Wood Owl Auger bits don't fit my hand brace. Is it me?

[DTBoss]

Another question from me. I was gifted some much lauded Wood Owl Ultra-Smooth Auger bits for Christmas but was disappointed to find that the 7/16th shank won't fit in my hand brace. Since Mr. Chris Schwarz often talks them up as being perfect for 'monkey-powered' drilling, I'm wondering if perhaps my 10" hand brace might somehow be too small, or is he using a different shank size when not using a corded drill.

On a side note. After putting these in my cordless drill, I'll say a few things didn't impress me like I thought they would. 1. The bit 'stalled' right at the end of the cut after the lead screw penetrated the far end of the hole. 2. The 3/4" bit was undersized. A bit annoying when you're wanting to make dog holes correct in the first go. I'd be curious if anyone else has had these bits but gotten different results.

Thanks,

Dan

 

[Mike Davis]

Most hand brace chucks take a square tapered drill shank. Not sure what a 7/16 shank fits. Screw auger bits don’t work well in a drill motor.

 

[Jeff]

Your new set of auger bits have a 7/16" hexagonal (quick change) shank. What brand/model of 10" hand brace do you have and what are the manufacturer's specs for the chuck size and what it will accept. 2 jaws or 3 jaws?

Here's a 3 jaw model, but you'd have to call them to see it your 7/16" shanks will fit it.

https://www.rlarson.com/shop/woodworking/10-brace-three-jaws/

 

[DTBoss]

Your new set of auger bits have a 7/16" hexagonal (quick change) shank. What brand/model of 10" hand brace do you have and what are the manufacturer's specs for the chuck size and what it will accept. 2 jaws or 3 jaws?

Here's a 3 jaw model, but you'd have to call them to see it your 7/16" shanks will fit it.

https://www.rlarson.com/shop/woodworking/10-brace-three-jaws/

Thank you.
My brace is somewhat of a no-name an antique, so no specs available. It's a two jaw chuck. Thanks for the link. Hopefully I can get me a brace for a bit less than $100, but if no older used ones can take the 7/16 shank, I may have to look into it (or get 1/4' shank bits).

-Dan

 

[DTBoss]

Most hand brace chucks take a square tapered drill shank. Not sure what a 7/16 shank fits. Screw auger bits don’t work well in a drill motor.

Thank you. I'm curious. Why are screw auger bits not recommended for a drill motor?
d

 

[Rushton]

Thank you. I'm curious. Why are screw auger bits not recommended for a drill motor?
d

I'm curious about this, too. Plumbers and electricians swear by screw auger bits in their work cutting through framing material and cabinet walls. One master plumber told me recently "Be sure you get the screw bit augers, not regular spade bits" for some work I'm doing that requires drilling through ceiling joists.

My brace is somewhat of a no-name an antique, so no specs available. It's a two jaw chuck. Thanks for the link. Hopefully I can get me a brace for a bit less than $100, but if no older used ones can take the 7/16 shank, I may have to look into it (or get 1/4' shank bits).

Two of my 1940s - 1950s era braces chuck up the Wood Owl 7/16ths shank just fine. One is a Pexto 8010D and the other is a Stanley 2101A - they both have "universal two-jaw chucks". However, my little 8" North Bros 2100 won't take the the Wood Owl shank - it has a traditional square shank two-jaw chuck.

 

[Jeff]

Interesting. Rush, can you show us a pic of the two braces which have different chucks; the Wood owl 7/16" fits fine in one but won't fit the other with a traditional square shank two-jaw chuck. Just curious.

 

[Rushton]

Interesting. Rush, can you show us a pic of the two braces which have different chucks; the Wood owl 7/16" fits fine in one but won't fit the other with a traditional square shank two-jaw chuck. Just curious.

Sure, here are some pics. Both of these braces are of the same heritage: North Brothers "Yankee" brand of braces which was acquired by Stanley. The smaller of the two (shown on top) is an 8" early North Brothers Model 2100. The larger 10" is a Stanley 2101A "Bell Systems" brace (because they were made by the boat load by Stanley for Ma Bell's linesmen).

The ratchet assembly is identical but the chucks are different. In the pic below, the 2100 is shown on the right. You can see the alligator style jaws designed for square shank augers. The 2101D is on the left. If you look closely you can see that it has "V" cuts running at 90 degrees to the width of the jaw. This chuck is designed to hold both square shank, hex shank and round shank augers.

This pic shows the chucks unscrewed so you can see the internal jaws. Again, the 2100 brace is on the right and you can see those "alligator" jaws. They'll grip a square shank like nobody's business, but as seen in the next picture, they can't close around a hex shank.

