Hand Brace

I need to gather an electrician’s tool pouch for a toolbelt. I am part of a volunteer disaster relief team and we are about to be sent to an area where tornados struck a couple of years ago. We will be helping build low income housing units.

I once worked with my father when he did electrical work. At the time I had a push drill I used mostly for mounting metal handy boxes with screws. I made this simple brace in case I need to drill similar holes. It is lighter than a battery drill and I do not need to be concerned about battery charging.

Materials

• 1/4 inch hex chuck
• 1/4 inch steel rod
• 1/2 inch steel rod
• 1/2 inch angle iron
• 1/8 inch rod
• Washers
• 1/2 inch hardwood dowel
• 1 inch solid wood

Tools

• Hacksaw
• Grinder
• Vise
• Spring clamps
• Aluminum angle
• Stick welder
• Drill
• File
• Sanding drum

Officially, the round wooden sleeve on a brace is the handle. (First photo) Grasp a 1/2 inch hardwood dowel and mark it long enough to grasp with your whole hand. (Second photo) Center drill the dowel for a 1/4 inch rod. My bit is not long enough, so I had to drill from each end so the holes could meet inside the handle. The bit always wanders and the two holes never meet exactly. (Third photo) I used a round rasp to work at making the holes meet so the handle would turn smoothly on a round rod. In the end I drove the handle onto a 1/4 inch rod with a roughly cut end, and it shaved excess wood inside the hole until I had a smooth fit. (Fourth photo) I used a sanding drum to round the corners on the handle.

The chuck is a cheap 3-jaw chuck with a hex shank. It hand tightens, but that will be adequate for anticipated use. I no longer use this chuck, so I do not feel bad welding it to a piece of 1/4 inch round rod for my brace.The first photo shows the shank of the chuck clamped into a piece of aluminum angle to hold it in alignment with the 1/4 inch rod. I ground a chisel point onto the 1/4 inch rod. I am using my stick welder. Look for weld voids and slag inclusions. I wanted a solid weld. See the second photo. I used 5/64 inch 6013 electrodes at about 70 Amperes.

I cut a piece of 1/2 inch rod to about 3/4 inch in length and center drilled it for a 1/4 inch hole. Then I cut it into two pieces. I smoothed the sharp corners to protect my fingers from cuts later. I slipped one of the collars onto the 1/4 inch rod. Weld bead from the previous step stops the collar from sliding on too far. I added a washer and slid the handle onto the rod.

The second photo shows a thin washer used as a temporary spacer during welding on the other collar to ensure that the handle moves freely after welding the second collar in place. (Welding tends to pull things together. Things that moved freely can become locked up after something was welded.)

The third photo shows just enough welding to keep the second collar in place. I placed another washer between the collar and the handle before welding.

If the wooden handle were to split or become damaged beyond repair, I would make a new split handle I can place around the rod and glue or tape together.

I cut the end of some 1/2 inch angle iron at about a 20 degree angle and clamped it down for welding to the 1/4 inch rod. I welded on both sides and checked for weld voids Even with only a 5/64 inch welding electrode pieces get very hot very quickly. Beware of holding an arc too long and melting away part of the weld joint.

I made a kerf and bent the 1/2 inch angle so the part to the left of the kerf in the first photo is at a right angle to the 1/4 rod shank of the brace. See the second photo. I welded the kerf very carefully in an attempt to keep it from pulling together too much and destroying the right angle I just set.

I had some 1 inch thick wood I used to make a knob. I used a 2 inch holesaw. That automatically yields a 1/4 inch axle hole on center. To get a smooth knob blank I cut from both sides with the holesaw and used a sanding drum to remove roughness where the cuts met. I also used the sanding drum to remove rough corners and shape the knob a little. I drilled a 1/2 inch recess in the top of the knob.

I cut the 1/4 inch rod just above the weld for the crank and I cut the crank to length. Grind rough edges smooth to prevent scratches and cuts later.

I cut the 1/2 inch angle iron a bit shorter so I could weld a shaft for the head knob to it. Clamp pieces in place and weld.

I placed a washer onto the head knob shaft and slid the knob onto the shaft. Some of the weld bead kept is raised a little from the crank. I marked the shaft and cut it to length so it does not rise above the top surface of the knob.

I thought about a retainer for the knob and settled on bending some 1/8 inch rod around another rod about 1/4 inch in diameter. I ground away rough corners so it would fit into the recess on the knob.

I placed the bent 1/8 inch rod into the recess on the knob and gave it a quick touch with the welding electrode to secure it in place. Some of the wooden knob showed burn marks. I used a belt sander to remove most of those.

Drip some oil into the knob and the handle until they move smoothly on the 1/4 inch rod.

To use place a bit into the chuck and tighten. Grasp the handle firmly and use a little downward pressure so the bit cuts well. Gently turning the knob and crank with a light touch helps keep the brace straight while drilling. This brace is not for drilling steel, but soft wood. Drilling with this brace is a little slower, but it is a simple tool easy to carry that never needs charging or other attention, and its cost to me is in line with its anticipated level of use.