Drill brace

[Macfrommichigan]

I stopped at a local thrift shop today, paid $4.75 for a vintage drill brace. I don't collect such things, but I have a buddy who does, and the price seemed very good. I recall my dad had one back in the 50s.

Rather surprised when I got home and looked on the 'bay. These things command no money. And yet they are very cool. Must be a zillion of em, and they don't wear out, I guess.

 

[TreadwayJohnA]

I still religiously use a bit and brace, as well as hand planes, chisels, hand saws, hand jointers, etc. I have power tools, but they rarely get turned-on. The old tools were built right, built to last!

 

[ajkel64]

I stopped at a local thrift shop today, paid $4.75 for a vintage drill brace. I don't collect such things, but I have a buddy who does, and the price seemed very good. I recall my dad had one back in the 50s.

Rather surprised when I got home and looked on the 'bay. These things command no money. And yet they are very cool. Must be a zillion of em, and they don't wear out, I guess.

Do you mean the big one that looks like a "U" or the straight looking one?

 

[Macfrommichigan]

The big U shaped one.

 

[Raissermesser]

Remember when a brace and bit was the only drill we had. When we got an electric, we still used it for boring larger holes. Then we got one of those cut-out bits, and used the electric exclusively.

 

[ajkel64]

The big U shaped one.

They are cool. My father has his grandfathers at home in the shed.

 

[MichWR]

I have one around somewhere that was one of my grandfather's. They are pretty cool pieces of tool history.

 

[jmturley]

I stopped at a local thrift shop today, paid $4.75 for a vintage drill brace. I don't collect such things, but I have a buddy who does, and the price seemed very good. I recall my dad had one back in the 50s.

Rather surprised when I got home and looked on the 'bay. These things command no money. And yet they are very cool. Must be a zillion of em, and they don't wear out, I guess.

You are correct. They were made for hundreds of years of varying style and quality. The older wooden Sheffield braces go for much more than the modern metal ones. Also depending on if you have a spofford style brace (with a thumb screw chuck), or a normal chuck style changes the value as well (spofford commanding a slightly higher price). Then, with standard chuck style braces you have even more break down (does it ratchet or not?). Of the standard chuck style braces the Yankee No 21XX series used by Bell Systems was/is the hot rod of braces usually commanding around $150 depending on condition. Oh, and on top of all that, depending on the sweep (size), price also changes.

Myself, I have an old 10" Frey spofford brace that I use regularly in my woodworking. More accurate then a power drill, and little more gentle, also doesn't run out of juice.