steel quality in Jennings auger bits

[Acharya Kumarswami]

Does anyone know if the steel quality in the set of early Jennings auger bits is equal to that in the later Jennings/Stanley set?
Or, how would they compare? I have a chance to buy a set of either, in very good condition.
One is made before 1900, around 1880, and the other probably in the 1940s or so.

[Jim Koepke]

I have bits from all different years and have not noticed any metal quality issues with any of them.

I would buy either set based first on condition.

If the bits have been improperly or overly sharpened they could be useless.

Will you have the opportunity to inspect them before buying?

jtk

[Dan Andrews]

I don't know. Now that is not real usefull is it? However I do have some thoughts related to the question.

I have sharpened a lot of auger bits. Some definately have harder steel than others. Some bits are brittle and snap, while others will bend. Quality of the overall build of mass produced handtools peaked in the mid 1920's to mid 1930's. Metal technology as it applies to saw blades seems to have peaked in the late 1930's.

All things being equal, and condition is priority as Jim says, I would choose the 1940 bits due to the general state of metalurgy develpment by that time. The big dive in tool quality took place after WWII. 1800's is pretty early to get the best steel.