Auger bit for bench dog holes?

[Mitch Barker]

I have a bench top of 2" maple laminated to 3/4" MDF. I've read plenty here at SMC about drilling dog holes with spade, forstner and router bits, but not much mention of auger bits.

I saw several types of auger bits at the borg. I was wondering if anyone has tried those, or has an opinion on there suitability for drilling dog holes. Milwaukie had one with two cutting spurs and Ridgid had one with a single spur.

It seems to me that the small screw point should help pull the bit into the wood and reduce the stress of drilling so many holes thru tough wood.

Thanks,

Mitch

[Brian Kent]

Are you planning to use this with a brace, a hand-held drill, or a drill press?

[Bruce Branson]

I used a 3/4" Power Ship Auger to put the holes in my bench which is made of Euro. Red Beech with no problems at all.Home depot also carries the Vermont American brand. http://cripedistributing.com/tools-auger-bits-c-1_65.html

[Mitch Barker]

but with about 20 holes to drill, I'd like a powered alternative.:)

I also saw online that Irwin has a "speedbor" bit that seems to be a type of auger bit.

[Bruce Page]

An auger bit should work fine. I’d just be very careful starting the hole to get a nice clean edge.

[Matt Ranum]

I'm not that familiar with auger bits, but don't they leave the holes slightly oversize?

When I drilled the grid of dog holes in my bench I just used the speedbor flat spade style bit and this guide. Its the only thing I ever used it for but its handy when you need it.

http://www.amazon.com/General-36-37-Precision-Drill/dp/B00004T82L

I highly recommend some sort of guide to help keep your bit straight.

[Brian Ward]

I used a hand brace and a #12 (3/4") bit for my dog holes in a European Beech top. I think it was one of the garden variety solid-shank Irwin bits.If the bit is sharp, it doesn't take very long. If not, it's unpleasant, to say the least.

[Joel Goodman]

With auger bits drill from one side until the screw just peeks out, then go from the other side. That way no tearout. Also a 12" swing brace is pleasant to have for a bunch of 3/4" holes if the top is thick, especially if you are a weekend warrior and not Popeye. I don't know how much wear MDF puts on the bit but I would check between holes to make sure I wasn't overheating the spurs. Obviously touch them up if they are getting dull.

[Dewey Torres]

I used used that very same Irwin but for mine and later lent it to my friend Pat Germain. So that's +2 on the Irwin speed auger. Also, it can be used in both a brace or a drill but you need low speed high torque for the drill if you go that route.

[glenn bradley]

The Speedbore worked best if I started the hole with a Forstner. After a few rough results, I switched to a router which worked beautifully.

[Jim Koepke]

A 3/4 inch auger bit will likely be 49/64 inch instead of 48/64.

I have used one to bore holes on my bench and it even works pretty good with the European dogs that came with the bench. They are 18 mm which is 1 mm smaller than 3/4 inch.

Use one with two spurs for a cleaner hole. Make sure the spurs are sharp.

jim

[Dave Anderson NH]

When I drilled the dog holes in my new 3" thick Ash benchtop last fall I started with an electric drill and one of those German 3/4" brad point bits Woodcraft sells. It was slow and difficult. After two holes I grabbed my largest swing brace and chucked up a #12 (3/4") Russell Jennings auger bit. It was faster and easier and the holes were more accurate. Make sure to put a slight chamfer on the top of the holes so you don't brak off little chips of wood when using holdfasts.

[Richard Magbanua]

I used a bit and brace for all my bench holes thus far. The actually turned out ok. I did have to even up a few of them with my router and a 1/2" bit since the 3/4" bench dogs would not drop all the way in without a good pounding. As far as effort, it was a rather easy affair. I learned how to sharpen my bits and took a short break between holes only to work on a pint of Guinness. My advice, just do it.

[Erik Manchester]

I recently bored quite a number of 3/4" holes for bench dogs in a 2.5" thick oak top and used a 3/4" bradpoint drill from LV. I built a quick jig to maintain alignment and was impressed with the smooth entry and ease of boring.

