Bit Brace question

[JOEL MONGEON]

Hello and thanks for any input.

I bought a 3 jaw bit brace last year from Lee Valley https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop...w-chuck-braces
and had a few questions.

Is there a size limit to how bit of an auger bit you can use with a brace? If so, how large would it be?

Last year I was making a low Roman workbench and bought my brace and a 1 1/2" wood owl bit https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop...s?item=60J0124 to create the holes for the workbenches legs.

About half way through the first hole my bit started to slip in the brace. I tightened the brace chuck as much as possible but not matter how tight it was the bit kept slipping. I ended up using a hammer drill I have to finish the job. I'm now looking at my brace and see that the chuck jaws look a bit stripped or worn. Same with the wood owl bit I used.

Is this normal? I was drilling into construction lumber not hardwood. Was I just asking too much from a brace? Or should I look for another brace like what Bridge City makes? The brace I have still works with smaller brad point bits but what I wanted was to use it to bore large holes. This is my first brace so I'm not familiar with what to expect. Thanks.

Attached are a few photos of what I am seeing.
20220131_111617.jpg20220131_111651.jpg 20220131_111800.jpg

[Scott Clausen]

The bit shaft in the last picture is not the classic square end of a bit for a brace. It is designed for modern chuck jaws used in electric drills, sorry.

[JOEL MONGEON]

Thanks Scott. I thought the 3 jaw chuck would work for hex shank bits. The description on Lee Valley was pretty clear

"The standard three-jaw chuck model accepts round shanks from 7/64" to 19/32" in diameter and all standard hex-shank bits."

I guess it "could" work but maybe not on such large bits.

[Jason Buresh]

Well, even in softwood 1-1-2" is no joke with a brace. When you get that big something like a beam drill or a t handle auger would have probably been used traditionally. Most SETS of vintage auger bits I have seen go up to about 1".

That said I don't think the jaws should have deformed like that. I'm not a toolmaker, but I would think they should be harder than that.

I don't personally have any experience with wood owl bits. While that type of shank will work with a 3 jaw chuck, I have found the tapered square shank on vintage auger bits much better.

If I were to attempt something like this, I probably would find a 2 jaw brace that accepts the tapered square shank, and buy the 3/8" socket adapter from Lee valley. I would then find a socket that fits the shank of the drill bit and drive it using that. It would have more surface area in contact with the shank than the chuck alone. You would have to be careful though as the socket would not grip the shank, so you would need a sacrificial board underneath or to be mindful of holding onto the bit as you near the end. If the bit slipped through the hole and landed in the floor it would most certainly damage the lead screw.

Of course the easiest and fastest way is to use a power drill like you did.

[steven c newman]

Irwin did make some nice Expansive bits for a brace...dial a diameter as needed. Last one I used was to drill a mounting hole through the front porch railing for the Deck Umbrella...Used a 12" sweep Samson chucked brace (PEXTO No. 8012).....
Drill bit box of bits.,Irwins.JPG
Set to the radius of the hole you want to drill...

[JOEL MONGEON]

Irwin did make some nice Expansive bits for a brace...dial a diameter as needed. Last one I used was to drill a mounting hole through the front porch railing for the Deck Umbrella...Used a 12" sweep Samson chucked brace (PEXTO No. 8012).....
Drill bit box of bits.,Irwins.JPG
Set to the radius of the hole you want to drill...

That's pretty cool Steven. Thanks, I'll try to find one.

In the meantime, I'm making a shave horse and needed to bore some 3/4" holes. I'm too lazy to dig out my hammer drill so I gave my brace another try with a 3/4" wood owl auger bit. That worked like a charm. I guess I'll save the 1 1/2" auger bit for a power drill from now on. I see Lee valley does sell the 3/8" socket adapter. I'll take a look for a 7/16" hex shank socket online. I prefer using the brace to my big hammer drill. I do have a regular driver that I let my mother in law borrow. Maybe I'll see if she's done with it.

20220131_122753.jpg

Oh Hey, Lee Valley sells an expansive bit: https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop...t?item=72J0320

Edit: Actually I think I'll give this adapter a try from Tay Tools: https://taytools.com/collections/too...oth-auger-bits

[Richard Line]

I'm on board with the above comments. Here is another thought that may be applicable. The bit may not have been ejecting the shavings well enough to keep the forces under control. I've found a number of times that I needed to back the bit out, clean the shaving off and go again. Yes, I've even read advise about doing that as the hole gets deeper. When the turning force builds up, it is time to consider if the shavings need to be cleared out.

[Jason Buresh]

That's pretty cool Steven. Thanks, I'll try to find one.

