Brace and bit faster than powered drill?

[Daniel Rode]

I've watched a number of hand tool videos where the instructor uses a brace and bit to make a hole. I watched a 5/8" bit work through a 3" chunk of oak with relative ease.

This weekend I needed to drill a few 1/2" and 7/16" holes. I used good quality sharp (new) drills and I was surprised at how much time and down force it takes by comparison. I recall thinking that a brace and bit might actually have been faster. I've used twist, brad point and forstner style bits and all perform similarly in this respect.

Am I imagining things or is a bit faster (or at leaser as fast)? I know they go longer between charges :)

As I look at that auction site, braces seem plentiful and fairly cheap. The bits may be more of a challenge but I'm sure I can built a decent set. Sharpening bits seems fairly straight forward as well.

[Jim Koepke]

A properly sharpened auger in the larger sizes will likely cut through wood faster due to their chip clearing ability. They can clog on deep holes, especially with green wood.

A twist bit will clog and start 'floating' on its own shavings. It is a good idea to pull the bit out to let the flutes clear. On bigger bits the size tends to bog them down.

It is hard to beat a good design with the leverage offered by the swing of a brace.

jtk

[Paul Sidener]

The size of the brace and type of wood will make a difference. The bits will make a difference as well. Two of the more common bits are Irwin and Jennings. Both cut really well. The Irwin's clear chips better. The Jennings has a tighter twist, sometimes they will clog a little. If the bits are sharp, I think the hole is cleaner.

[Jim Koepke]

If the bits are sharp, I think the hole is cleaner.

A clean hole is pretty much dependent on the spurs being long enough to scribe a full circle before the cutting lips hit the wood.

If a full circle isn't scribed before the boring edges hit the wood there will be some tear out when they start lifting the wood.

jtk

[Jeff Heath]

I use my brace all the time, and find that it can be pretty fast. I don't honestly think it's faster than a power drill with a properly sharpened drill bit, but it sure is a good workout.

5" of maple had me tired at the end of the session drilling holdfast holes in my bench.

http://i849.photobucket.com/albums/ab57/hawkfan9/workbench/Bracedogholes-1.jpg

At 50, I'm not as young as I once was. :cool:

[Stew Denton]

Hi Daniel,

If the drill has plenty of power, and you use an auger bit in the drill, I don't think that a brace can beat it. About 40 years ago I bought my first set of auger bits at an auction, which had belonged to a carpenter who was about 80.

I used the brace and one of the bits a couple of months ago or so. It had been a while since I had used a brace and bit, but I needed to drill a fairly good sized hole. It reminded me about the old carpenter that had owned them before I did.

With the smaller sizes, the old carpenter had both bits with the brace fitting, and ones that he had hacksawed off and then filed down so he could use them in a drill. The bigger sizes all still had the fitting for a brace chuck. He did that for a reason. With the smaller sizes, an ordinary 3/8ths inch drill will beat a brace in my view. With the bigger sizes of sawed off auger bits, it takes a horse of a drill. Back then it was common for a carpenter to have a standard 3/8" variable speed drill, but a good 1/2" drill was not that common, at least a 1/2 inch variable speed drill that you could handle with one hand.

I finally bought a 14" swing brace on Ebay for those bigger sizes, but I am not as young as I used to be, and not nearly as stout as I used to be.

They make special auger bits for use in drills, mine have three cutting edges. I have three of the common sizes, with the biggest being maybe an inch I think. With a fairly powerful 1/2 inch drill, I think those will also beat a brace and bits. These bits that are designed to be used in a drill are primarily for rough work, in my view, like drilling holes in studs for wiring, etc.

For nice looking work, a brace and bit, or a Forstner bit, are hard to beat I think.

Stew

[Steve Voigt]

Am I imagining things or is a bit faster (or at leaser as fast)?

I don't think a brace is faster in most situations. But it's a lot more pleasant to use. Drilling a bunch of large diameter holes with a 1/2" chuck drill is an unpleasant, wrist-twisting pain. Using the brace is a workout, but at least it's using the big muscle groups.