But the universal jaws in the 2101 can close tightly around the hex shank. And the next picture below this shows why...

Hope these help!
Rush

 

[DTBoss]

Wow. Rush. A thousand thanks for this photo essay on these old braces and what they will and won't fit. Really helpful and explains why my old brace won't work with the bit bits!
Dan

 

[Rushton]

You're welcome, Dan. Keep trying out the Wood Owl bit - they are really good if you have the brace to drive them.

 

[MarkE]

Dan, I have quite a few braces from many different manufacturers in my shop. If you would like, you can stop by the shop with your Wood Owl bits and try them out in a few to see what fits.

 

[DTBoss]

Dan, I have quite a few braces from many different manufacturers in my shop. If you would like, you can stop by the shop with your Wood Owl bits and try them out in a few to see what fits.

Wow! You're not kidding. Thanks for the offer Mark. If I can get some time free this week, I'll give you a shout. Thanks.

Dan

 

[Jeff]

Chaising my tail sometimes. Here's a separate thread and a statement from Mike Davis in this one...

https://www.ncwoodworker.net/forums/showthread.php?p=589090#poststop

Screw auger bits don’t work well in a drill motor.

Au contraire! My set from Lee Valley is not specifically designed to be used their hand brace...

Thank you for your e-mail. As it would turn out, these Auger Bits are not specifically designed to be used in a Hand Brace, and are generally used for construction applications (for example, installing electrical or plumbing).

1/2" Chuck Hand Braces can be difficult to find, and we generally do not link to other website through our own, but they can be found on-line. We located one on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Robert-Larson-Swing-Brace-Chuck/dp/B000JRFJQO) that, according to a user-review, does accept 1/2" shank drill bits.

Should you have any additional questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to let us know.

Maybe the Wood Owl bits aren't designed to be used in a hand brace either?

 

[Rushton]

Jeff, I don't think their is any doubt that the Wood Owl bits are designed for power tools - just wander around their website a little. They are geared to meet the boring needs of professionals in the trades. But, they do work just fine in a hand brace with an appropriate chuck as do some other brands. Richard Maguire likes "Wood Beaver" brand (whose shape is very similar to the Wood Owl bit) and uses them in both hand brace and corded power drill.

[FONT=&amp]Richard Maquire: "If buying a brace I would look for one with a chuck to accept modern bits, and if you’ll be using it for screwing as well then the chuck is definitely needed and you should look out for a ratchet version (handy in tight spaces). You can use a wide variety of bits in it, but where ever possible choose those with the self-feeding ends, I’ve found the Wood Beaver drill bits and a brace to be a very good team."

https://www.theenglishwoodworker.com/the-ultimate-cordless-drill/

And Paul Sellers also uses modern power tool bits in his brace.
[/FONT]Paul Sellers: "These bits work well in a swing (hand) brace too and although they have a a single spur they do cut a clean walled hole with a clean rim. Another thing is that they are readily available, cut as well and give good results. Rather than not have bits I think it is better to have one or two of these around to work with."

https://paulsellers.com/2014/12/questions-answered-on-brace-and-bits/



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[Mike Davis]

Maybe I should be more specific. The old square tapered shanks don't fit well in modern drill motor chucks.

 

[Rushton]

Maybe I should be more specific. The old square tapered shanks don't fit well in modern drill motor chucks.

Now that is so very very true!

 

[Jeff]

I don't disagree. The quote about my auger bit set is from Lee Valley and only 3/7 bits won't fit my brace. The remaining 4 have a 3/8" hex shank and they work just fine. I will find a vintage hand brace that has the right size chuck for my last 3 auger bits (hand braces are new to me); those 3 bits also work nicely in my 1/2" power drill too but the speed is full open and get go!

 

[mkepke]

I'm curious about this, too. Plumbers and electricians swear by screw auger bits in their work cutting through framing material and cabinet walls. One master plumber told me recently "Be sure you get the screw bit augers, not regular spade bits" for some work I'm doing that requires drilling through ceiling joists.

.

Just a little note on this..Bosch makes a spade-bit with a screw point. It cuts pretty aggressively.

Ships-augers - like electricians and plumbers use - cut great but can be hard on the wrists and the longevity of underpowered drill-motors!

-Mark

 

[DTBoss]

Well, I've found a solution with this Miller's Falls brace bought today. Not sure of it's exact model but it was made for the Craftsman brand.
Thanks to everyone for their help and insight. Now I'm off to chase another rabbit down another hole!

Dan

 

[DTBoss]

Well, I've found a solution with this Miller's Falls brace bought today. Not sure of it's exact model but it was made for the Craftsman brand.
Thanks to everyone for their help and insight. Now I'm off to chase another rabbit down another hole!

Dan