Hand Crank Drills

[Mike Holbrook]

So I had to stay up late one night watching a new German Shepherd and her puppies. I made the mistake of getting on EBay and looking at old Hand Drills. I became mesmerized and before I knew it made some bids.

Now I am thinking I might should do a little research on these old guys but I am having a hard time finding good information. I found a site describing old Millers Falls Drills:
http://oldtoolheaven.com/index.html

I am also interested in the Yankee Style Screwdrivers. The torque on my electric can be a problem, keeping the batteries charged is an irritation, then the batteries die and I have to figure out whether or not it is worth replacing them or not. Although there are lighter electrics now they are still bulkier and heavier than the Yankee's.

I have to put up a 24x50 foot party tent next week. Lots of screws to hold all those poles together. I am wondering if a brace, hand drill, Yankee drill might serve to drive the 5/16 hex head screws better than my over powering electric?

The chucks are throwing me. Is a 2 jaw chuck able to handle any of todays bits etc.? There are also springless three jaw chucks and ones with springs. Then I found a brace with 4 jaws. There is a German company making Yankee style drivers with hex head bit holders, I'm sure I can find things to fit it. There are hex bit converters available for old style Yankee bit holders too. Some help with how people here use these devices and how the bit, drill issue gets resolved are foremost in my mind.

Thanks for you input,

Mitch

[Garth Keel]

For info on these try sandasssloot.com (sandys tools backwards) Sandy Moss has lots of info about these

For eggbeaters try wktools.com

[Matt Evans]

The hex converters for the Yankees are awesome. Finding bits for the Yankees can be problematic, so being able to use standard hex bits is quite nice.

Braces. Use 'em, love 'em. More torque than you would think, and you actually have control over it. The chucks can be confusing, but . . .

Two jaws will hold a round bit or square taper bit.
Three jaws will hold a round bit, and should hold hex shanks, though that is hit and miss.
Four jaws will hold round bits and square tapered bits.


A three jaw chuck is the most versatile, but if you have square bits you should get a 2 or 4 jaw chuck.


Hand crank drills are nice for small holes, but I don't use one very often, so I will let someone else answer that.

[Jim Koepke]

Here is a site with some information:

http://www.georgesbasement.com/

There are many different types of drills in your post.

A brace is the familiar crank style holder mostly for holding augers that have a tapered square to lock into two jaws. There are other tools made for being held in this type of chuck, mostly boring tools, but also screwdriver blades.

What is commonly called an egg beater drill usually has a three piece chuck and is used with the common twist drill. These can be used with hex shank tools, but usually do not have a lot of torque. Some have multi speed gearing.

Similar to the egg beater is the breast drill. The main difference with these is a plate at the top to lean into for a bit more force with bigger bits. These are common with multi speed gearing. A longer handle and lower gearing may allow these to transmit more torque.

The Yankee drill is an Archimedean drill with a spring. These are useful for quickly driving screws and small bolts. Again, they do not give a lot of torque. Also, there is a learning curve. If the driver slips off the head of a screw, the surface it hits gets ugly fast.

My wife and I are building a steel structure. The Makita sure is handy for this. One or two holes could be drilled with a hand drill, but sometimes electric is the way to go.

There are still times that after driving a screw most of the way home with the Makita that it will get a little more torque with a hand driver.

jim

[Joel Goodman]

I love both my egg beater drills (2 sizes of Stanley) and my Millers Falls "Yankee type" push screwdriver. The drills are really handy for small around the house projects and the push screwdrivers are just so neat. For Braces Sandy Moss can tell you which hold all bits and which only hold the "old style" augers. Braces are really good when you need torque for driving or extracting screws -- I have 2 Stanley 923s in different sizes and they seem to hold anything. I think I could chuck shaft to hold a socket for hex head bolts. This is another slope! BTW the egg beaters are often available in great condition for very little.

[Mike Holbrook]

Great information there, it will keep me busy tonight.

I became very interested in the egg beaters. For some reason I was very attracted to them.
I won a bid on: a Stanley 100 plus No.610, in very good shape, A German shoulder egg beater and a Millers Falls #1710 1/2 inch chuck brace. I have been bidding on Millers Falls #2 & #5 egg beaters but so far I have not won one.

My idea was a small, medium and large version of the egg beaters. I realize I might not have to have all three, two may very well serve my needs but I was interested in having examples of each to play with so if I can get the Millers Falls without spending too much money. Demand for the #2 & #5 Millers Falls egg beaters seems to be high though. I am guessing that much of the interest is collectors.

I can't decide whether to buy the newer version of the Yankee drill or bid on some of the old ones I am watching. I am not sure how durable these are and I plan to use mine. The new German model that takes the hex bits seems like the versatile choice, but the same company makes hex adapters for the older models as well.

I was also wondering about using the egg beaters to drive screws, bolts etc. I am guessing that there would be some way to hold screwdrivers and sockets in their chucks.