A brace is also more accurate, IME. If I want a truly perpendicular hole, or especially if I want a hole at some compound angle, I wouldn't use anything but a brace.




As I look at that auction site, braces seem plentiful and fairly cheap. The bits may be more of a challenge but I'm sure I can built a decent set. Sharpening bits seems fairly straight forward as well.

The auger bits are easy to maintain. Get a good set and some auger files and you can use those bits for the rest of your life. I got a set of mid-20th century Irwins at a good price and I really love them. The brace itself was a little more challenging for me. I acquired several of the kind with alligator jaws for $5 apiece, but found them a pain to use. I was much happier after I got one with a universal chuck. The Spofford chucks also get a lot of love.

[Dave Lehnert]

If you are from Northeast Ohio, no need to look at the auction site. You should find them local with no problem. I find them all the time when I am up that way.

[Brian Hale]

The screw tip on auger bits is important as it pulls the bit through the wood so look for a set where they are in good condition. I've got several that were worn down and it takes a lot of force to make them cut

Brian

[Brian Hale]

I also wanted to add that as soon as the point breaks through, switch to drilling from the other side and you'll get a nice clean hole

[Daniel Rode]

Where do you find them? I don't even know where to look.

I know some folks go to garage sales, estate sales and auctions. I don't have the time to get to those.

If you are from Northeast Ohio, no need to look at the auction site. You should find them local with no problem. I find them all the time when I am up that way.

[Jim Koepke]

I also wanted to add that as soon as the point breaks through, switch to drilling from the other side and you'll get a nice clean hole

When boring a large hole near the end of a piece a pilot hole helps to prevent the lead screw from splitting the wood. This also lets one make a shallow bore on one side, flip it and meet up from the other side.

jtk

[Jim Koepke]

Where do you find them? I don't even know where to look.

I know some folks go to garage sales, estate sales and auctions. I don't have the time to get to those.

The flea markets, garage sales and such are the best places to find used tools at a reasonable price. Estate sales differ depending on if the family is running it or a 'professional' has been called in. One of our local estate sale 'professionals' also has their own 'antique' shop. Everything at their estate sales are priced with high ebay prices.

There are also stores like the Habitat For Humanity Restores. It is not often that you will find a complete set in the second hand stores. As soon as one comes in, it gets sold. You may walk in on you lucky day and get a nice set for singing pleasantly. It has happened to me on different tools.

The sweetest thing is seeing someone in the Restore carrying a tool and then putting it on the shelf and realizing they work there and are putting up newly acquired stock.

Each store has its own person pricing items. So it is different from store to store if there is more than one in your area.

In my area we have a second hand tool store. Every once in awhile they have some good deals on planes, braces and bits.

Another thing to consider is it has never bothered me to have more than one bit of the same size. Even the dodgy bits are good for using in old wood that might have a nail or screw hidden inside.

Here is something I wrote about auger bits:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?131238-A-Bit-About-Augers

Maybe I should go through my notes and add a bit more to this. There isn't anything about the spurs scribing a circle before the cutting lips engage.

That is one thing to check when buying a bit. Unfortunately the checking usually has to be done by eye. After looking at a few one gets a sense by looking at the cutting lip in relation to the threads on the lead screw and the length of the spurs. I wasn't too concerned on my last purchase of a pair of Russell Jennings bits at the Restore for a buck each. They cut very well when they were brought home and put to the test.

jtk

[Mike Holbrook]

Speed is such a relative term. What size, how deep, how many, how neat....Frequently I am more concerned with how straight and neat a hole I end up with. I have older Irwin and Jennings bits bought at auctions. The issue I have had with the refurbished bits, is, many of them, even the tougher Irwins, have bends, missing ends...The big issue I have had is getting the bit properly seated and straight regardless of whether or not I am using a powered drill, a brace or a hand drill. Bending or breaking an expensive bit, causing a messy hole can set a project back more than the time saved by drilling holes faster. Many of the older bits I use have damaged\bruised attachment areas that are consistently difficult to get seated and more apt to become further damaged or slip during use. At least in my case, I am not typically drilling a large number of holes and setting up and testing often takes more time than drilling.

