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The Dual-System Bit Brace
As early as 2500 BC, using a bow drill was the primary means
of boring or drilling a hole. The auger was also used extensively
by the Romans, and widespread usage of the hand and breast auger
has been documented throughout northern Europe during 1000 AD to 1500
AD.
The 1500s saw the introduction of a new boring tool —
a brace employing a rotary sweeping motion with a fixed pad
or revolving head. The exact year it was thrust on the woodworking
world is unknown. However, the 1982 salvage of the Mary Rose,
an English warship launched in 1511, and the subsequent discovery
of the ship's carpentry tools included an example of the sweep-type
brace. Other examples of this tool were documented in northern
Europe during 1450 to 1500.
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| The
bevel gears shown with the housing unit removed |
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The
locking pin |
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