Vintage bit brace restoration | 1920 Millers Falls No. 772 Lion chuck

In this video, I restore a Millers Falls No. 772 10-inch bit brace made around 1920. This was the top of the line brace made by Millers Falls at the height of hand tool manufacturing in the US. It features the powerful ball-bearing "Lion" chuck, Leland's universal jaws that can hold multiple types of bit shanks, a steel-enclosed ratchet mechanism, steel-clad head with ball bearings, tropical hardwood handles, and nickel plating. Possibly the best brace ever made.
My goal in tool restoration is to make the tool clean and functional while preserving all of the unique signs of its age and history.

[@timothymallon]

Man, you are way more patient than I am with those threads. I would have sprayed it with Simple Green and gotten out my brass brush!

[@Kleiner_Lutz]

Beautiful piece. I've only just recently discovered your channel, I really like your work. Bringing the old tools back to life without ruining the aged look, explaining what you're doing in the subtitles, no talking, I really like it that way. Looking forward to many more videos like this, keep it up. Best wishes, stay safe 😉

[@thehandtoolworks]

Thank you and welcome to the channel! Many more on the way!

[@GT_Racer347]

I need to get mine cleaned up and back to work again! I'm enjoying your videos!

[@thehandtoolworks]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@Piratecapt8383]

So refreshing to see tools treated as tools, I was shocked you didn't mirror polish each ball bearing and sand the wood parts to tooth picks. 😁 Thank You!

[@thehandtoolworks]

Thanks Mike, glad you enjoyed this gentler style of restoration!

[@TermiteUSA]

I have this same model brace rescued from a barn being demolished in lower delaware. Thanx for showing your methods.

[@thehandtoolworks]

You bet Keith! Glad to hear another one was saved!

[@clappercl]

Great videos!

[@thehandtoolworks]

Thanks Craig!

[@fallrivermodernprintingco.8191]

Great Job !

[@thehandtoolworks]

Thanks!

[@nickmastro9287]

Very nice restoration! I just started restoring my 772, thanks for showing how to get to the bearings. BTW I noticed that you have a Disston thumbhole rip Saw on your wall. One of my favorite saws. Keep up the good work!

[@thehandtoolworks]

Thanks! The Disston D8 is one my favorites and a joy to use. Good luck with your 772 restoration!

[@dejavu666wampas9]

Great. Now I have to get mine out also. I should stop watching restoration videos. It’s too much work to keep cleaning my own stuff, just because my tools look so junky, when I go to the shop, after watching your videos. Awesome work.

[@thehandtoolworks]

lol, Thanks for watching!

[@zartan7779]

I have one of these I need to clean up too.

[@philipchandler330]

Will follow your example with mine

[@thehandtoolworks]

Good luck Philip!

[@andrewdick6410]

it would be nice to have atour of your shop i like the way you have your tools stored

[@thehandtoolworks]

Hi Andrew, thanks a lot! I'll do a tour at some point.

[@fredpierce6097]

Even down to the ball bearings……..now that took balls! 😂

[@romeovidalrodriguez7754]

Hey Buen Video

[@thehandtoolworks]

Thanks Romeo!

[@romeovidalrodriguez7754]

@@thehandtoolworks you are welcome friend

[@TomBuskey]

I just got one of these to go with my #771

[@thehandtoolworks]

Hi Tom. That sounds like a great collection! The wider swing really makes a huge difference for drilling larger diameter holes.

[@mikemccollum4521]

You might think about using Copper or Brass wool. I get mine from Rogue River Tools and use them on old guns I’ve restored. Gets rid of some stains and rust but will not get down to bare metal, if you use them gently. Not being critical of your process. You do good work. Thank you

[@thehandtoolworks]

Thanks Mike, good suggestion!

[@texanthom]

Nice and sharp bit at the end. Did you sharpen it, and if you did could you do a video on sharpening one?