I read an article by Schwarz a while back in which he extolled the virtues of a drill bit he had tried made by Wood Owl. Wood Owl, oddly enough, is a Japanese company based in Miki City Japan. The Wood Owl bits are manufactured to an unusually high standard. Some of the attractive features are: "First, a burr-free lead screw makes for easy starts and pull-through. Second, a perfectly concentric bit makes for even and easy cutting of accurately sized holes. Thirdly, a lighter weight promotes safety and reduced fatigue without sacrificing strength. Lastly, carbon steel construction with precise heat treatment and induction hardening provide exceptional strength and durability" These auger bits are available in four different types in lengths 7-1/2" and 18". All bits feature a 7/16" hex shank and are ** intended for use with a power drill**.

The bit Schwarz had tested and used was the Nail Chipper version of these bits. This particular version is designed to drill through nails, so the cutting edges do not have spurs. Spurs would be ruined when they hit a nail. The: Deep Cut, Standard Single Cut Ship and Ultra Smooth Wood Owl bits may be of even greater interest to SMC posters. The Ultra Smooth bits have three spurs.

I ordered a Nail Clipper and an Ultra Smooth Wood Owl bit to do a little testing with them. Both bits worked well for me in my Festool powered drill or my better braces. The Naill Clipper, as one might expect, makes a rougher hole. Although, compared to the bits I was use to using for construction work, I would say they are as neat or neater.

My experience with my Stanley, Miller Falls, Samson, Pexto braces with 8-12" sweeps is the Wood Owls fit faster & tighter than anything else I have tried. They did not fit 6" sweep braces well, but I would not use a brace that size for drilling with auger bits. The flutes in the Ultra Smooth bits are closer together than on an Irwin bit but less tight than on Jennings bits. I have a much easier time drilling straight holes with these bits. It is easier to set them up straight. They stay straight better. It is also easier, visually, to see that they are straight. I have little doubt that these bits are stronger and less prone to bending/scaring than either of the older bits. The other interesting feature is these bits cost less and come in individual protective storage cases.

**I called the supplier, Traditional Woodworker, in an attempt to find out why they state that the bits are for use in powered drills. I was connected to the resident expert on Wood Owl bits who explained that the only reason they mention these bits being designed for power drills is their concern that the 7/16 hex shank bits might not fit in some braces. Newer braces with four internal alignment sections in their chucks were specifically mentioned as problematic. I believe the modern braces Traditional Woodworker sells have the four section chucks. None of my older/auction braces have the four section chuck.

[Daniel Rode]

Thanks Mike. That's a ton of good information.

Speed has many components. In the example I mentioned, I used my drill press and the person in the video used a brace. 2 angled and 1 straight hole through 3" oak. I had to set the table at an angle, drill as deep as my drill press would go and then move the table up and complete the hole. I did this twice and then reset the table to 90 degrees and drilled another hole, move the table up and finished. Not an awful task but it's quite a few steps to drill some simple holes.

The brace and bit had zero setup and the part would have at the workbench the whole time. Overall, it seemed like an efficient way to drill a few holes.

The down side (for some) is that it requires some level of skill to hold it at the correct angle and some level of physical effort to spin the bit.

[Mike Holbrook]

Daniel,
I hope the information saves someone a little time, energy & money. I think many people will like the Ultra Smooth Wood Owl bits.

In the class I took on building Windsor Chairs we drilled all the holes for legs, rungs & spindles with powered hand drills or braces. It is difficult to get the pieces of a Windsor that need such holes onto a drill press. I think it is just easier and faster to do those holes by hand. Peter Galbert used multiple mirrors to help us see how to align the holes in the Windsor class. I know there are many other methods. I am taking another class at Highland Woodworking in January "Build a Pair of Sawbenches", with Christopher Schwarz.

