Brace, Egg Beater, and Bits

[Brandon Speaks]

I do occasionally use my brace and bit sets, not often, but enough to keep them handy. Never cared for eggbeater drills, they just seemed like a lot of work. Both the cordless drill and driver get used the most. They probably are my most used tools overall, but I don't exclusively do the neanderthal thing; I don't have the time (or desire) to be hand tool only. I do use push drills fairly often, they are quite handy when you need to do small holes and the weight of the cordless is inconvient.

As far as cordless drills and drivers go, especially now with the lightweight quick charge LIon batteries, they are the greatest thing to woodworking and tools in general since they figured out how to put the beer on the inside of the can

We can pretend otherwise, but remembering back to having to drill multiple out of position holes by hand or with a heavy corded drill (with no brake), there is no way I would want to go back. Fiddling in the shop with hand tools is fun and a luxury for most, but not always an efficient way to do things timely.

I agree with this. Back in 08 when my house in Cedar Rapids was flooded and I literally lost everything that I could not throw in my truck in 30 minutes (mostly some cloths, guns, and few heirlooms) the first purchase I made afterwards was a dewalt cordless drill/driver combo. It is far from my most cherished or favorite tool, but if I had to start from square 1 tomorrow it would still be the first thing I buy.

[Mike Holbrook]

Now we have opened a whole new “can of worms”! If we are talking about “push” drills/screwdrivers we may need to determine whether the newer spring loaded devices or the older springless devices are more popular. I prefer the older models as I find them less tricky to operate reliably. I find that exerting the pressure against the work, which is arguably required to use the units with springs, may cause the driver to slip and scar the work.

I switch between my Festool T15+3 drill, eggbeaters and braces. I may be using my braces more often as the charger for my Festool Li-ion batteries says at least one battery will no longer charge. Even with the clutch on my electric Festool drill, I find it very difficult to determine when screws are about to: sink in too far, spin in place or simply break. The greater feel, especially with a brace, can be very helpful in situations where: screws need to be set at exact depths, holes need to be exact depths, one wants to stop drilling at the moment the lead screw on an auger bit starts protruding from the far side.....If one has multiple braces and or egbeaters, different ones can be set up for specific functions and not changed. The other option is to buy hex shank bit holders and install them on one’s braces and eggbeaters so it is easy to switch between different screw driver types or drill sizes. Part of the “issue” may be how well one has thought out the use of the manual vs electric tools.

[Jim Koepke]

Part of the “issue” may be how well one has thought out the use of the manual vs electric tools.

And how their tools are stored. My larger twist bits are stored across the shop from the bench. When it comes to driving screws, most of my hex bits are close to the bench with the 18V drill.

It all gets used for one thing or another.

jtk

[steven c newman]

Why bother when they are all getting used..
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For adding 3" #6 screws...
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A little candle wax does help...YMMV

[Matt Lau]

For boring large holes in cabinets/cabinet tops/desks for wiring, I vastly prefer a good brace and bit.
It's much cleaner, and less noisy.

[Alan Rutherford]

I have no use for eggbeater drills or push screwdrivers. Battery-operated is so much better for the same tasks. I like those screwdrivers with 2 reversible bits where you can interchange the bits with a drill. But a brace is the most versatile, powerful, controllable screwdriver I could want in some situations. Also good for holes in wood of course and with an expendable bit and an extension makes holes in hard ground for thin garden stakes. I'm also a fan of push drills.

[Brandon Speaks]

I would think if you need to drill a hole in the ground for garden stakes you more likely need a good tilling of that garden.

Concept is interesting though, and sparks some ideas.

[Alan Rutherford]

I would think if you need to drill a hole in the ground for garden stakes you more likely need a good tilling of that garden....

Not my department and what tilling was done stopped short of the (ultimately useless) low electric fence that, in theory, would keep the squirrels out. It was an interesting project, though and I have also used the brace to start T-posts in ground that will never be tilled. You'd think with 110% humidity the ground wouldn't dry up but it does.

[Richard Line]

Lately I've really been using my egg beater drill for starter holes for nails and screws, and I'm liking it more and more. However, I ran into a problem and had to use my battery drill (12v), and a right angle attachment. Just not enough space over the hole locations for the egg beater. Were there egg beaters that allowed getting into tight spaces. I think I've seen some modern egg beater type things that cut down on the overhead required, but I don't recall seeing something old.

Yeah and I'm using my brace more and more, as long as the hole doesn't require a forstner bit. Although drill presses and be nice.

[steven c newman]

Millers Falls did make a right angle ratchet brace...

Was using my brace and bits a while back..
cordless drill.jpg
Needed counter-bored holes for lag screws
two done.jpg
Drilled the #13 counter bore first, then the #6 hole for the screw's shank. Only 8 holes were needed....decided to change bits as needed....