O Galoots:
Millers Falls #2 eggbeaters descend on me from time to time, and I have at least
two lacking their chucks. I'd like to replace them, to bring the tools back to
working condition. I'm not interested in "restoring" them, i.e. tarting them up
with a scrub with solvent followed by shiny new paint so they look fresh off the
factory line. I like seeing that they have worked for their livings. So I'm not
worried about whether the new chucks are "appropriate" to the #2, much less
whether they are appropriate to type. I just want chucks that fit and work well.
Nor do I want to rob a chuck off another eggbeater, which seems to me to offer
no net gain in the number of serviceable tools. I figure that someone must be
making a good chuck that would fit a #2.
It seems to me that there are three issues: 1) What is the size and thread count
of the quill (if this is the right term), and was this consistent on #2s over
all types? and 2)What is a well-made chuck that will fit this quill; and 3)
where can I obtain them, perhaps even have a choice of chucks? If anyone could
give me advice on these issues I would appreciate it.
A while back I asked advice on the width and angle of skew for skew chisels. I
got excellent replies from a bunch of people. The upshot is that I have two new
pairs of skews, one made from 1/2" Buck Brothers square-edged tanged cast steel
chisels with original handles (the match is not perfect, but is good enough for
the moment), the other from 1/4" Buck Brothers bevel-edged tanged chisels
mounted in the hickory Best London Octagonal Pattern handles I made as a
demonstration at Bagathon a year or so ago. I'm still considering options for
fishtails, I don't want to take that much metal off a first-rate chisel, but I
don't want to put that much work into anything less. Maybe a carver's fishtail
can be repurposed. Thanks, belatedly, to all who offered advice; particularly to
Ed Minch without whom I might not have gone for skews as large as 1/2".

Tom Conroy
Berkeley

The revered Mr. Conroy asked:> Millers Falls #2 eggbeaters descend on me from
time to time, and I have at least
> two lacking their chucks. I'd like to replace them, to bring the tools back
to> working condition.
> I just want chucks that fit and work well.

I have no idea what the thread diameter and pitch may be, or if it changed
during the manufacturing run, but if you measure them, I might have a chuck for
you. I have a couple chucks of the appropriate general style that I inherited,
including the cut off shaft stubs. They were apparently cut off for use as pin
vises/small part holders, and came to me with a collection of machinist tools.
In 15 (20? 25?) years, I think that I have used any of them about twice, as I
have better workholding solutions.  To figure this, measure the outside diameter
of the threads to the 0.001" using a micrometer or caliper (vernier or dial),
and measure the thread pitch using a pitch gauge. I would guess that the pitch
will be a standard, or at least not uncommon, pitch, as it is cut into solid,
rather than rolled into formed sheet like I was looking at last month. (Two
further samples of the same brace came in at just below and just above 12TPI, so
I will guess that the nominal for the stanley version of the yankee brace top
pad was 7/16-12)


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On 2017-06-24 2:39 PM, Thomas Conroy via OldTools wrote:
>   I might not have gone for skews as large as 1/2"

Interesting you should say that. The skews I have ( and rarely use) came 
from LV: they are 1/2in. No longer available.
But LV does carry 2 pairs of skews - the Narex 1/2in & the Veritas 1/2 
in. So somebody there thinks that's a useful size!

FWIW
Don

-- 
It’s cheaper to end poverty than to maintain it.