North Bros. Yankee 1555 breast drill ??

[Glenn Crocker]

A while back I picked up a North Bros. (Yankee) breast drill No. 1555 with a three jaw chuck for straight shank bits. This is a neat drill with two crank speeds selected by a lever and a five position racheting mechanism selected by a slider similar to a Yankee screwdriver. The five positions are:

Plain – turn the crank in either direction to turn the spindle to that direction
Left hand ratchet - the crank rachets in one direction to turn the spindle left
Right hand ratchet - the crank rachets in one direction to turn the spindle right
Double right rachet– the crank rachets in both directions to turn the spindle to the right
Lock – locks the crank and spindle

It appears the drill was designed for use in tight spaces. The rachet mechanism was patented in 1908. My internet research shows a lot of info on North Bros and Stanley’s acquisition of Yankee but almost no information specifically about the 1555. Do any of yall have information about what its’ intended use was?

[Roger Bell]

I have some original Yankee factory promotional literature that I thumbed thru looking for specific references to the 1555. It is the largest, heaviest and most robust of the Yankee breast drills. The lit implies that the heavier breast drills, as a class, were intended for use in machine shops and in car and wagon factories, where tight space limitations often do not allow full movement or the typical full revolution of the hand crank.

One photo shows the "breastplate" placed in the palm the the drill pushed upwards into what look like the leaf springs on a the bottom of wagon bench seat. Another shows the plate being held in the hand with the thumb wrapped around the plate and the entire drill unit is shown in an enclosed space in what looks like a car engine compartment. In another photo, I see a guy with his hand on the breastplate, leaning hard on his hand with his chest (like we do with braces) drilling into the block of an aircraft engine. He "simply moves the crank forward and back in the easiest way. The drill cuts continuously on both forward and back movement no matter how slight".

The same feature was, however, found on a number of the lighter drills as well.

One booklet is copyright 1926, the other doesnt say, but it appears to be older....possibly pre-WW1 from the looks of the guys in the photos. The 1555 (a manly-looking hand drill if there ever was one) was produced by North Bros from 1912-46 and then continued by Stanley thereafter.

A few years ago a guy named Joe Ward privately published a "guide" to North Bros products, showing dates of mfg, approximate "value", patent drawings, etc. of many of their offerings. I think you can still get it thru him via the MWTCA and maybe thru Martin Donnelly as well if you are still hungry.

[Glenn Crocker]

Thanks Roger for the info - that was just what I needed. Also thanks for the reference to MWTCA - an interesting site that I will investigate further. Apparently they are headquartered in Manchester, TN which is about 1.5 hours from me.
Glenn