Soft Wood Auger Bits

[Joe Tilson]

Does anyone make auger bit sets for soft wood anymore? I have looked in nearly all the catalogs and online with no results. I am going to Ace in a little while to look at the Irwin fast track bits. I am tired of going to flea markets and antique stores and finding mostly junk or mixed sets of what ever they can throw together. Any help or suggestions are appreciated.

[lowell holmes]

Look here.

https://www.homedepot.com/s/auger%2520bit?NCNI-5

[Joe Tilson]

Sorry Lowell, I've already looked at all of these. The ones I am looking for have a larger thread, instead of the fine thread used today. As an example, 13 threads per inch verses 8 threads per inch. I want ( like in days of old ) something that will bite into the wood rather than stripping out.
Thank you just the same.
Regards,
Joe

[Frank Pratt]

Any of the home centers or hardware stores carry them, up to about 16" long. Lee Valley has a selection of auger bits. Just about any electrical distributor will have 16" auger bits, but usually only a few sizes in the 1/2" - 1" range.

[chris carter]

If you mean Irwin bits, I believe Irwin still makes them. The quality is reportedly not so good though. But if you bought them on Amazon or something you could just keep returning until you got ones that weren't defective.... A lot more trouble than buying used though. When I bought a half set of matched Irwin style bits there were plenty of options on the bay and it took me less than a week to find a set in extremely good condition for a very fair price.

[Brian Hale]

Have you looked at Jim Bode Tools, he always has a few sets for sale

[Joe Tilson]

Fellows,
Back in the day they made two styles of auger bit, one for hard wood and one for soft wood. I am looking for a set of soft wood bits which have a wider thread in order to bite into the softer wood. All I have been able to find lately is a finer thread auger bit. The fast track bit from Irwin strips out in some soft woods. It seems I need to talk to some of the older woodworkers back in TN. Lookout Clear Branch old Til is coming home. It use to be young Til. Thank you for your responses.
Regards,
Joe
Thanks Brian I'll give him a try.

[Steve Voigt]

Joe, a lot of knowledgeable people recommend the Wood Owl bits. I have not used them, but they might be worth a look. LV sells them and the have a free shipping event through 1/7.
As an aside, the claim that Irwin pattern bits are for softwood and Jennings pattern for hardwood is debatable…IME both types work in hard and soft woods. I've been using a vintage set of Irwins for years in all types of wood. If the screw strips out, it's usually because the cutting edges need attending to--if they are not sharp enough, the back pressure will cause the screw tip to pop out.

[Derek Cohen]

While the lead screws are intended to differentiate soft- and hard woods by their degree of fine/coarseness, you can circumvent this by using a trick for drilling hardwoods with a brace, especially large bits: first drill a pilot hole for the lead screw. 1/16” is good. This allows the screw to use the pilot hole to pull itself through the wood, rather than having to both cut and pull. The screw thread is no longer a factor. The sharpness of the bit is all important.
Regards from Berlin
Derek

[Derek Cohen]

Joe, a lot of knowledgeable people recommend the Wood Owl bits. I have not used them, but they might be worth a look. LV sells them and the have a free shipping event through 1/7.
As an aside, the claim that Irwin pattern bits are for softwood and Jennings pattern for hardwood is debatable…IME both types work in hard and soft woods. I've been using a vintage set of Irwins for years in all types of wood. If the screw strips out, it's usually because the cutting edges need attending to--if they are not sharp enough, the back pressure will cause the screw tip to pop out.

I have sets of both Jennings (always liked these the most) and Irwin, but now use WoodOwl – on the right for a brace, and Star-M on the left for the drill press (for staked legs) ..

https://i.postimg.cc/3NVv9T4y/Drill-bits2.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/1XfFptth/Drill-bits1.jpg

WoodOwl for the brace have 3 cutting edges ..

https://i.postimg.cc/FHrtjHN8/Owl.jpg

Regards from Berlin

Derek

[Steve Voigt]

Hey Derek,
Are the wood owl bits soft enough to sharpen with a standard auger bit file?

