The handle or shaft of a brace, an old tool used for drilling holes by rotating it with hands or a crank.
From bit (the cutting part of a tool) + stalk (the handle or stem). Historically, this term described the wooden handle of a hand-drill or brace used before modern power tools.
Before electric drills existed, carpenters relied on braces with bitstalk handles—they'd grip it firmly and twist with their whole body to bore holes through wood. It's a word that's almost disappeared, just like the tool itself.
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