[@thehandtoolworks]

Hi Thom. Yes, I sharpened it previously. I love restoring neglected auger bits. I will do a whole video on restoring, sharpening, and fine-tuning them.

[@tungsten_carbide]

Yeah, very evident how beautifully sharp that auger bit must be to go through the red oak so nicely.

[@jachse8464]

Nice restoration. I hate when they remove the patina.

[@francesca3453]

No worries. It’ll last long enough to earn a new patina.

[@tungsten_carbide]

This is a definite 👍 from me, it's great to see a restoration vid on one of these justifiably well-regarded braces and obviously it's in perfect working order when you finished. But I was a bit bothered by the process as there's a sort of a step backwards during the video, you used a wire wheel to do the front end (which is totally the right call IMO as they are often _the_tool for the job) but then stepped away from it to a, forgive me, way slower and much less effective method 😊 What methods to use and how far to take any restoration are each user's call, but when I spotted that those were indeed specs of white paint that got left behind.... well that sure had my OCD twitching LOL

[@thehandtoolworks]

Thanks Tungsten! I've grown more fond over the years of keeping the little signs of a tool's history and using gentler methods (which usually take a bit longer) to maintain the tool's patina that took so long to develop.

[@k9six185]

The hardest thing is controling the OCD urge….

[@andrzejs4296]

Witam kupiłem taki egzemplarz choć w dużo lepszym stanie,wiesz jak sprawdzić kiedy go wyprodukowano?

[@thehandtoolworks]

Hi @andrzejs4296, this page has some info on dating Miller's Falls braces: oldtoolheaven.com/millers-falls/brace/brace5.htm. Vintage tool catalogs are also a good resource for dating: archive.org/details/MillersFallsCatalogNo391925/mode/2up

[@litahsr.8226]

vintage hand crank drill work on modern hex Auger bits?

[@thehandtoolworks]

I find that most vintage braces will work with hex shank auger bits, but the best braces for hex shank will have "universal jaws" (instead of the less expensive and simpler "alligator jaws"). Examples would be the Miller's Falls Holdall and Lion chuck models, Stanley 923, and P.S.W./Pexto Samson line. There are also adapters (hex to tapered square) available from some manufacturers.

[@user-bw5op6eh9q]

А устройство упорной ручки почему не показал?

[@RBJawad-cj6rx]

what do you do if the chuck has a wobble? is there a way to fix that?

[@thehandtoolworks]

Do you mean that the chuck wobbles around in a circle when you're drilling a hole, so that it is not keeping the drill bit straight?

[@RBJawad-cj6rx]

@@thehandtoolworks if i hold the drill with one hand, i can wiggle the chuck left and right or back and forth with the other hand. it's not a solid connection. i've ordered several, and some have more wiggle than others. so, yes, the drill bit is not kept straight when drilling, but the bit is gripped tightly by the chuck. the wobble is not between the bit and the chuck but between the chuck and the rest of the drill.

[@thehandtoolworks]

There's usually a large slotted screw that screws into the top of the chuck and holds it to the body of the brace. I would see if you can tighten this screw. If your brace doesn't have a screw or that doesn't work, lmk the model. Note that all ratcheting braces will still have a little bit of wiggle to the chuck when the screw is properly tightened.

[@RBJawad-cj6rx]

@@thehandtoolworks oh, i see. so, i guess i need one without a ratchet then. could you recommend one?

[@thehandtoolworks]

ratchet braces are great, i'm just saying a little bit of play is normal - - they weren't made to be perfectly tight and this doesn't affect function (it sounds like the one you have has excessive play due to a loose screw or some defect). If you're looking for a vintage brace, a few of the ones I like are : Millers Falls holdall 732, MF No. 772, MF No. 32, Stanley 923, Pexto 5310, Pexto/PS&W Samson, and John Fray 110.

[@k9six185]

I like that you maintain patina…too many you tubers go for the perfect look and lose the life time of work the tools have acquired

[@thehandtoolworks]

Thanks K9!