I have an old handcrank drill (see link for similiar style)
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I was thinking of trying to use it with some socket wrenchs. I'm not sure what this type of drill is called. I've always called it an auger drill, but I don't know the exact name. It has two teeth which grabs the drill bits. I was wondering if someone makes an adapter that would securely fit this drill that has a
3/8" square end for deep sockets
I know this is odd, but I sometimes work out on a farm putting in lag bolts on fences. My cordless drills seem to die at the worst time. Utilizing this type of setup would help in a pinch.
The bits for a brace and bit set were mostly made for drilling holes in wood. The bits had rectangular tapered ends to fit into the brace. My father had one that dated back to the 1930's, don't know what happened to it.
The two teeth are notched, right? That's to hold the corners of a square bit.
I"m not positive what the drive shaft for a 3/8" socket is (3/8"?) but you could use a solid piece of hardened stock like that. Might be hard to get at a mere hardware or tool store precisely because it's not an quite an adapter.
I don't really like the idea of devoting your brace to this one use**, and only partly because I think you could do this job better with a set of 3/8 or 1/2" socket wrenches, or at least the ratchet or crossover bar, the socket that fits, and possibly a 4" extension..
**It's rusty but you could clean it up like new with a wire wheel on a bench grinder and some kind of lubricant if necesarr in the three places that might need it.
I'll bet it's 10 inches or more from the handle at one end of the brace to the other end, plus the length of the "adapter". For some reason I don't understand, but it's related to leverage somehow, I find better results with a socket wrench when I use either a short 4" extension or no extension. I keep the palm of one hand on the the ratchet where it meets the socket or extension, and crank with the other hand. After having my good tools stolen out of my car a couple times, I switched to almost all cheap tools, like 6 or 8 dollars for a
22 piece set (about 10 or 15 years ago) so sometimes I think I"m going to break the 3/8" ratchet, and then I switch to a cross-over bar, which comes in some ratchet sets, and can be bought separately. But if you're on a ranch where the only thieves are the birds, I'd consider a little more expensive set.
(I did break one ratchet, but only one, over the years, and I broke a
6" extension once. I turned the ratchet very hard, and the top of the extension rotated while the bottom stayed where it was. There was a thin line but not apparent break in the chrome where one part rotated and the other part didn't!)
The two teeth are notched, right? That's to hold the corners of a square bit.
I"m not positive what the drive shaft for a 3/8" socket is (3/8"?) but you could use a solid piece of hardened stock like that. Might be hard to get at a mere hardware or tool store precisely because it's not an quite an adapter.
I don't really like the idea of devoting your brace to this one use**, and only partly because I think you could do this job better with a set of 3/8 or 1/2" socket wrenches, or at least the ratchet or crossover bar, the socket that fits, and possibly a 4" extension..
**It's rusty but you could clean it up like new with a wire wheel on a bench grinder and some kind of lubricant if necesarr in the three places that might need it.
I'll bet it's 10 inches or more from the handle at one end of the brace to the other end, plus the length of the "adapter". For some reason I don't understand, but it's related to leverage somehow, I find better results with a socket wrench when I use either a short 4" extension or no extension. I keep the palm of one hand on the the ratchet where it meets the socket or extension, and crank with the other hand. After having my good tools stolen out of my car a couple times, I switched to almost all cheap tools, like 6 or 8 dollars for a
22 piece set (about 10 or 15 years ago) so sometimes I think I"m going to break the 3/8" ratchet, and then I switch to a cross-over bar, which comes in some ratchet sets, and can be bought separately. But if you're on a ranch where the only thieves are the birds, I'd consider a little more expensive set.
(I did break one ratchet, but only one, over the years, and I broke a
6" extension once. I turned the ratchet very hard, and the top of the extension rotated while the bottom stayed where it was. There was a thin line but not apparent break in the chrome where one part rotated and the other part didn't!)
A rachet has more extension and torque than a hand drill I have one and by how far the handle is spaced I dont think you will get much torque from a hand drill, is a vehicle nearby, a 12v charge adaptor would be easier to charge up, or an inverter and 120v drill impact driver is best, or a rachet would be quicker, and longer lasting since it is designed for the job. Quickest would be a 18-24v Liion impact driver, Popular Mechanics magazine just did a review of 9 of them for bolts its the tool of choise, or if you have a vehicle a gas compressor and air impact driver, the bolts will fly in place with any impact driver.
The bits for a brace and bit set were mostly made for drilling holes in wood. The bits had rectangular tapered ends to fit into the brace. My father had one that dated back to the 1930's, don't know what happened to it.
I've still got one. The handiest bit that I have for it is adjustable. I can make holes that are of non-standard sizes. An advantage of this is the ability to make hole for a dowel etc. that is a snug fit for the piece.
I've got a couple 12 volt drills from Harbor Freight. Figure that when they die, I'll take em apart. Wire to a lamp cord and lighter socket plug. That way I can power them off a battery jumper pack. Not as convenient, but it's portable (somewhat) and turns drills or screws.
Thanks everyone for the posts. I now know its called a Brace. After googling it, I found that Le Valley has what I'm looking for (see link below, item "D").
I have been reworking the feedlot corrals other the last couple of years which also have a tremendous number of lag bolts for both hinge mounting and rails (they were built w/ roughsawn full-dimension 2x10-16 or -20 SYP on ties in the late 50s/early 60s).
I keep two Milwaukee red drills, one for pilot (ties) and one for shank (rails) but as others noted, the tool for driving the lags themselves is ratchet. One can use it (except for very few locations) in 360-rotation until nearly driven before needing the ratchet-action. The stroke of a brace and bit simply isn't enough torque (unless you're talking toy-sized stuff imo). The batteries last a morning or afternoon of continuous work at the rate can work by myself so one set of spares is all that's needed for a day.
OBTW, after drilling and before driving, keep an oil can w/ a long, straight spout of used motor oil and squirt a couple shots down the pilot hole and on the lag before driving--makes all the difference in the world in driving them.
FatterDumber& Happier Moe wrote in news:4c430e99$0$11816$ snipped-for-privacy@news.suddenlink.net:
best to get a drill-driver that uses lithium-ion cells;they keep a charge in storage for several months.An impact driver would seem to suit your purposes best. get one that has a fast charger,1 hour or less.
I suppose he could buy an old worn-out bit,cut down and grind the shaft to a 1/4" square to fit a 1/4" socket,but he still will not have the little spring-loaded ball bearing that retains the socket. Or he could weld/braze a standard hex-1/4" drive adapter to the shaft of the bit.
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