The main reason I am taking the Schwarz class is these particular sawbenches will be built using Windsor Chair techniques. Specifically the legs will be attached to the bench seat using tapered mortise-and-tenon joints. I am interested in learning Chris's technique for getting those tapered holes in just the right place with a brace and 5/8" auger bit. The tool list for the class lists a brace & auger bit not an electric drill.

I had a problem seeing: two mirrors and a Festool drill and bit well enough to get my holes aligned in the Windsor Chair class. My weird vision and progressive bifocals didn't help. I believe it will be easier to see the angles using a brace vs an electric drill. I am about to find out for sure.

[Dave Anderson NH]

When I built my new bench out of white ash a fee years ago I stupidly went out and bought one of the expensive German 3/4" brad point bits for my electric drill to do the dog holes in the 3 1/8" thick top. I drilled about half a dozen holes slowly and with great trouble holding the drill perpendicular to the top. As Steve Voigt said, the drill wants to twist in your hand and is difficult to control. I gave up and pulled out my largest swing brace and a 3/4" Russell Jennings bit. It was indeed faster than the electric drill, was easier to keep perpendicular, and bored a much cleaner hole. Wrestling with the brad point in in a hand electric drill with an angled handle makes it harder maintain a consistent perpendicularity. The overall verticality of a hand brace and bit gives a much better and easier to maintain vertical visual reference.

[Mike Holbrook]

Dave apparently we have had some similar frustrations trying to line up bits in electric drills. In the Galbert class we all used drill bits that Galbert made himself. Peter ground regular bits into something with an extra large center portion that was similar to a brad point but larger. The bits were made to work in electric drills. Peter spends large amounts of time, even in classes, trying to improve his jigs, tools and methods for making Windsors. Peter redesigned several of the jigs he used during the class I took. Peter has been putting lots of time into a book on making Windsor Chairs that he has been writing and illustrating himself. Schwarz is helping Peter produce and publish the book through Lost Art Press. Schwarz's Blog yesterday discusses the 500+ pages of illustrations Peter just sent him...I am hoping Peter will offer a few new slants on aligning drills and bits for drilling those complex holes when his book comes out. I hope Schwarz will have some ideas to present at the class he is teaching at Highland Woodworking too.

I had a real problem seeing & aligning all the objects Peter uses to position drill bits & drills. We put sighting tape on my drill and Peter even made changes to a drill alignment jig he made for people who had trouble. I was wearing single focus glasses in the class instead of my progressive lenses. I think my problem was my eyes could not focus on the different focal points clearly enough to see what some others could see.

I see Dave wears glasses too. I know older eyes are not as quick to focus and may not have the range of focus younger eyes do. I have very different issues in my two eyes which causes them to see things differently, making them hard to correct to equal levels. The dominant eye tends to take over except when the object being viewed is too far toward the less dominant eye. If one also needs bifocals/progressives...Sometimes all these issues interfere with visual acuity, especially when trying to visually align objects at multiple focal points, angles...

[David Weaver]

I've been turned around by a drill before, but I do most of my drilling with power drills, except for the oddball auger drill. If I had to do a bench surface, I'd do hand auger, too. If I just need to blast a hole in something, I get a cheap spoon bit and put it in a power drill.

I cannot run an auger faster than I can use a spoon bit, but I can't use a spoon bit to do very accurate work freehand. The blowout on the back side of an inaccessible cut is pretty heinous on either type.

I guess a power tooler would talk about the virtues of a clean cutting forstner bit, but those cut accurately over a distance only in a drill press.

The only real grip I've ever had about augers is that if you're drilling into very hard quartered material, the threads often won't be able to grip because the lead screw will get into early wood only and plug up on it since it has no strength.

[Andrew Bell]

I've used forstner bits quite successfully with a brace and had a nice accurate result.

I find that they can be faster and more reliable than a power drill when dealing with screwing or drilling big bits of timber.

I built a 30m (100ft) long retaining wall with three levels of treated pine sleepers.

