Wednesday, June 02, 2010

Eeeeediocy

Here's a tip: carpenter's braces (as in the sort that hold bits, not the kind that hold his dungarees up) come in various sizes, with the radius from chuck to handle being the pertinent datum. Twice that distance gives us the diameter of the circle it describes, known as "swing." The single most common radius is 5" (10" swing). Nifty little 3"-radius versions are not uncommon and for more torque, they made 12"-swing braces.

Made. Y'can't get 'em new. 'Sa pity, 'cos the extra leverage makes up for, say, a lack of upper-body strength

Naturally, this means every single old-tool seller on eBay (and most other places) not only fails to give the dimension, they don't bother to put anything in the photo to give you any idea of scale, either.

I guess the darned things are merely decorative for most folks.

...But why this post is here is another decorative eediot, Indiana's very own Honorable Andre Carson, Muslim Congressthing, who is now frothing at the mouth over the Israeli naval raid that stopped blockade runners. Gee, Mr. Congressbeing, let's see: the Israelis said what they'd do; they provided an alternative and even promised to send any humanitarian-type aid on to the intended recipients. ...Interestingly, the Israelis are reporting some of the blockade-running "activists" they've laid hold of are carrying weapons and large amounts of cash. H'mmm. Sure seems to me that somebody's Big Picture is lacking any sense of scale.... But then again, Congresscritters are merely decoration, right? ...Right...?

Uh-oh.

8 comments:

Fuzzy Curmudgeon said...

I should introduce you to my ex-girlfriend's younger son, who's headed back to Israel and his army gig after his brother's wedding this weekend. He said pretty much the same thing you did last night at dinner.

Andre needs to go. Unfortunately he represents the Carson Family Forever district.

New Jovian Thunderbolt said...

I use my 12" swing brace to twist the heads off of quarter inch bolts and #12 Robertson screws. No, I don't want to.

MO Bro said...

You certainly have a way with words! Good post!

Dr.D said...

A carpenter's brace is the most amazing tool when you know how to use it. Few people appreciate the huge amount of torque it allows you to develop. With a large screw driver bit, I have used them to drive some awfully large screws, things that would have broken my wrist to drive long before the days of a driver drill.

Sadly, I gave mine to one of my children who has never bother to learn to use it. That was a mistake on my part. I was younger then when I gave it away, only late 50s then. I am older and smarter now, but too late.

Joat said...

I found a brace for tight work areas, the handle spins 45 degrees off of the axis of the chuck. I gave it to my dad.

jon spencer said...

A couple of brace(s) even though one is out of stock.

http://www.bridgecitytools.com/product_search.php

Roberta X said...

Bridge City: nice. Costly. Very well-made.

I was only seeing their (limited-edition) palm brace at the link. It's very nice. I have a less expensive Japanese brace that size: http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/kuri-kuriminidrill.aspx

Roberta X said...

...And then there's this... It drills through schools