8 Inch Brace

[john davey]

I am looking for an 8 inch brace and am not up to speed on brands and types. Can someone explain the finer points of these tools or point me to a site/post that does so. I will be posting a WTB in the classifieds once I know what I want. thanks, John.

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

I don't worry too much about brands or types - honestly, all the gizmocity is nice, but I hardly even use the ratchet on my braces; really only when drilling big holes, and in that case the first step for me is to move up to larger swing brace then my 8" anyways. Something like a Yankee, or the Millers Falls "Lion" chuck braces are nice because they do a fairly good job holding down bits other than square-shank, so if you plan on using other types of bits in your brace that can be helpful. If you're only really planning on using square-shank bits in it, a simpler chuck, like the wingnut style on Spofford type braces can be really nice. I like my Yankee and Pexto "samson" chuck braces because with the ball bearing head well cared for, I can just spin the chuck open and closed like a new drill would, and that's kind of neat, but these things aren't too complicated - I'd worry more about condition than brand. Stanley's (besides the Yankee's) can be nice if you can get them cheap at a junk store or something because you can often find replacement jaws on the net fairly easy.

8" is certainly my most used size, with 6" being almost as used, although mostly for driving fasteners. (Less so now that I have a spiral screwdriver, though)

[Jim Koepke]

The most favored is the Stanley (Yankee) 2100, 2101 & 2101A. An 8" sweep in that model will cost a pretty penny unless you are lucky. Many of these found in the wild will be stamped "BELL SYSTEM." It was a favored model. It also never came with wooden handles.

My opinion after buying a lot of braces is to stay with the "better" brands like Stanley and Millers Falls. There are a few other premium brands, but they are likely to be higher cost due to collector demand. Yankee and North Brothers come to mind.

Some of the lesser brands in my possession tend to have a slight wobble in the pad or crank. For many jobs this doesn't matter much.

Here are a couple sites to help you sort through this:

http://oldtoolheaven.com/brace/brace.htm

Old Tool Heaven covers Millers Falls tool offerings. You can learn a lot about the model numbers and types of jaws used on this site.

http://www.georgesbasement.com/

Just a fun place to visit with a couple of posts on braces that are informational. Plus there are a lot of other interesting links.

One thing to consider is the jaw style used on any brace. Some of them will only hold auger bits with the tapered square tang.

The 2100 series will hold round twist bits as will many other styles of brace.

I have a 12" sweep Stanley brace, # forgotten, that works fine. My 12" sweep Samsone brace seems to have jaws that are a little grabby on bits with larger tangs. There is also a slight wobble in the pad.

jtk

[Jim Koepke]

I hardly even use the ratchet on my braces; really only when drilling big holes, and in that case the first step for me is to move up to larger swing brace then my 8" anyways.

The ratchet on my 8"-2101A is jammed. I have thought about fixing it, but haven't really found a need for it.

When ratcheting is needed, it is time to get the 12" out.

jtk

[Jim Ritter]

I use my braces far more for driving screws than drilling holes#10 through 16s mostly. For that I find the ratchet essential, it resets the bit in the screw head every time and minimizes cam out. Lee Vally carrys square shank adapters for using 1/4" inset bits and another has a square head for sockets or in my case square drive screw driver bits in the larger sizes. I also have a trashed but usable one for when I'm crawling around in the dirt under a boat.
Jim

[Erik Manchester]

John,

As Jim has said, there are legions of old braces out there, but the better quality braces will work better than the cheap ones, and a good ball-bearing chuck and decent jaws will grip round shank bits as well as square.

I have a few Millers Falls braces with Lion chucks and Leland jaws and they are the equal of the North Bros/Stanley Yankee and a lot cheaper. I use a 6" sweep to drive small screws, and save the 10, 12 and 14" braces for the heavier drilling tasks.

The best brace will not do well at all if the bits are not sharp and free of rust.

I have a hex adapter as well as 1/2" drive adapter to hold sockets where required. The 14" Whimble brace can generate some pretty good torque to tighten nuts and the batteries never need charging.

[Ryan Baker]

The ratchet on my 8"-2101A is jammed. I have thought about fixing it, but haven't really found a need for it.


Get the green grease cleaned out of it and it will probably start working again. Check out the page on 'George's basement' for info.

[Jim Koepke]

Get the green grease cleaned out of it and it will probably start working again. Check out the page on 'George's basement' for info.

Thanks Ryan,

That is the site that gave me the idea that I might be able to repair it. From what I have seen I will need to cut some new springs if I ever do decide to fix it. The best reason I have now for fixing it is that it will increase its value for my heirs.

jtk