Hand drill for hex shank auger bit?

[Greg Woloshyn]

I've started to prepare drilling out the dog holes in my benchtop. The only tool I can use to spin my auger bit in is my cordless drill on low speed but it's still running too fast and hard to control the bit making the top of the hole way oversize. I've come across plenty of used hand drills but they all take the "brace bits". Can anyone point me in the direction of a drill of this type that will take my hex shank auger bits?

[Bill Dufour]

I have used a hand brace with 1/4 hex screwdriver bits.
Bill

[Bill Houghton]

Most two-jaw braces will accept a hex shank; orient it so the jaws are clamping down on opposing points of the hex.

If that's not working, you can find three-jaw braces. They can be found, although they're not common, as vintage braces. If you have the money, you can get one from Lee Valley: http://www.leevalley.com/us/wood/pag...80,42337,32300

[Patrick Chase]

I have the LV 3-jaw brace, it works great with hex-shank augurs, but...

If you're willing to use a cordless drill then why are you trying to use an augur for this to begin with? You can get 3/4 brad-point bits that will get the job done nicely for a lot less than the cost of a brace. Amana also makes a decent 9" (IIRC, too lazy to go down and look) brad point bit if your bench is too thick for the one LV sells. It's also a good idea to make a jig as shown in that LV page.

Also, in my experience most hex-shank augurs have pretty coarse screws that are mostly suitable for softwoods. If your bench is made out of anything dense then you might want to track down a taper-shank Jennings bit or something like that.

[Greg Woloshyn]

aI didn't think of using a brad point bit - the largest I have is 1/2" so I might just buy the Amana 3/4" and be done with it. Since the auger bit is best for deep hole drilling, I went that route but didn't realize how much torque it requires and my cordless drill just cannot handle it. I do not have a brace - or at least I cannot find it. The benchtop is made of pine.

[Rick Malakoff]

I found a 3 pack 5/8, 3/4, and 1 inch at Ace for not much $$.
Rick

https://www.amazon.com/IRWIN-SPEEDBO...win+auger+bits

[Ole Anderson]

Any reason you couldn't just use a spade bit? I like the Bosch ones with the screw starter point. Or a forstner bit. Both would work with a cordless.

[Mike Holbrook]

There are electric drills with removable chucks and drilling settings. There are companies who make three jaw chucks for electric drills. Festool drill kits are expensive but come with several exchangeable heads. It is worth taking the time to find braces and hand drills that work with hex drives too, they just work better in this posters experience. Lee Valley now sells 7", 7/16" hex shaft, Woodl Owl drill bits that will out perform anything else and they are not particularly expensive either. They:do not heat up nearly as much as other bits, go right through hard woods that choke most other bits, leave very neat holes, the screw tips engage easily and pull through just about anything. These bits have three spurs like better brad points, and wear better than anything I have found.

[steven c newman]

Maybe one of these would work?
IMAG0085.jpg
What I used to drill my dog holes with. 12" sweep, Samson chuck
IMAG0081.jpg
Has plenty of torque. One of the strongest chucks ever made.

[Bill McNiel]

I strongly reccomend this Dog Hole Bushing and Drill Bit setup from Lee Valley (http://www.leevalley.com/US/Wood/pag...180,72637&ap=1)

[Patrick Chase]

I went that route but didn't realize how much torque it requires and my cordless drill just cannot handle it. I do not have a brace - or at least I cannot find it. The benchtop is made of pine.

The high torque requirement is another symptom of a too-coarse screw. It's entirely in keeping with the hex shank though :-).

[Patrick Chase]

Any reason you couldn't just use a spade bit? I like the Bosch ones with the screw starter point. Or a forstner bit. Both would work with a cordless.

You want a dog hole to be straight, perpendicular to the worksurface, and accurate in diameter. None of those are easy to achieve when freehanding (either by hand or with cordless) with a spade or forstner, as you can't guide either type with a bushing. Also you don't need a flat bottom for a dog hole, so using a Forstner would be a waste of an expensive bit.

[Jim Koepke]

My strength isn't particularly great, but a sharp 3/4" auger isn't that hard to run through hardwood with a 10" brace. A 12" swing makes it easier, but wears me out a bit quicker because of the longer throw.

jtk

[steven c newman]

Take your pick...
braces.jpg
From a 14" down to a 6".....

[Patrick Chase]

My strength isn't particularly great, but a sharp 3/4" auger isn't that hard to run through hardwood with a 10" brace. A 12" swing makes it easier, but wears me out a bit quicker because of the longer throw.

jtk

Depends on the augur. My hardwood-oriented Jennings augurs (both sets) go through pretty easily. Some of my newer, coarse-threaded augurs take some work and their spurs get pretty hot in the process.

Note however that the OP didn't have a brace, hence the recommendation to try a brad-point bit :-).