FWIW,
On one old brace that was a junker, the pad came off by unscrewing it
from the brace.  The pad was attached to a short metal part that
swiveled
on the shaft of the brace.  On this one the thread was right-handed

Cheers,
Jack in Endwell, NY

Frank Jordan wrote:
>
> I have a quick question for all you knowledgeable galoots. I have an old
> Worth (?) bit brace that I bought several months ago. It has a very loose
> pad (not sure if I'm using the correct terminology. That's how I refer to
> the top hand hold, so correct me if I'm wrong!) The only reason I bought it
> is because it has a 14" sweep which is rare in these parts. Well, I finally
> got around to trying to fix it yesterday, and I cannot get the wooden pad
> off. I loosened the 3 screws and pulled, pried, folded, spindled and beat on
> the darn thing to no avail. I don't want to damage the thing because it has
> some nice rosewood on it, so I thought I'd ask everyone on the list how to
> remove the thing. Are they usually reinforced with glue, or has the wood
> shrunk with age and gripped the metal part more firmly than I'm thinking? Is
> it necessary to remove the wood to repair a loose pad, or should I just try
> to move the bearing cup tighter against the pad? Anyone who has attempted
> this, I would be grateful to hear from. Thanks in advance!
>
> Frank Jordan
>
>