Dredging up just a small coin within the wealth of knowledge held within the
OldTools Archive last night. From 1997...

 / / SNIP / / 
>1.    What does "32 1/2 quarters mean?....does it have to do with the flute
>pattern?

Auger bits were sized in sixteenths, i.e. the number of 1/16 inches in the 
bit's diameter.  Thus a 1/2 inch bit was a number 8 (8/16) and a 3/4 inch 
bit was a number 12 (12/16).  If one had purchased a "roll" consisting of 
these two, the half and three-quarters inch auger bits, it would comprise 
two quarters for the 1/2 inch, and three quarters for the 3/4 inch, or a 
total of five quarters. Therefore add the numbers of the bits (8+12) and 
divide by 4.  Your set would have had a group of bits whose size numbers 
would have summed to 130 (32.5 quarters X 4 = the total number of 
sixteenths). Your set would have been a #4-#16 (4+5+6+7+8+9+10+11+12+13+14+
15+16= 130 = 32.5 quarters.).

>2.   Their are 14 compartments for the bits in the roll....I'm missing the #3
>or 3/16" 
 
NO you're NOT! It was never there! :-))

Best regards,
Dan Weinstock
Geneva, New York
weindan@h...

 / / ENDSNIP / / 

Why care now, you might ask? My son went to a local auction over the weekend and
brought home seven pristine R-J No. 100 bits and a R-J L-101E bit that is also
pristine. Found reference to a "No. 17 1/2 Qtr" bit set, but alas, mine don't
fit the description as the numbers are 15, 11, 8, 7, 5, 4, and 3. So either he
didn't find them all at the auction, or the owner bought only what he needed.
I'll never know. But because he found what he did, I learned the obscure "Part
Number" nomenclature for brace bits from the early-to-mid 20th century.

Thank you, OldTools and The Porch!

VR,
Kurt
"Who is now deciding on the best approach to assembling a 'set' of No. 100s...
*sigh*