The 18v impact driver I was using for driving coach screws and making holes for carriage bolts struggled unless using fresh batteries and constantly needed recharging. Getting sick of this I was driving 6" screws using a hex adaptor for my brace faster than I was going with a fresh 18v battery. I only slowed down close to the end as I found that with the brace I could snap the bolts and screws, something I could not with the power drill. I also had found the impact driver would cam out of the square heads of what i was screwing and try to strip the heads, did not have this with the brace. I also found you can use power auger bits in the brace depending on the precision that you require.

[Dave Lehnert]

Where do you find them? I don't even know where to look.

I know some folks go to garage sales, estate sales and auctions. I don't have the time to get to those.

Any antique shop or flea market. I found them at Goodwill and St. Vincent de Paul store. I have never paid more than $10 for a drill. Bits are a little harder to find.
Do you live close to the Heartville Market? http://www.hartvillemarketplace.com/ The flea market in the summer time is huge. On the same grounds as Hartville Hardware. http://www.hartvilletool.com/

[Mike Holbrook]

Traditional Woodworker sells the Wood Owl drill bits. Sizes 3/8-3/4" cost 16-$17 each which is actually a little less than what they sell new versions of solid center, Irwin or Jennings pattern, reproductions for. I think the Wood Owl bits are a tougher more durable product that actually work better in most braces. I searched auction sites for quite a while several years ago before I found the Irwin and Jennings bit sets I bought. The Jennings are usually more expensive but sets of either that are in decent condition can be quite expensive and contain bits that are damaged or worthless. My Irwin set seemed to be in very good condition until I started trying to use them and found out how many had shafts that were not straight.

[Derek Cohen]

It is not so much that the brace is faster than a power drill; it is that the brace has so much more torque. It can take less time to drill a wide hole because a power drill simply cannot handle the demands of a wide bit ... like the tortoise and the hare, one plods on and gets there ...

a 3/4" Jennings bit, a 12" MF brace, and 3 1/2" of Oak ...

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ShopMadeTools/IDeclareThisBenchFinished_html_m3e3f75d4.jpg



http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ShopMadeTools/IDeclareThisBenchFinished_html_795dc9c9.jpg


Regards from Perth

Derek

[Pat Barry]

[QUOTE=Derek Cohen;2345636]It is not so much that the brace is faster than a power drill; it is that the brace has so much more torque. It can take less time to drill a wide hole because a power drill simply cannot handle the demands of a wide bit ... like the tortoise and the hare, one plods on and gets there ...

a 3/4" Jennings bit, a 12" MF brace, and 3 1/2" of Oak ...

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ShopMadeTools/IDeclareThisBenchFinished_html_m3e3f75d4.jpg

[QUOTE]
Is that a ratcheting brace Derek? I had no idea you could use one of those to make a hole so close to an obstruction.

[Derek Cohen]

Hi Pat

Not ratcheting - the wall just looks close :)

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Daniel Rode]

Hartville is not too far away; an hour or maybe less. I'll have to check it out. The Goodwill, St. Vincint de Paul and ReStore outlets are promising as well.

Any antique shop or flea market. I found them at Goodwill and St. Vincent de Paul store. I have never paid more than $10 for a drill. Bits are a little harder to find.
Do you live close to the Heartville Market? http://www.hartvillemarketplace.com/ The flea market in the summer time is huge. On the same grounds as Hartville Hardware. http://www.hartvilletool.com/

[lowell holmes]

I have a Stanley "Bell" brace that I'm happy with. It's better than the Stanley brace I have, but the plain Stanley is OK.

There are some on the auction site.

[Jim Koepke]

The Goodwill, St. Vincint de Paul and ReStore outlets are promising as well.

The inventory in these stores changes on an almost daily basis.

When I am in the mood for rust hunting, a little extra time is added to my trips into town to allow me to swing in on these places.

Sometimes there book selection is also given a look. Remembering the spines of the books of interest helps me get a quick look incase there might be a good bargain.

jtk