Carpenter's Brace

The Brace and Bit comprise the traditional tooling for drilling large diameter holes in wood. The Brace is a 'U'-shaped tool which operates on a similar principle to a Wheel and Axle to generate the Mechanical Advantage required to turn the large cutters, or bits. They are used mostly with Auger Bits with Square Tapered Shanks but Countersink Bits and Turnscrew BIts are also available

The better quality tools have a Ratchet mechanism to facilitate drilling in confined spaces.

Although now largely superseded by Portable Electric Drills, some craftsmen still prefer them to drill deep holes or when there is the need to work more slowly and with greater precision.