In the meantime, I'm making a shave horse and needed to bore some 3/4" holes. I'm too lazy to dig out my hammer drill so I gave my brace another try with a 3/4" wood owl auger bit. That worked like a charm. I guess I'll save the 1 1/2" auger bit for a power drill from now on. I see Lee valley does sell the 3/8" socket adapter. I'll take a look for a 7/16" hex shank socket online. I prefer using the brace to my big hammer drill. I do have a regular driver that I let my mother in law borrow. Maybe I'll see if she's done with it.

20220131_122753.jpg

Oh Hey, Lee Valley sells an expansive bit: https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop...t?item=72J0320

Edit: Actually I think I'll give this adapter a try from Tay Tools: https://taytools.com/collections/too...oth-auger-bits

That adapter with the screw is a good option, but I would verify your three jaw chuck can take a tapered square shank, or that you have a brace that can.

Also, not all but shanks are the same size. I would measure that your bit is compatible with one of the sizes they offer.

I offer this as friendly advice.

[Jim Koepke]

It is hard for me to imagine a three jaw chuck slipping off the flats of a hex shaped end on a bit.

They have slipped for me on round ends. Surely the round ends have done that for others as it seems to be the case with many bit that have been bought used.

For some of my bigger auger bits, up to a #24 (1-1/2"), my braces with a 12 or 14" swing are used.

jtk

[Maurice Mcmurry]

I do not have a brace anymore. Mine were 2 jaw for square shanks. I have read about barefoot augers where the threads on the lead screw are filed off so you can bore at your own pace. Even with one of those I think 1 1/2 inch would be a challenge. I have been wondering how deep one could drill with a brace. I just salvaged a bolt from a very old Railway bridge that is almost 4 feet long. My grandpa sure could spin a brace. He had some long bits. I do not think any were more than 1 inch.

[Derek Cohen]

To use wide auger bits with a brace, first drill a pilot hole a smidgeon smaller than the lead screw. Ensure that the cutting edges of the auger are sharp.

What the pilot hole does is make for less work for the lead screw. That is generally where issues occur when the wood is hard and the bit is wide (and the cutting edges are sharp).

Pilot hole into hard Jarrah ...



3/4" wide auger bit in a Bell System brace (works well with hex shanks) ...





Regards from Perth

Derek

[Jim Koepke]

I do not have a brace anymore. Mine were 2 jaw for square shanks. I have read about barefoot augers where the threads on the lead screw are filed off so you can bore at your own pace. Even with one of those I think 1 1/2 inch would be a challenge. I have been wondering how deep one could drill with a brace. I just salvaged a bolt from a very old Railway bridge that is almost 4 feet long. My grandpa sure could spin a brace. He had some long bits. I do not think any were more than 1 inch.

My largest brace has a 14" swing:

Brace Storage.jpg

That can drive a pretty big bit, slowly.

The commonly found 10" swing brace is in the center.

The brace on the left offers great leverage. As Derek mentions a pilot hole helps a lot. Another helper is to wax the bit.

There are also Tee handles for larger bits:

Auger Tee Handle.jpg

This is likely what was used to bore holes in beams and such.

In my early days with the phone company installers had to attend climbing school. One of our assignments was to drill a 1/2" or 3/4" hole, can't remember which, through a telephone pole twenty feet in the air supported by climbing spikes and a safety belt. Then we had to hang a cross arm on it. Being young helped.

jtk

[Charles Taylor]

Being young helped.

Words that become more relatable in more ways every day.

[Luke Dupont]

Are three jaw chucks really the best for holding hex bits?

I only have an egg beater drill (3 jaw) and a 2 jaw brace to compare, but it seems that my egg beater drill has more issues with hex bits than my 2 jaw brace. The angle of the flats on the hex bits don't quite line up right with a three jaw chuck I think...

I might be wrong, though.

In any case, really large bits like that can be a real challenge.

I found that adjustable expansive bits are actually easier to drill with because they have only one cutter, meaning less resistance.

Drilling a pilot hole as mentioned above helps too.

Also try sharpening the bit. Even modern bits straight from the factory often come ground very roughly and even dullish, and can be greatly improved with a simple file or credit card sized diamond stone.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

I have not checked the past threads but I hope there is one on auger bits, power drills, and safety. Hole-saws too in a strong drill motor are very dangerous. I have been using a SDS drill with a chuck adaptor and 3 jaw Jacobs 1/2 inch chuck. The SDS drill has a clutch and is less likely to send you to the floor or hospital or both. A nice thing about a brace is that you are very aware of the forces involved.