Brace or Bitstock

Date1750-1780

MediumAsh, tropical hardwood, iron, steel, and brass

DimensionsHeight: 14 1/4" Width: 5 3/4"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1996-822

DescriptionWooden brace with a "C" shaped crank topped by a lathe-turned spinning head, set above a brass washer and two brass collars. Its bottom ends in a hexagonal iron "pad" which secures the drill bit by means of a rectangular opening and a small thumbscrew.
Label TextBy the middle of the 18th c. braces with iron bit-securing fittings were being made and exported to America. These provisions, also called “pads,” are the forerunners of today’s drill “chucks.”