Help ID old brace

[Old tool guy]

I recently acquired this old brace off ebay, I bought it because it looks unusual. $25 including shipping. It appears to be in very good condition, just light rust under the clear krylon. I have looked carefully but cannot find any makers mark. Does anyone have a clue as to who made it?

The top knob is cut flat on two sides, i‘m assuming that for getting close to studs. The small thingie on the gearbox controls the ratchet feature, by turning to different positions it is clockwise, ccw or fixed. And the shaft extending out of the frame below the wrist handle turns with the chuck, so obviously it is where a crank handle goes.

 

[RTM]

Looks like a brace drill. Can't find a specific brand right now, but it was a brace with an eggbeater crank added.

Google books for

Brace drill
Pre 1940 date range

6th reference should be Joshua Rose 1887 Modern machine Shop practice p456 has some images

Can't get there on my phone to share the link

 

[Old tool guy]

I will check that. The sydnassloot site has a lot of pictures of many brands, i did not see it there. I have been through many of the catalogs on the international tool catalog site, nothing there either. It’s similar to the millers falls 182 except the crank handle is on the opposite side.

 

[Old tool guy]

Might have found it. I saw a picture on a New Zealand website, dug into it a little, and found this.

 

[Old tool guy]

Or could be this …

 

[RTM]

Looks like both have the notched end pad.

Here is the patent on the second link

US Patent: 801,566 - Brace-drill

US patent 801,566 Brace-drill was issued to Alexander Bennett of Buffalo, NY and Philip B. Bloedel of Buffalo, NY. It was granted on 10/10/1905.

datamp.org

Wonder if Atkins bought the patent, that is the only patent in DATAMP for Lancaster.

Or other sinister things. Check the comment under the Atkins catalogs, pasted below. Maybe Atkins bought, or was exclusive seller, of certain Lancaster braces.

International Tool Catalog Library : Free Texts : Free Download, Borrow and Streaming : Internet Archive

Lancaster Knives factory in Lancaster NY
The facility shown is the Lancaster Knives factory on Court Street in Lancaster NY.


Then there is this

Lancaster Machine & Knife Co. - History | VintageMachinery.org

 

[four.cycle]

so... the brace was manufactured BY Lancaster Machine & Knife Co. ..... and .....

Lancaster was making all of the corn knives for Atkins ... ?

am I understanding that correctly?

.... causes me to wonder how many others was Lancaster the OE on for other brands of corn knives?

 

[WisJim]

The Bennett and Bloedel braces were sold under a couple of brand names and with at least 2 styles of chucks and 2 different versions of the removable crank.

 

[Old tool guy]

Page 2 …

Looking for a little help with a second brace. All steel including the head. Throw measures 8-9”, no number under the head like other brands. Spring clip bit holder. The only clue i have is this almost readable makers mark on the chuck. Taylor Patent ?

 

[RTM]

ylor only has 256 patents in Datamp

Here is a brace / bitstock one which may be close

US Patent: X9,814 - Bit stock

US patent X9,814 Bit stock was issued to Jeremy Taylor of Hebron, CT. It was granted on 06/30/1836. The example shown is labeled, "Wilson Mfg. Co./New London, Ct." Wilson Manufacturing Co. was operated by Increase Wilson.

www.datamp.org

Here is one assigned to Taylor

US Patent: 76,632 - Bit-brace

US patent 76,632 Bit-brace was issued to S. B. Hill of Chicopee, MA. It was granted on 04/14/1868.

www.datamp.org

This looks like a step back from yours

US Patent: 96,505 - Bit-stock

US patent 96,505 Bit-stock was issued to O. H. Taylor of Brooklyn, NY. It was granted on 11/02/1869.

www.datamp.org

Hope these get you started.

 

[WisJim]

Probably patent 9814x, June 30, 1836, but some list patent .5115 for Taylor's brace patent on the same date. I'm not sure if the .5115 patent number was a misprint somewhere that was then repeated.

US Patent: X9,814 - Bit stock

US patent X9,814 Bit stock was issued to Jeremy Taylor of Hebron, CT. It was granted on 06/30/1836. The example shown is labeled, "Wilson Mfg. Co./New London, Ct." Wilson Manufacturing Co. was operated by Increase Wilson.

www.datamp.org

Sandy Moss's brace pages has some info on Taylor braces. http://www.sydnassloot.com/Brace/Taylorb.htm

 

[Old tool guy]

I have been to sandy’s site many times. This Taylor brace is closest to mine, but with two differences: my catch doesn’t have the thickened back, and his has some kind of fitting or cast gusset at that angle. The blue background is off his site.