (410mm)
The 4 1/2" (115mm) crank handle drives a 5" (128mm) wheel to two bevel gears. By selecting the bevel gear you wish to drive we get low gear, 1 to 3 1/6 ratio, high gear 1 to 5 ratio.
These Silex by Mit A Mit drills are well made with a cast alloy frame, cast machined gears (although I have seen a alloy bevel gear which showed considerable wear), good solid chucks with a ball bearing used as the thrust bearing on the main drive shaft.
https://sites.google.com/site/handto...somesilextools
Here’s some pics from August 2016 I took whilst helping Richard sort the donations of tools to take up to the island for his work with the locals in chairmaking etc.
There was a multitude of odd stuff, quite a bit of Oz gems.
The first pic does support your sighting of Silex and Mit a Mit marks on the same tool.
H.
Aha! The very same No. 50!
Thanks Henry
Lots of info in this forum thread on Silex and their outsourced local toolmakers. Very interesting (shame most of the pics are dead):
https://www.woodworkforums.com/f152/silex-tool-co-138993
I have a Silex sliding bevel and a dowelling jig.
Surprisingly I don't see more Silex stuff in my hunt for old tools (wish I bought that Silex Surform at the Working With Wood show).
V
Thanks for resurrecting this thread Vaughan.
I was hoping to see some new information regarding Mit-A-Mit and Silex and bringing it back to the top of the heap may draw the attention of new players, but sadly no new news here so far.
Every swap meet etc that I attend I plough through the boxes of G-cramps in the hope of finding one branded Silex, with no joy to date.
Cheers,
Geoff.
Interestingly, at least to me, I have one of those drill presses in the third photo waiting patiently in my to do list. Excellent condition, except for some light rust spotting on the bare metal.Quote:
Originally Posted by clear out
I suspect bloody hard work to use though.