Tool history question

[Peter Quadarella]

I was at a garage sale a few weeks ago and picked up a few old tools. One was an eggbeater that was a bit gunky and stiff, but I had been thinking about picking up one of these for a while (mostly because of reading this forum ;)).

Anyway, like I said it was a bit gunky so I took it all apart, chuck and all down to the pieces, and cleaned it up and oiled it and put it back together. Now it's very smooth and all the different gears work well. I keep going back to this old drill because it's such a clever working tool. It makes me want to get more like it.

So I was wondering if anyone knew anything about it. It says North Bros. 1530A on it, and it says YANKEE on it also. I did a couple of searches and found a post where someone was happy to have found one at a garage sale, but no real details. Has anyone heard of this company?

[Ray Gardiner]

Hi Peter,

Wiktor has a fine site with lot's of info:-

http://www.wkfinetools.com/hUS/boringTools/northBros/northBros-index.asp

There are some downloadable catalogs, might help pin down a date.

Regards
Ray

[Peter Quadarella]

Thanks for the link Ray, that is a great site. The drill seems to be a lot older than I thought it was :). I was able to narrow down it's birthday to between 1926 and 1946. There was a catalog from 1926 with the 1530 in it (lots of good info on it there), and I'm assuming the 1530A was a later model. And the company was bought by Stanley in 1946.

Did I stumble on a good deal here? I really do like the drill - I could see people wanting to collect these (it makes me want to ;) ).

[Gary Herrmann]

I've got a few North Bros drills. I really, really like them. They aren't (IMHO) as elegant looking as some of the Miller Falls or Goodell Pratt drills with their spoked gears, but the NBs work very well and are very robustly made.

Like anything else, if you keep your eyes open, you can get some good deals on North Bros drills. The 1530 is a particular fave of mine. I don't know of another drill of that size that has that many speed and direction selections.

The multispeed drills get me more geeked up than anything else for some reason. I just find it fascinating that some of these drills have so many capabilities. It's kinda like looking at a watch movement.

Not only is the slope slippery, there are a whole bunch of very specific slopes that you can slide down as well... :p

[Ray Gardiner]

Hi Peter,

I have a couple of stanley's that I use all the time. Not as nice as what you have.
As Gary says, there are many different slippery slopes. Beware!

Next it will be Yankee screwdrivers. (There is no way back after that!):D

Regards
Ray

[Peter Quadarella]

I've actually been looking for a Yankee screwdriver because I remember liking one my father had years ago. Uh oh :D

[Bill Houghton]

Did I stumble on a good deal here?

Indeed, you did. The ratchet on the 1530(A), which has five positions (discussed below), is most of what makes it such a great little eggbeater drill (it's also well machined and runs smoothly, which is the other part).

In the "normal," non-ratcheting position, it's just like any other eggbeater drill, which is fine.

The right hand (RH) ratchet allows you to move the handle back and forth in tight spots. The left hand ratchet, which, cleverly, makes the drill move "forward" just like the RH ratchet, is the same but for cases where the RH ratchet doesn't work as well.

The double ratchet is my favorite: no matter in which direction you turn the handle, the drill advances. With this, you can get up quite a head of steam by wiggling the handle back and forth frantically while drilling. Sounds silly, but it results in phenomenally high speeds and good torque, because you can find the spot that picks out the ideal body mechanics.

Finally, the locked position allows you to tighten bits in the chuck very effectively. This is the bane of eggbeater drills with larger size bits: it can be hard to get the bit tight enough to stay in place against the resistance of the cutting edge. Just don't try to drill before releasing it from lock...

This is not the tool you'd use to drill rivet holes in the hull sheathing when you construct your full-scale repdroduction of the Merrimack (North Bros. also offered breast drills with the same mechanism for this purpose). But for its proper size range, up to about 1/4" max, if I recall correctly, it's great.

Plus, if you loosen the knurled collar at the base of the back handle (unscrews in normal direction - you may need to wrap some masking or electrical tape around it and apply a pair of pliers if it hasn't been loosened in a long time), the handle removes, and you can store bits in it. Helpful if you do much field work, not so needed in the shop, but cool nonetheless.