EM

[Ken Garlock]

Just get out the Forstner bit and go to town.They work best with an electric drill.:rolleyes:

[Mitch Barker]

I went down to the borg and they had this set of Irwin "Max auger" bits for 20 bucks:

http://www.amazon.com/Irwin-Industrial-3041006-Speebor-6-Piece (http://www.amazon.com/Irwin-Industrial-3041006-Speebor-6-Piece/dp/B000LQ905E/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1237864267&sr=8-1)

They drill through softwood like mad, but none of my powered drills had enough torque. It was slow going with a std sized brace as well. The bit has three cutting edges (i.e if you look at it from the end it look like a Mercedes-Benz logo). Perhaps that is why it needed so much torque since all three cutters were digging in at the same time. So, the Max Speedbor Auger bits are out.

I don't have any other 3/4" auger bits so it's back to the powered stuff. I tried a spade bit and out worked pretty good as long as I kept some good pressure on the drill. It has a long center point, so it's easy to stop before breakthru and drill from the underside as someone else mentioned.

[michael osadchuk]

but with about 20 holes to drill, I'd like a powered alternative.:)

I also saw online that Irwin has a "speedbor" bit that seems to be a type of auger bit.


Mitch,

I bought a set of Irwin 'Speedbor' augur bits with the center screw ..... and I would skeptical of them for drilling dog holes in a hardwood bench 'cause the metal is very soft and the spurs degrade quickly .... and I definitely would not attempt to use a larger "Speedbor" bit with a powered drill 'cause the center screw pulls the spurs/bit way too aggressively into the wood, leading to wood splintering, a suddenly stalled bit and a very sore wrist.......perhaps if you used a hand brace it would be ok (but that would be a lot of manual work).... I'm "not impressed yet" with this line of bits

...but like others have suggested, I would recommend a Fostner bit, a high quality brad bit (with 'lipped' spurs to get a clean entry with no tearing of the wood surface) or a router bit....... and a good means of establishing a 90 degree vertical hole and perhaps a homemade drilling template to ensure that pairs of dog holes in the same orientation are equally spaced so that you can use homemade jigs that anchor in pairs of dogs in any pair of dogs ....

... also use a 1/16" or 1/8" roundover router bit to ease the edges of the dogholes with a nice uniform chamber....

good luck

michael

[Mike Brady]

I concur that an auger bit will do the job adequately; either by hand brace or with a good electric drill. Whether they go in straight is up to you. What I don't recommend is a Forstner bit in an electric drill. It is very hard to drill a straight and true hole with a Forstner bit. By design, they are meant to be steerable. That is why electricians use them. I would hate for anyone to ruin a bench top by plunging into it with their hand drill and a Forstner bit. I had good results after I switched from the Forstner bit to a new auger that was specifically designed for electric drills. It is a single spur drill and has a lead screw, of course. If you have a drill guide of some sort, better yet. I chamfered the holes after drilling, as someone else has stated.

[harry strasil]

When I made my Demo Bench, (top 4" basswood and apron 2" oak),

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/wood/bench1-1.jpg

I used a 3/4 Double Lip Auger Bit and my Beam Borer to drill the holes Straight thru.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/wood/beamborer.jpg

My current bench I am building I am using a Sioux Portable Drill and Stand with a 13/16 Forstner bit.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v81/irnsrgn/nu%20bench/drilling.jpg

[Rob Luter]

My power drill was completely out matched. I used a 3/4" Swann Auger bit and a 12" swing brace to make the holes in my 3 1/2" thick maple benchtop. It was a little bit like work, but do-able. Make sure the bit and the spurs are sharp.

[Joe Stephenson]

I made my bench with hard maple, about 1.5 inches thick. Including the skirt and end vise it has 30 .75" holes. I did them all with my father's brace and one of his auger bits. I carefully sharpened the bit, and kept it sharp throughout the job. No rushing, I just kept at it, and before too long all of the holes were done, and looked good. I made a jig to keep the bit plumb and changed sides as the bit started to exit the other side of the wood. My right biceps gained about one inch. I was about 15 years younger then, and if I made another bench now--at age 69--I might consider a power drill of some kind, especially as my right bicep is now a unicep, a story that I won't relate here.

I enjoyed making the bench, and it turned out well. As I recall, the maple top cost less than $150 from Woodworkers Supply. Even 15 years ago I doubt that I could have found the maple at that price.

Cheers,

Joe Stephenson