Russell Jennings vs. Stanley Russell Jennings

[Jamie Bacon]

Hey guys. First post here. I am in the market for a nice set of auger bits and I was wondering if anyone could give me the low down on the difference between Russell Jennings auger bits pre Stanley vs. post Stanley in regards to quality.

[Robert Rozaieski]

Hey Jamie,

I think either will do you well as long as they are are sharp. Not much to them really from a quality perspective. Just make sure you sharpen them on the inside of the spurs only so you don't change the size of the bit.

[David Keller NC]

Jamie - Pre-stanley Russel Jennings are collector's items, so the price will be a good deal lower for a nice Stanley set. Generally, a complete set that isn't rusty, in its original box and the bits haven't been incorrectly sharpened is worth about $100, perhaps a bit more at a big tool meet.

However, you can assemble a set from flea market finds for about $20, so long as you know what to look for - bits are straight, only sharpened on the inside of the spurs, spurs are decent length, and there's only surface rust - pittings nearly impossible to take off a bit without changing the bit geometry.

[Joe Close]

A note of caution. Be careful of what you buy used. I purchased some rusty old no-names at a flea market with my first bit brace. They sharpened up nice and do well. I decided I wanted a set of Jennings, found some on ebay, nice and shinny. Looked like a really nice set. After receiving them I found that most of the bits had been sharpened quite a bit. So much so that the spurs were just nubs. The bits look nice, but are pretty much worthless.

I guess it pays to be careful with any used purchase. It's just that spur thing was easily overlooked when looking at pics online.

[Roger Bell]

I have and have had both. I find no discernible difference in cutting ability.

I recommend getting whatever you can find in the best shape you can find it in for the best price you can find it at.

[Jim Koepke]

Another thing to consider when sharpening, is to use what is known as a safety file or an auger file. Only two of the four sides are made to cut so when you are sharpening the inside of the spur, you do not cut the underside of the cutter. This should be kept original if possible, it should line up with the lead screw threads.

Here is one site that explains the procedure:

http://www.fine-tools.com/G-augerbitfile.html

There is also a picture of the file and an explanation.

jim

[Jim Koepke]

Another thing to consider when buying auger bits is the threads on the lead screw.

There are a few different types. Some have a double thread. Then there are coarse, medium and fine threads.

Fine threads are usually on bits for boring a cleaner hole. The coarse threads are for fast boring and are used when looks may not matter.

The bigger bits will often crack wood if drilling near an end. It helps to drill a pilot hole for the lead screw to prevent this.

Finally, most of the bits you find will be about .015" larger than the marked size. This is to allow a little wiggle room when boring for bolts and rods.

Doweling bits will be exact size. This is for a tight fit when making cabinets and other furniture.

Before sharpening a bit make a cut with it. The spurs should cut a clean circle. They should not splinter or chip the wood.

Go slow and watch the chips come out. They should be made equally by both cutters. If only one is cutting, the other one has been filed too much. The correction is to sharpen the one that is doing the most work until it is on the same level as the one that is doing no work. Of course, if one is dull and just slipping over the wood, it may need to be sharpened first. The operator has to determine the proper course of action.

jim

[lowell holmes]

IIRC, I purchased my auger file from Lee Valley. I bet Highland Hardware has them too. I wouldn't be surprised if Tools for Working Wood has them.

I told some guys at a Windsor Chair class about the oversize. They had never heard of it. This included the instructer who is a young guy.:)

[lowell holmes]

If anyone is looking for a brace, one of the popular tool sellers has a quantity of used braces at a good price. I will not mention who for fear of violating the rules.

If your interested, "google" braces and one of the links will lead you to them. They also have bits and auger files.

:)

[Jim Koepke]

If anyone is looking for a brace, one of the popular tool sellers has a quantity of used braces at a good price. I will not mention who for fear of violating the rules.

If your interested, "google" braces and one of the links will lead you to them. They also have bits and auger files.

:)

Lowell, I think naming the seller is OK. My understanding is that links to items for sale are not allowed. Sometimes they are allowed if the main reason for the link is the image. The reason I say this is my search for braces turned up a lot of pictures of teeth and to buy a new pair of suspenders.

I know links to eBay are verboten. However, listing the auction number seems to be OK.

One can imagine how things could degenerate if those of us who sometimes sell on eBay started polluting the forum with links to what we are selling and if retailers thought it was a good place to advertise without paying.

jim

[David Keller NC]

Lowell - As I understand it, there's nothing wrong with mentioning a source/dealer by name, so long as you're not the dealer and aren't benefitting financially. Most of us interested in user antique hand tools want to know about as many sources as possible - it makes it considerably easier to find parts.

[Jim Koepke]

IIRC, I purchased my auger file from Lee Valley. I bet Highland Hardware has them too. I wouldn't be surprised if Tools for Working Wood has them.

They are available from a lot of sources. Mine came from Lie-Nielsen IIRC. Prices vary by a few bucks. Buy a couple if you can, they come in handy for a few other jobs. One is when you want to file peening off a rivet to drive it out without scratching the area around the rivet.


I told some guys at a Windsor Chair class about the oversize. They had never heard of it. This included the instructer who is a young guy.:)

Some folks have told me I am crazy on this one, but I can show them a lot of auger bits that are all a bit over sized. Then there are a very few in my accumulation that are dead on. I did not know about it until I came across an old Irwin auger bit manual.

jim

[Joel Moskowitz]

Auger bits are by design supposed to drill a running fit for the size they are speced for - Dowel bits - which are dead on were also made but are usually shorter and much much rarer.

I've certainly never seen any sets for sale, it's also never been an issue.

Of the new old stock we still have - some are Russell Jenning, some are Stanley Russell Jenning - they all seem pretty perfect. I personally have a set of Irwins which are not as nice in theory but also perfectly fine and not worth trading up for.

[lowell holmes]

Check the Tools For Working Wood web site. Happy Hunting:)

[lowell holmes]

I have my fathers complete set of Irwin auger bits in an oak case that belonged to my Father. These have to be 50 years old. I think I read about the oversize in their manual also. I will look for the manual.

[Jamie Bacon]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I ended up with a new old stock set of 13 Russell Jennings/Stanley #100 bits.