Thanks again for all the thoughts,

Mitch

[Joel Goodman]

I have an old Millers Falls "Yankee" style screwdriver and it works well -- although the hex adapter from LV wouldn't fit. I believe the old Yankees also are very durable. Sandy Moss has a few on his site for 20 -30 dollars. They come in I think three sizes -- I have the largest. Some of the oldest ones do not have the return spring so you retract manually. Both Sandy and Walt often have the bits, as does LV. I don't think that the eggbeaters that I have have the torque to drive screws.

[Jim Koepke]

Demand for the #2 & #5 Millers Falls egg beaters seems to be high though. I am guessing that much of the interest is collectors.

Users love the Millers Falls egg beaters. I have a couple of #2 MF egg beaters and they work great. They are easy to take apart and tune up. If the handle is loose, disassemble it, wrap a shaving around it, put it back together and that thing is solid.

jim

[Bill McDermott]

I keep an eggbeater drill permanently loaded with a countersink bit. Perfect application. Works great. Fatigue is not a concern with one and ahlaf cranks per hole. I get pleasure from using Grandpa's old drill on a regular basis.

[Bob Smalser]

While no substitute for cordless power drills installing 400 screws in a porch deck, the common brace is probably the best tool for driving or removing screws where sensitivity is required and where crushed threads and overdriven screws are areas that rot early. Hex bit fit adequately in even 2-jaw braces and nothing else is required. Magnetic adaptors are a PIA in they often leave the bit in the screw slot when you remove the tool.



Yankees are also useful. Remove the handle, take the return spring out and throw it away. It's not really needed and has been the cause of ruining a lot of nice finish work over the decades. Both the original North Brothers and later Stanley are high-quality tools. I find the large model 31 (North) and 131 (Stanley) the most useful. Bits are still made for these by Lee Valley.

[harry strasil]

[Mike Holbrook]

Interesting suggestion about removing the return spring from Yankee type screwdrivers. Not being familiar with these I am not sure how this effects the operation of the tool. I assume it means the spiral shaft does not automatically return to it's fully extended position. Does the user hold the lower part of the driver and pull the shaft back into full position manually?

I guess the absence of the spring prevents the shaft from firing back into the work piece if the bit slips off the screw? I wonder if the shaft is loose in it's retainer without the spring to firm it in position? Are the older Yankees that were not designed with the spring superior operationally to a newer drill with the spring removed? Could the user of a driver with a spring prevent the shaft from slipping and striking the work piece simply by retaining a firm grip on the bottom housing, forcing the driver to extend away from the work instead of toward it?

Thanks again,

Mitch

[Bob Smalser]

Unlock a Yankee by holding only one end, and they extend to full-length under spring pressure like firing a gun. Snap! It's just a matter of time before you unlock and fire the screwdriver into something you don't want to. Not to mention it being an attractive, dangerous nuisance to children.

The Yankee is properly used with two hands. The off hand on the chuck's barrel and the master on the handle, and it's the off hand that holds the bit to the screw, not the spring. Losing the return spring means you have to pull the handle out to use it rather than merely follow it as it returns on its own. In use that's no big deal at all, and you'll quickly acquire the habit of either letting gravity work alone or flicking your wrist to extend the screwdriver when starting.

That's why when you buy a vintage Yankee, some have the spring....and some don't.

[Mike Holbrook]

Nice collection of braces, egg beaters and Yankees Bob. I will have to post pictures of mine, which should start arriving next week. I am basing my Yankee assumptions on a Stanley 233M (68-233) I have that I doubt is a shinning example of "the state of the art". One thing I am wondering about. Will I be able to find bits for say Millers Falls Yankee style screwdrivers (67A-small, 610A-large)? I have seen the bits that Lee Valley offers in small, medium and large sizes to fit "Yankee:#133,135,233--#30,130--#31,131 screwdrivers. I am not sure if these bits fit only specific Yankees? It looks like there may be standard Yankee small, medium and large screwdriver bit sizes but I can't find specific reference.

I have been reading some information I found from the links above on refinishing old egg beaters. It is amazing how well some people are able to restore some of these tools. They look better than most new tools. I revised my thinking on what I was attempting to acquire. I can't wait to try my hand at the restoration process. I guess I need to start thinking about kerosene and other substances I will need to restore my new acquisitions.

Tooling up for restoration,

Mitch

[Jim Koepke]

I can't wait to try my hand at the restoration process. I guess I need to start thinking about kerosene and other substances I will need to restore my new acquisitions.

One of the items used often for restoration in my shop is a good set of pin punches. Next is a drill press vise or a metal working vise. Also useful is an anvil. Both of mine are made from old hunks of rail.

Then of course, there is the usual list of "suspects" like screw drivers, files, pliers, hammers and such anyone doing routine maintenance on matters of daily living should have at hand.

jim