Straightening drill brace Chuck?
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- This topic has 11 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 4 years, 10 months ago by Larry Geib.
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I have an old drill brace I picked up at the yard sale. Everything on it works smoothly, but when a bit is chucked up, it is noticibly crooked coming out of the church. From what I can see, the brace is straight; the bit(s) is straight. But when a bit is locked in the chuck, it’s crooked. Is there a way to straighten this out?
I had the same problem in an old 12″ brace I restored. The jaws were so worn that they were not be able to hold the bits straight. Solution came from another broken brace. I bought it very cheap and used its jaws for the first one. It is working perfectly now.
Check the jaws in the chuck of your brace. The problem could be that they are too worn, and the solution could be cannibalize other tool.
Hmmm… I have never seen jaws with different sizes in the same set, though my knowledge in braces is not encyclopedic at all. Are you sure that that is not a “last-minute-fixing”? If the channels inside the jaws are not equal the bit could skew when they close.
You can check it with the jaws outside the chuck. Close it around the tang of the bit and check if the skewing is only when the jaws are closed.
I must insist: I’m not an expert on braces, but I have never seen jaws with different sizes each. May be someone here knows more about this…
- This reply was modified 4 years, 10 months ago by Julio T..
3 July 2019 at 7:25 pm #586731A couple things I see.
The alligator jaws on braces i have are always connected with a pin. I dont see one with your jaws. (Photo 1)
A cut off nail or similar would fix that. Peen the ends. It’s a loose fit. It will probably also tell you if you have a matched pair.And when the jaws close, the “teeth” on the jaws should interlock.(photo 2)
Also, file off the squashed parts of the teeth. They might be interfering.And when you place the bit in the chuck, you usually get better registration if the diamond end of the bit is inserted diagonally so the grooves on the inside of the jaws engage the bit end.
- This reply was modified 4 years, 10 months ago by Larry Geib.
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You must be logged in to view attached files.Thanks for the comments. Here are some additional pictures. It looks like the original pin broke off, and the owner tried to replace it with a wire. The bottom is not tied together as tight as it can be. Is this the problem?
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You must be logged in to view attached files.3 July 2019 at 8:30 pm #586757No, it should be a loose fit so the jaws can adjust to different tapers. The jaws dont look like a matched set, but should work anyway as long as the V groves are reasonably the same. The wire is a spring. That should remain, but there should be a rivet below that. See the pic i posted for comparison.
Without the rivet, the jaws can move up and down when you close the jaws. Some jaws have a sort of ball and socket at the bottom, but i dont see that on your jaws either.Check that the inside of the chuck housing doesn’t have any spalling or burrs. It’s what actually closes the chuck. If there are, file or sand them down.
And it should be lubricated with a grease of some sort. I use white lithium.3 July 2019 at 8:58 pm #586764In this picture you posted there should be a loose rivet going through both jaws in the round hole at the bottom of the jaws.
I dont see a rivet, and i dont see light through both jaws where a rivet should go. That leads me to believe you dont have a matched set.
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You must be logged in to view attached files.I have four braces and none of them have a rivet on the jaws (they have only a steel spring wire), but all of them have same sized “mid-jaws”. I’m afraid that your brace has an unmatched set of jaws, and one slips along the other when you tight the chuck, making the bit to skew.
From what I’m looking at, they are a matched set, but one of them is badly damaged on the bottom. It looks like there is half of the rivet in the jaw that extends farther, but the other one is too badly damaged to hold a rivet in place. The teeth match together when pressed together, and should be even, but for whatever reason don’t hold the bit straight.
4 July 2019 at 10:22 am #586934From what I’m looking at, they are a matched set, but one of them is badly damaged on the bottom.
You are probably right. I changed the photo to high contrast B&W and the jaw is clearly broken at the rivet hole.
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