[chris carter]

To Joe, what do you mean by “Irwin fast track bit”? I tried googling and didn’t find anything. I have a set of Irwin hand brace auger bits and pull them through either hard wood or soft wood without problems. They have the same coarse threads I’ve seen on all other Irwin bits.

To Derek, I continually see people praising the Wood Owl bits; are these the “ultra smooth” ones? Additionally, are you using a hex adapter in the brace or just chucking them up directly into the brace?

[Derek Cohen]

Hey Derek,
Are the wood owl bits soft enough to sharpen with a standard auger bit file?

Steve, I have no personal experience ... yet. I have moderate use with them to date, and no need to sharpen. However .. I have seen Ishitani (on YouTube) sharpening the Star-M bits with a file, so the answer is likely to be yes.

Edit to add: I see on Timberwolf Tools, link earlier, that they offer a "Feather-Type Resharpening File" for the Wood Owl bits.

Regards from Berlin

Derek

[Derek Cohen]

T....
To Derek, I continually see people praising the Wood Owl bits; are these the “ultra smooth” ones? Additionally, are you using a hex adapter in the brace or just chucking them up directly into the brace?

Chris, yes .. these are the ultra smooth type.. Also yes to using them directly in the braces (North Bros Bell System).

Edit to add picture ...

https://i.postimg.cc/kXdPgyZn/Drilling3-1a.jpg

Here is a link: https://www.timberwolftools.com/woodowl-ultra-smooth-tri-cut-augers

I purchased the Star-M from Workshop Heaven (UK): https://www.workshopheaven.com/shop-by-brand/star-m.html

Regards from Berlin

Derek

[Steve Voigt]

Steve, I have no personal experience ... yet. I have moderate use with them to date, and no need to sharpen. However .. I have seen Ishitani (on YouTube) sharpening the Star-M bits with a file, so the answer is likely to be yes.

Edit to add: I see on Timberwolf Tools, link earlier, that they offer a "Feather-Type Resharpening File" for the Wood Owl bits.

Regards from Berlin

Derek


Interesting…that file looks quite a bit different from a standard auger file. I suppose because the wood owl bits have 3 spurs instead of the traditional two. But at least it suggests, as you say, that the bits can be sharpened, which is essential. For me, the best thing about vintage bits is how easy they are to touch up with a file.

[William Fretwell]

You can still buy Jennings from Thomas Flynn in the UK. The lead screw point seems longer which is what you want for soft woods, only two cutters and their photo of the bit is very poor. They claim both soft and hard woods.
The price is enough to renew your enthusiasm for antiques. I picked up a lovely old set of 10 Russel Jennings on eBay recently for $65 US.

[Steve Voigt]

To Derek, I continually see people praising the Wood Owl bits; are these the “ultra smooth” ones? Additionally, are you using a hex adapter in the brace or just chucking them up directly into the brace?

Not Derek, but…it looks like he's got several 2100 or 2101 (North bros/Stanley/Yankee) braces with Universal chucks in that cabinet. Those will take round and hex shank bits. I have a Stanley/Yankee 2101A and it's my go to brace. There are other brands that will take round and hex shanks, but many don't…I'm guessing the nice Frey brace I see in Derek's pic won't, but I could be wrong.
Excellent thread on braces here, from the heyday of SMC: https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?94515-Brace-amp-Bit-Which-model

[David Eisenhauer]

grandpaslittlefarmdotcom has sets of older auger bits in various brands, etc for sale and may have the soft wood version you are looking for Joe. They seem to process lots of bits so maybe they could come across a set of the soft wood versions if you let them know what you want. Worth a try.

[steven c newman]

Come on over, and take your pick...
423066
Might have a few "extras"....and, you can even try them out, first.
423067
In the wood or your choice....
423068
Sizes range from #3 up to a #22....
Come and pick a few out.....always welcome visitors to my shop....

