t handle auger sharpening

[Jacob Nothstine]

Pick up a 2" T Handle auger. Do you sharpen the auger like you would a smaller auger bit for a brace?
The drill shaft was painted black with spray paint. Will I need to strip just the head of the bit of paint so it works smoothly?
Thanks, Jacob258487

[Jim Koepke]

Can you post a picture or two of the cutting end of this bit?

That would make it easier to answer your question.

jtk

[peter gagliardi]

You will need an "auger file" to sharpen. I would use some lacquer thinner to get off paint, and maybe wire wheel the flutes to get smooth chip feeding.
I'm assuming you want to sharpen the cutting lips, not necessarily the lead screw. These had different thread and pitch depending on what wood it was to be used on.

[Jacob Nothstine]

Here is some photos of the bit end. I took the paint off, it's real rough might give it a dip in the electrolysis to clean it up. The threads seam good it pulls the bit into the wood but there is no edge at all for cutting.

[Jim Koepke]

This one looks like it was made without spurs to pre-cut a clean edge to the hole being bored.

On the bottom side of the cutting edge is the clearance angle. This side should not be sharpened. You may want to give it a light honing with some sandpaper or a small stone only to clean off the rust.

The sharpening should only be on the top side bevel of the cutting edge.

The fine tuning starts when you do get an edge on both of the cutting edges you want them to start cutting the same amount at the same time.

If one cutter engages before the other, it needs a little more material removed to allow the non-engaged cutter to make contact with the surface.

Uneven cutting can cause an auger to wonder, especially in the larger sizes.

Here is a post about regular augers that includes some information on how to sharpen auger bits:

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

jtk

[Jacob Nothstine]

Jim,
Thank you going to try to sharpen it up and use it.
Jacob

[Jim Koepke]

Another thought...

Do not remove metal from the outside of the bit. Let the wood do that.

If metal is removed around the perimeter at the starting end, the bit will jam when it gets to a fatter part of the bit.

jtk

[Jacob Nothstine]

Sharpen it up last night, it works but cuts like a dull brace bit. The blades are cutting even, It cuts better in ash then pine I think the treads are medium and can't pull the bit into the pine to get it cutting better. Going to clean it up better and sharpen the blades more. If it's sharp should it cut easy or will I need to still put a lot of force behind turning the handle?

[Jim Koepke]

At 2" it isn't going to be easy to drive. You could try a little wax on the outside of the drill.

If the blades are smoothly shearing the wood that is about all one can ask. Without the spurs to precut the circumference, the edge of the hole will likely be a little rough.

jtk