For old-school woodworking, use only the appropriate hand drill and brace drill. I discuss the old hand drill, the brace and bit drill, and additional possibilities for the old hand drill.
Acquiring a Hand Drill, a Brace, and some Drill Bits
This buyer's guide will help you select the best antique hand drill, brace and bit drill, drill bits, and auger bits for your traditional woodworking projects. Boring and drilling holes in wood for various purposes and driving screws are two apparent uses for these woodworking hand tools.
There's no need to go back to using a hand brace, an egg beater drill, or any old-fashioned augers in place of your electric drills and drill press. These cordless woodworking hand tools may not have the power of their corded counterparts, but they are still a lot of fun to use.
1. Quickly Required Manual Hand Drill, Brace, and Drill Bits (Invest in These First)
My top picks for the best manual hand drill, brace and bit, and drill bits to get you started with traditional woodworking are detailed below. Don't worry if you don't have much money to spend. If you want to start with less than everything on this list, that's fine. But at the outset, invest in higher-quality, fewer-quantity tools. In the future, you will need to replace it with something of higher quality. However, the best vintage tools can often be found for far less than cheap new ones.
A. Invest in a Brace and Bit for Your Hand
A "brace" is a tool used in conjunction with auger bits to drill holes into the wood for a variety of applications, such as creating pegged joints or mortise holes. A brace and bit set is a combination of these two sets.
Older brace and bit sets typically feature a thumb screw (above) or a ratcheting mechanism (below). If you need to bore into a corner and can't turn the tool 360 degrees, the ratcheting mechanism will come in very handy. However, I haven't encountered this circumstance frequently, so you shouldn't go looking for a ratcheting brace. Nonetheless, I've noticed that the majority of braces use a ratcheting mechanism.
B. In a Hand Brace exercise, what exactly is the "sweep"?
The "sweep" of a brace refers to the fictitious diameter produced by the rotating handle. If the sweep is large enough (say, 12 inches), the hole can be drilled quickly and aggressively, whereas a smaller sweep will require more time and precision.
The perfect sweep for your project is entirely up to you. I wouldn't put too much stock in the sweep, though, because you probably won't be using a brace and bit very often.
2. To what extent can the arc of a Hand Brace drill be measured?
In the image below, a distance of 5 inches can be seen when measuring from the middle of the handle to the middle of the ratchet and auger bit. For a 10-inch sweep, you'd need to double the radius:
3. What should you check for when purchasing a Hand Brace?
How do you know what to look for? Traditional woodworking calls for braces with a sweep of 8 inches to 12 inches. In most cases, you should expect to spend no more than a few bucks on braces, despite their widespread use. Braces that are rare or in high demand on the market (such as vintage ones made of wood) or made of metal might cost significantly more. Verify that the auger's chuck securely holds auger bits and that the brace rotates freely and easily by tightening the tool’s top handle (the “head”)
4. What are the best hand braces for woodworkers to use?
I have a dozen hand brace drills, but only a few that I like using. The No. 112 Spofford patent split chuck brace (Manufactured by John S. Fray) is my favourite tool because:
The 12-inch sweep is just the right size for most jobs, the handle is ergonomic, and the quickrelease split chuck is a nice bonus. These can cost more than a hundred dollars, but you might be able to find one that just needs some minor repairs.