[Joe Tilson]

Wow! I did not expect this kind of response. As to fast track bits, I saw it in a website sometime this AM, and cannot remember where. I think they were referring to sort of a universal type thread on the tip. The wood owl sounds like what I need, and I will check them out. Thanks to Steve and Derek for their information. The pictures were what I needed to see.
Sorry for getting back to you so late, I had to do some honey do and meet a fellow for a nine hole round of golf. I did not do well today, to head off any questions.
Thanks,
Joe

[Jim Koepke]

Joe,

Are you looking for specific sizes or a whole set?

You have likely seen this > https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?131238 < A Bit About Augers.

jtk

[Joe Tilson]

Derek,
Do you use your wood owl bits with hand braces shown in your pictures.
Just checking. All I've seen on you tube etc. is with an electric drill.
Thank you for all your input.
Regards,
Joe

[Derek Cohen]

Joe, I use all forms of drilling. There are times where each has an advantage.

I have reach for the brace with angles, such as mortices for staked legs and stretchers (see earlier photo). Also for large holes (3/4" and up), such as dog holes. The Wood Owl have been used for about three years now. Prior to this, I used Jennings. What I notice with the Wood Owl is a faster cut, and a cleaner entry hole. I was happy with the Jennings, but became curious after the recommendations made by Chris Schwarz.

Recently, I purchased a very good drill press, and the Star-M (also made by Wood Owl) are due to be used for staked mortices this way (they were purchased and received just prior to my current Europe vacation, and I have not had the opportunity to try them out). These bits do not have a lead screw - if you have ever attempted to use bits with lead screws on a drill press you with understand this comment! Why the Star-M? Again, curiosity after viewing Ishitani on YouTube using them to drill staked mortices. To date I have used the Wood Owl for this task in a brace. I am currently building a table with staked legs and I have 9 staked chairs and stools to build in the near future.

The cordless drill gets used for pilot holes, screws, and other small diameter drilling. I have a couple of egg beaters, and I have used them in the past, but eventually decided that they were really only useful for very fine, shallow holes, such as in hinges. Hence a couple of cordless drills. I think the last time I used an egg beater drill was a few years ago. The cordless are not just less effort, but more accurate.

Regards from Berlin

Derek

[Joe Tilson]

Many thanks to all. I did order the Wood Owl set of bits from LV. My golf partner had some of the auger bits I was looking and just happened to have the one sought.

Derek,
I hope you have a wonderful time in Berlin. One of our granddaughters went over last summer and really liked it.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Regards,
Joe

[lowell holmes]

Late to the party, for others looking see this link.

https://www.hidemysearches.com/search?eq=7Nl4zGRUyr19NM%2fDe1B5h5MdEGnyCP3gAZBgY9 z8l9c%3d&ett=1&ptc=://mail

[Prashun Patel]

Wood Owl does get a lot of great reviews - except in one case.

His conclusion is that these are not the best choice for steep angles or in hardwoods.

I guess this supports your decision. It's an interesting read anyway.

Google "elia bizzarri testing wood owl bits"

[Jim Koepke]

Late to the party, for others looking see this link.

https://www.hidemysearches.com/search?eq=7Nl4zGRUyr19NM%2fDe1B5h5MdEGnyCP3gAZBgY9 z8l9c%3d&ett=1&ptc=://mail

Lowell,

They hide your searches. This is what comes up from your link:

423268

Www.hidemysearches.com even hides them when you try to share them.

jtk

[lowell holmes]

Check this site

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=brace+bits&hvadid=78615132775688&hvbmt=bb&hvdev=c&hvqmt=p&tag=mh0b-20&ref=pd_sl_1ufrxkx6lq_b

[Joe Tilson]

I got the wood owl bits from LV today. Tested them on some pine and they worked great. I will further test them another day(tomorrow). My wife has asked me to do something for her right now. I tested the 3/8" in pine with a MF 732 10" brace and it worked very well. So far I would recommend them, because of the clean and straight boring they do.