Need help identifying this bit brace.

[Lesserstore]

I found this old 10" bit brace that was my grandfather's or great grandfather's. It is marked "MADE IN USA" on the body, M 148 on one jaw, M 149 on the other. If it was my grandfather's it would place it between the late 40s- late 50s, if it was my great grandfather's it would probably be late 20s- 40s, and that's if they bought it new.

I'm having trouble uploading pictures because of a storm, but I will have them up asap.

Update: Still having trouble but I managed to get one uploaded.

 

[Lesserstore]

Pic added.

 

[Roberts210]

It looks a lot like the one my Pop had. He certainly got it before WW2, and may have inherited it from his Pop. Ignore the extra fat pad on the end--I added that in 1972, after I got out of the Army, when I returned to the farm and found the brace in our barn, sitting in the dirt. (The original pad had rotted off). Lot of tools back then were made by small, no-name outfits, and unmarked as to the maker.

 

[Lesserstore]

Thanks for the reply.

 

[Roberts210]

Mine has no maker's name or number on it either.

 

[RTM]

Any mfg info should be on different sides of the made in USA you so nicely chalked, or banded around the chuck. I can’t see enough details to be much help.

This web page has lots of images, look til you find it?

http://www.sydnassloot.com/brace.htm

 

[Lesserstore]

Another pic.

 

[Lesserstore]

I seem to be able to only post one picture at a time, so here's another.

 

[Lesserstore]

The method for attaching the pad is odd, it looks like a nail or a rivet. It also looks like there were ball bearings because of the gap, or is that just the way that non ball bearing pads are made? I've found no Maker's marks either, does anyone know of any companies that marked made in USA in that location?

 

[Roberts210]

So I've used this brace since I was a boy, in the 1950's.
Here I'm installing a Baldwin mortise lock into a solid mahogany entrance door, and I've used the brace and a Jennings bit to rough out the mortise slot.

In the '70's I made one-off furniture for several years and used this brace cause I had no drill press. From the '90's through 2018 I worked doing building and remodeling and would occasionally dig it out and use it. Never once noticed the name lightly engraved onto it.

Hibbard's True Value. Yes, THAT True Value.

From the Encyclopedia of Chicago: In 1932, the company introduced a new line of hand tools under the brand name “True Value.” By 1948, Hibbard's annual sales reached nearly $30 million. Business slowed and profits were shrunk, however, as new hardware cooperatives began to bypass traditional wholesalers. In 1962, the company's owners, who wanted to move into the real-estate business, sold the hardware operations and the “True Value” brand to John Cotter for $2.5 million.

 

[Lesserstore]

So far from looking at different ones on eBay it looks kind of like a Stanley, but not quite. Maybe when this storm clears I'll use my bench grinder to remove the rust from the chuck to see if the manufacturer's mark is there.

 

[RTM]

Bench grinder might be a bit aggressive. The metal Is thin, the mark not very deep. Maybe a scotchrite pad.

 

[Lesserstore]

Sorry, I meant a wire wheel, but would that be too much?

 

[RTM]

Depends on how hard you push. I personally reserve power rust removal for tools that are trashed, and nothing else will work. I try paint thinner wipe down, scothchbrite, rubber abrasive blocks, evaporust, electrolysis then maybe a wire wheel in my Dremel. But that’s just me.

 

[RTM]

These areStanley, looks similar? Go forward and back to see other choices. Best I know.

https://kirkhmb.smugmug.com/Woodworking/Boring-Stuff/i-B4j7MJb

https://kirkhmb.smugmug.com/Woodworking/Boring-Stuff/i-q6hphMz

 

[Old Radar]

Lesserstore--

If we don't have the same brace, it is VERY similar. Mine has no markings beyond the Made in USA and the M148/M149 on the jaws. Since I haven't done any resto on mine since I bought it at an estate sale last year, I don't have any real info to offer except for the quick research I just did on the Millers Falls site. It's definitely not Millers Falls but I was able to glean a little about some of the features of this brace in comparison to when MF adopted those same features.

-- The half boxed ratchet dates from before the turn of the century.
-- The springless alligator jaws and ball bearing head are seen around 1914.

I don't think for a minute that these braces are anywhere near that old. In fact, they are most likely an economy offering with these not-cutting-edge features sold in the late '40s-early '50s as you suspected--if not a little later. Still worth restoring for sentimental reasons. I think the numbers on the jaws are going to be your best clue to track down a manufacturer.

Good luck and let us know how the search goes.

 

[Lesserstore]

That is the exact brace I have. I'll update with more info when it comes along. Thanks for the reply.