Augers for Bit Brace

[Peter Pedisich]

Hi, new to this part of SMC...

My interest in noisy tools seems to be diminishing as I've passed the 45 year old mark, and my 7 year old son just informed me that I'm "so old school" ...maybe he's right?

For a while now I've been eyeing old Braces and Eggbeaters and staying up late reading about them on various websites.
I just purchased an older Stanley No. 921 8" Brace from Jon Zimmers, and now I need an auger or two to practice with.
I have been looking at the Traditional Woodworker dot com website (from Richardson, TX) and was wondering if they are a good place to buy these from?
Highland Hardware also carries augers with tapered shanks, although these I think are Irwins.
Also, I've been to the Fuller website and it appears their augers are either made for or by Irwin, anyone know? I'd like to buy US made, if possible...
I will be doing more carpentry, utility projects to start, no fine work yet.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Pete

[Johnny Kleso]

Best place is eBay collectable tools
The best bits are Jennings or Jennings/Stanley next Swan then comes Irwin often the best buy

Make sure they are like new and shinny and not rusty.

[john brenton]

It's good to see that they still make old school auger bits, but $150 for a set of 13 is pretty steep considering that with a little patience you can probably find an old boxed Irwin set in decent condition for a third of that price at a swap meet.

[George Sanders]

I have bought a lot of bits over the years. I clean them up using electrolysis and a wire wheel. All of them were rusty when I got them. I then proceeded to sharpen them, and sorted them by use. I have a lot of duplicates but I have sorted out 2 sets of users. One for hardwoods and one for softwoods. This has been a very affordable way for me to acquire them.

[Dan Andrews]

If you are careful, you can get a good set on ebay. For general carpentry the Irwin bits are great. Be sure to ask the seller if the lead scrws are in good shape and ask for pics of the cutting ends if not already provided, so you can see if the spurs are good.

I did not buy a complete set all at once, I bid on small lots. In the long run I think I could have saved money and time buy paying what seems like a high price for a complete set, garrantied by the seller to be all usable bits.

Also buy an augar sharpening file from Lee Valley, about $10. they are a necessity not a luxury. While ordering from LV, get whatever hand saw sharpening files you will need. Buying used files is generally a loosing proposition.

PS If you are going to use a brace, be sure to get a screwdriver bit for it. They work great on big old rusty screws.

[Jim Koepke]

There are a few things to look at when buying used bits. Here is one old post that may help:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?131238-A-Bit-About-Augers...

There are a lot of discussions about different bits and uses here on SMC, the search function can help to find many of those.

The spurs are important. They scribe the start of the hole being bored. If the spurs are too short, you will get a little break out of the wood when the hole is bored. A properly sharpened bit with good spurs will bore a clean hole.

Over time, you will find it handy to have a bigger sweep on your brace for the bigger augers. I have three that I use all the time, an 8", 10" & 16". The 8" gets the most use.

I find a lot of bits at yard sales and second hand stores. Having a lot of spares is handy. The best bits can stay home if I am off to help a neighbor or some other job.

jtk

[Joshua Clark]

Are these coarser lead screw bits more for working in softwoods?

The coarse lead screw bits were intended for very hard woods, or very soft or gummy woods. They have a single thread which gives them a lot more "bite" than the double threaded fine lead screws. If you've ever tried to bore a hole in really hard wood, like sugar maple, with a fine threaded bit, you know how frustrating it can be having the threads strip out and loose grip. The coarse screws are better for this sort of material. It's the pitch of the threads that determines the speed at which the bit works through the material. It varies by manufacturer, but the
double threaded fine screws are actually more aggressive than the single threaded coarse bits- there was a conversation about this last month over on OldTools- it was interesting in that this sort of goes against the "coarse threads for coarse work, fine threads for fine work" that a lot of folks think is true.

It's not hard to find good bits- just make sure they have good lead screws (not blunted), cutting lips, and lifters. One of the most common flaws you'll find in vintage bits is that some dolt tried to sharpen them and sharpened the outside of the lips or the top side (the side facing the screw) of the lifters. Doing either of these things is usually fatal (for the bit). Once you find a few bits, giving them a quick swipe with an auger bit file (read the tutorial posted in one of the links above!) and a rub with some wax and you'll be one your way to boring bliss :)

Josh

[Joel Goodman]

If you don't like ebay (I don't!) Sandy Moss (sydnassloot.com), Walt at Brass City Records, Patrick Leach etc. often have auger bit sets in very good condition. I have a Russell Jennings set which works well. Get an auger file to touch them up if needed -- only touch up the inside of the spurs. At the moment Walt has some Irwin sets of 13 bits. No sure the difference, aside from the center shaft on the Irwins, between the Irwins and Russell Jennings but perhaps someone here can tell you pros and cons if you are interested. Some bits are better for hardwood than others. A used set or two will be be cheaper than new and may well be better made!

[Peter Pedisich]

Thanks so much for all the helpful advice!
I will be watching online...