Millers Falls Eggbeater Drill #2 Side Handle bolt size

[Peter Travis]

I am looking (as are many others) for a side handle for my MF#2 eggbeater (with the friction wheel).
I've tried a 5/16 bolt (which is a 5/16-18) and it only goes in a few turns. I managed to pick up a thread gauge from hyperkitten (thanks again Josh!) that told me the threads are 20.
Googling for a 5/16-20 came up with a not-readily-available UN 5/16-20 or a 8mm x 1.25mm pitch (indistinguishable from a 5/16-20 according to one (forgotten) site).
since I could locally buy the metric and not the UN- I bought the metric- and in screws in quite well!
For you machinist-inclined types out there- Is there any unforseen problem I should be wary of (before I make a side handle of this?)
Thanks for any suggestions and/or guidance.

[Charles Bjorgen]

A timely question for me because I just acquired a Millers Falls eggbeater, maybe a 5 , without the side knob. I can turn the knob and thought I could just cut threads in the wood but didn't know the thread size in the drill. I have a Fastenall store near me. Wonder if they would have the correct bolt size?

[Maurice Ungaro]

I purchased a #5 without the side knob, at a reduced price I might add. Personally, I never saw the need for the side knob. I mean, you only have two hands, and if one of them is holding the side knob, and the other is turning the crank, the drill tends to want to spin around its horizontal axis. When the bit is in the wood, doesn't that tend to put undue stress on the bit itself?

On a breast drill, I can see the function of the side knob, but with an egg beater, it's lost on me. Am I missing something?

[Charles Bjorgen]

W
I purchased a #5 without the side knob, at a reduced price I might add. Personally, I never saw the need for the side knob. I mean, you only have two hands, and if one of them is holding the side knob, and the other is turning the crank, the drill tends to want to spin around its horizontal axis. When the bit is in the wood, doesn't that tend to put undue stress on the bit itself?

On a breast drill, I can see the function of the side knob, but with an egg beater, it's lost on me. Am I missing something?
After reading your reply I did some test boring with mine and conclude that you are correct. Mine is strictly a user and I won't bother. However, while searching for this user on a popular auction site I found that the Millers Falls eggbeaters are highly collectible and that may be the concern of the original poster. The no. 2 drills in good condition are getting some good prices. Incidentally, I thought mine was junk until I discovered a couple oil holes on the side opposite the crank. A couple drops in each hole and now it is running smoothly.

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

The only time I've found the side handle useful is boring horizontally, if you're bracing the butt of the end handle against yourself.

[Maurice Ungaro]

Charles, those lube holes are key! A very light penetrating oil works best.

[Bill Houghton]

For you machinist-inclined types out there- Is there any unforseen problem I should be wary of (before I make a side handle of this?)
There's a very, very slight difference - 25.4 millimeters equals one inch, so over a long distance, the 8mm thread would eventually begin to bind in the 5/16" hole (there's a difference of 0.02mm between the two pitches). However, for the short length you're looking at, if it fits, it fits. The thread forms are the same - angles of the threads, flats on the top, etc.

I concur that you're likely to use the side handle only very rarely, if ever.

[Jim Koepke]

I have two of these eggbeaters. One has the side handle, one doesn't. The one without the side handle gets used the most.

jtk

[Roy Griggs]

I will agree with the premiss that you rarely use the side handle, but they balance the look of your drill. So I suggest that you make a few...simple easy project and once you have a few you won't ever have to do it again. I used Maple and Beech, copper ferrels and
5/16"-20 bolts.226643226644

[Maurice Ungaro]

I have two of these eggbeaters. One has the side handle, one doesn't. The one without the side handle gets used the most.

jtk
I think the absence of handles speaks volumes to their practicality. With them, the drill just doesn't store as easy, and if you don't use something, streamline the process.

[Bryan Ericson]

I think the absence of handles speaks volumes to their practicality. With them, the drill just doesn't store as easy, and if you don't use something, streamline the process.

Agreed. I bought mine on that auction website without one, and I've never missed it. Could the fact that there are so many drills missing the side handles mean that the original owners removed them? I would guess that side handles on eggbeater drills are the most frequently missing parts of old tools, and there's probably a reason for it.

[Maurice Ungaro]

Agreed. I bought mine on that auction website without one, and I've never missed it. Could the fact that there are so many drills missing the side handles mean that the original owners removed them? I would guess that side handles on eggbeater drills are the most frequently missing parts of old tools, and there's probably a reason for it.
My point exactly.

[Peter Travis]

Thanks for the info.