In working with thin wood, the auger bit is very apt to split it, especially brittle woods, like red gum. Even this contingency is provided for in the Forstner bit, which will bore a hole in a sheet of paper ([Fig. 123]), and is therefore very valuable for work in veneering or other very thin material.
The brace is represented by several styles and makers, but the beginner must look for the same qualities in the brace as he would in any other tool—good workmanship and material, simplicity and durability.
The old-fashioned Spofford brace was strong, simple, and reliable. For working in corners or any place where a full revolution of the tool is not possible, a ratchet attachment is necessary. This is found on most of the modern tools, and may be obtained at any hardware store. ([Fig. 124]).
Fig. 124. Common types of the brace
The hand drill ([Fig. 125]) is one of the most useful tools any one can have about the shop or the house. To be able to make holes in soft or hard wood, tin, zinc, brass, copper, or iron is certainly a great advantage, and some form of the tool should be in every establishment. Our boys found it useful in making moving toys, wind vanes, anemometers, and dozens of other pieces, and never regretted its cost. It may be bought for fifty cents and upward, a very good one costing about $1.50. The drills designed to be used with this tool vary by 1⁄64 inch, beginning with 5⁄64 inch up to 3⁄8 inch. Above this a larger chuck is required. They have round shanks instead of the ordinary square bit shank.
Fig. 125. The hand drill