I personally think the North Bros. drills are a bit better finished all around than the Stanley versions of the tools - though I have to admit that it may be prejudice because North Bros. was located in Philadelphia, my wife's hometown; or because I dislike Stanley's practice of gobbling up innovative firms, slapping the Stanley label on the tools, and calling them their own; or, of course, because of both.

[Gary Herrmann]

Don't forget pushdrills. They're great for starter holes for small hinges etc.

Just adding another log to the fire...

[Bill Houghton]

Don't forget pushdrills.

Yes. Possibly one of the high points of late 19th-early 20th century technology. Well, in my opinion. Next to the thermos.

[Jim Koepke]

One really needs to have a full arsenal of egg beaters.
If one is drilling holes for driving screws, then three are in order.
One for the pilot hole.
Second for the shank hole.
And the third for the countersink.

Of course, it is handy to have a few others around just in case you need a different size, say to drill a starter hole for the large brace bit so the wood doesn't split from the lead screw.

Just greasing the slop,

jim

[Johnny Kleso]

Here is a direct lik to Yankee Catalog from WF
http://www.wkfinetools.com/z_media/z_catalogs/NorthBros/1926-YankeeTools-NorthBros-ne.pdf

I love my egg beater for install cabinet hardware like hinges..

[Gary Herrmann]

I've actually been looking for a Yankee screwdriver because I remember liking one my father had years ago. Uh oh :D

Pete, yankee screwdrivers are pretty easy to find. What size are you looking for? 135 is the smallest, and is a nice size for cabinet work. I have a 131 and a 130 as well. The 130 is a beast.

I need to try a 35 or a 31 to see if I like the versions without return springs better.

I think you should just get one of everthing North Bros made, just to be on the safe side. ;)

[Peter Quadarella]

I was just keeping my eye out for them in case I saw a cheap one :).

Thanks for all the information on the drill guys. I had found the opening in the handle for the bits because I heard something rattling around in there when I was cleaning it; there was a strange looking bit in there that said No. 2 Made in USA in there.

There seems to be an awful lot of slippery slopes with this hobby! :D I'm sorry now I didn't pick up the other 2 drills at the yard sale - there was another eggbester that didn't look as nice and a big thing that must have been a breast drill. I did get a brace but it is only a 2 jaw thing and doesn't seem as nice as the eggbeater I go, and it has no markings that I can find.

[Bill Houghton]

I did get a brace but it is only a 2 jaw thing...

Braces properly have just two jaws, because the bits designed to fit in them have a square tapered end on the shank (larger than the shank) that fits into the "V" shape inside those jaws. It's a very solid connection that can handle enormous torque.

At least in most areas, braces are as common as dirt at garage sales. Most of them will have ratchet arrangements that permit turning the brace in tight quarters; you should get one like that because it also permits most efficient use of your muscle when boring a big hole. Check that the ratchet locks and unlocks smoothly both ways, that there's not a lot of play in the spindle, that the knob and rotating wooden handle are both sound, and that the chuck opens and closes smoothly. If these are all true, look down the opening of the chuck at the jaws as you thread the chuck collar open and closed. The jaws should open and close as you do - decent chuck jaws have a spring that locates and auto-opens them.

When choosing between two otherwise good braces, look under the knob at the other end from the chuck - if you can see evidence of little ball bearings there, that's better. However, for non-professional use, I don't think it makes all that much difference.

[Gary Herrmann]

And beware North Bros braces on the Bay. They go for ridiculous amounts of money lately. I've picked up braces locally for cheap. They aren't mint, but they work just fine.

North Bros 2100 and 2101 are good, as are the Stanleys of the same model nbr. Stanley 923s are also good. I believe all of those have sealed ball bearings. There are a lot of other good brands and models like Pexto and Miller Falls, but I'm not too familiar with them.

There are probably several threads that will list good brands/models.

[Peter Quadarella]

Clearly I have a lot to learn about hand tools. I appreciate you all spending the time to help school me. I will definitely be keeping my eye out for other similar tools now, for better or worse ;).