Help me find a good brace

[Tony Wilkins]

I'd like to get a good brace for myself for Christmas. One problem - I don't know where to start or what to look for. Any tips? Links to one for sale would be great. I'm looking for a user not a collector.

TIA,
Tony

[Mark Wyatt]

Tony,

It might help with a recommendation is we know what do you intend to use the brace for. A 10" sweep (the handle is offset by 5") is a pretty good size for most auger bits, but an 8" or 6" sweep works better for driving screws or smaller bits. There are plenty of good braces out there, many different models by Millers Falls, Stanley, and others.

[Tony Wilkins]

This would be my first brace. I guess I'm looking for the most versatile (probably a 10 inch sweep). First project I'm looking to use it on is drilling out the edges of the hand hold in the straightedge from Jim Tolpin's "New Traditional Woodworker".

[Casey Gooding]

You can't go wrong with a Stanley/North Brothers/Bell Systems 2101. You will find it under all those names. The Bell braces tend to have the infamous green gunk and will require a good cleaning. I have several and they are very good braces.

[Jim Koepke]

Tony,

What is your location. I know of a few local places in my area and in Portland, Oregon to have a look.

Eventually if you do a lot of work with auger bits and accessories you will want a few braces and different sizes. The 10" is the most common to find.

jtk

[Tony Wilkins]

I'm just outside KC.

[Jim Koepke]

Are there any second hand stores, used tool, pawn shops or antique stores?

Most antique stores want high prices, but occasionally they will have common items at common item prices.

jtk

[Mike Gillispie]

I'm just outside KC.

You are in old tool country. I'm from MO. Farm auctions would be by far the cheapest. Antique malls the fastest.

[Erik Manchester]

A good Millers Falls brace with the Lion chuck such as 772 will serve as well as the Yankee but at a third of the price. Or if you can find an old Peck Stow and Wilcox (PEXTO) brace with a Samson chuck it will do the same thing. It is more important to spend the extra money on a decent set of augers that are straight, sharp and free from serious corrosion (no pitting, etc). You can sharpen augers if the spurrs and lead screw are in good shape, and surface rust can be polished off with a dremel tool also, but it is extra work that you can avoid by buying decent ones the first time.

Good luck in your search.

[Andrae Covington]

Are there any second hand stores, used tool, pawn shops or antique stores?

Most antique stores want high prices, but occasionally they will have common items at common item prices.


You are in old tool country. I'm from MO. Farm auctions would be by far the cheapest. Antique malls the fastest.

Definitely check those kinds of sources if they're available. Even on ebay, I've usually only paid about $5 to $15, BUT the shipping easily doubled that cost, so if you can find a local source that doesn't think they're made of solid gold, you'll do well. If they have any auger bits, or if you have one you can bring with you, chuck it in the brace and make sure it doesn't wiggle too much. If there is a lot of slop in the chuck it will drive you crazy. Could be a missing / broken jaw spring as well.


A good Millers Falls brace with the Lion chuck such as 772 will serve as well as the Yankee but at a third of the price. Or if you can find an old Peck Stow and Wilcox (PEXTO) brace with a Samson chuck it will do the same thing...

No doubt the 2100 and 2101 "Yankee" brace drills made by North Brothers, then Stanley, are the Cadillacs, but they're getting to where they cost almost as much as a car (ok, an exaggeration). A similar heavy-duty ball-bearing chuck is in the Stanley 813G, which used to be cheaper but now also is becoming outrageous IMO. Erik mentioned the Lion and Samson chucks. If you're only going to use the traditional tapered-square auger bits, then any of the older "garden variety" chuck styles will be fine. Some of the later, more premium chucks will hold modern round-shank bits, such as the Samson from PS&W, the Master, Holdall, and Lion from Millers Falls, and the North Brothers design. Lee Valley makes an adapter that can hold the little hex-shank bits.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the Fray braces with the Spofford chuck; an older, simpler, and arguably more robust design that does not have a ratcheting mechanism. If they look good, they are expensive. If they are rusty and pitted, possibly missing the giant thumbscrew that secures the bit, possibly missing the pewter rings that hold the wood handle in place, then they may cost as little as a nice-looking ratchet brace.

[Erik Manchester]

Steve Fiske has a Wards Master (Stanley 813G) brace for sale for $18 on Woodnet Swap and Save and it is a great deal. I have bought many old tools from him. He is in ME. PM me if you want his contact info.

[Dhananjay Nayakankuppam]

My 10" actually gets fairly little use now. I have a 6" that I prefer for driving screws - the short throw makes it quick. When I bore holes, I prefer the 12", thanks to the greater torque.
I'm partial to the North Bros. 2100 and 2101 Yankee brace. Infamous for the green gunk but disassembling and cleaning these is fairly straightforward (instructions at http://www.georgesbasement.com/fs2101a.htm). These braces grip bits extremely well and the ratchet works very smoothly.
Cheers, DJ

[Zach Dillinger]

My favorite brace in the world is an 8" Fray with Spofford chuck. I use that one most often, although I did just score a beech brace, unplated, with spring chuck at the Coloma, MI antique mall. That one is rapidly working its way into my rotation, as many of my bits have the spring chuck notch.

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

I'm in the same boat as Dhananjay, I hardly use my 10" at all - I've a 6" I use for driving screws, countersinking, small holes, twist and gimlet bits. It gets left with a driver adaptor in it more than anything else, so I can drop a countersink or screw bit into it. Most of my augering is done with my 8", which is the most comfortable for me, and when I want more "oomph", I move up to the 12" for the extra leverage. I haven't found many holes where I want more than the 8" but the 12" gets in the way.

[Tony Wilkins]

I've decided to hold off on this just a bit. One thing I find that I'm drawn to as far as braces go are the spofford style braces - would a user spofford be a good choice?

[Ryan Baker]

A spofford would be a great choice. They are my favorite by far. The only catch is that they are relatively popular at the moment, and are fetching pretty high prices in most places if they are in decent condition. Alightly rusty, all-iron Spoffords (without the wood handles) are less expensive. You could find a good, clean, inexpensive ratchet brace to fill your needs for now and keep an eye out for a good Spofford when one comes along.

[Tony Wilkins]

I found an 8" sweep 2101A that was refurbished at a good price so it's on it's way. Also picked up a 41Y Yankee Push Drill. I'll probably look at finding a 12" sweep at some point in the future. Still haven't bought a set of bits.

[Jim Koepke]

I found an 8" sweep 2101A that was refurbished at a good price so it's on it's way.

That is my go to brace for most work. Mine has not been refurbished. The ratchet doesn't work. One of these days it will get to the top of my to do list.

jtk