Large Auger Bits

[Joab Oberlander]

Are there braces that have larger openings than a standard Stanley? I found some very large bits at a flea market and the shafts are much larger than any Jennings bits. How can I use these larger bits?
Thanks for any ideas.

[Bobby Knourek]

It's a little tricky, what you have by the sounds of it is ''machine shank'' auger bits.
These like the brace bits are made from hammered flat stock, heated and litterally twisted to create the flutes.
(twist bits)
The problem is they were finished ground on a ''centerless'' grinder and to turn down the shank, at least accurately, they
should be done on centers to avoid run-out.
(it is possible, but a little tricky to dial in, and sometimes not cost effective)
Large diameter bits like these can be expensive, what size shank do the have now?
are there any flats on the shank now?

Bobby.

[Roger Davis IN]

Pexto, Millers Falls, et al made universal auger handles to clamp on big auger bits to make 'em into T-augers. You can do the same thing with a hunk of ash or hickory by working an appropriately shaped hole down through the center of the piece and driving the resultant handle onto the bit. Some were made with a steel sleeve surrounding the handle material at the center (with appropriate square holes through the steel) to keep it from splitting from the torque, and I've got a couple that had iron or steel rings driven onto the handle from each side to reinforce the wood. You'll need both hands (and some distance from the shank) to turn those big bits anyway, so lack of a brace isn't really a problem.

[Alfred Kraemer]

Joab,

I asked question about t augers on another blog and got a very good answer that might be of interest to you too:

http://dans-woodshop.blogspot.com/2010/12/millers-falls-auger-handles.html

Alfred