Augers WoodOwl Experiences? Ultra Smooth or Standard Spurred?

[Tim Nguyen]

Greeting all,
I am in the process of building my bench and have been using mostly hand tool. The long rips, repeated cross cuts, and final planing have been done by machines. With that in mind, I have bought some braces to make holes in my bench. I figured I am bound to forget a hole somewhere and my little bench drill can't handle the size of some of the pieces.

I looked around and the general consensus is modern augers are terrible. I seen recommendation for vintages GreenLee, Irwin, and Russel Jennings. Missed out on some Russel Jennings at a respectable seller. I am not keen on buying used bits that may need sharpening or have lots of rust in them. I have used the old harbor freight auger in power drills before. They work OK, but it is an effort and the blowout on the other side is like a war zone. Ugly. I looked at sets (it is always cheaper to buy set) but I am not sure I need all the odd sizes? I tend to drill 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, and 3/4 for most stuff thus far. Mainly dowels and the occasional trapezoid mortise. So I think 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, 3/4, and 1" will do me.

I have settle on a brand by WoodOwl.

Question:
Anybody have good experiences with them for woodworking? Are there other brands that should be considered?
Big set? Do I buy the 11 pieces set that covers most to 1.25". Do you reach for the other sizes often or the standard 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, 3/4, and 1"?
WoodOwl has two type I am looking at.
The standard spurred combination: https://taytools.com/collections/tools-drilling-boring-auger-bits/products/woodowl-standard-spurred-combination-aguer-bits or
the ultra smooth tri-cut: https://taytools.com/collections/tools-drilling-boring-auger-bits/products/woodowl-ultra-smooth-bits


Thanks for anyone inputs.

[Derek Cohen]

Tim, I have the Ultra Smooth Tri-cut. They are excellent. I’ve not used the Smooth version. They look to have one less cutter.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[David Bassett]

Tim, FYI TFWW has new Jennings-pattern auger bits they commissioned and sell. I'm not sure they're widely used, and they cost more than the Wood Owl bits, but the only complaint, other than price, I seen about them is they are sharp in places that don't need to be sharp leading to cuts to the user. Joel mentions this on their website and suggests "breaking the edges" with a bit of sandpaper.

On the Wood Owl line, I'm pretty sure most folks are talking about the style Derek mentions, but I vaguely remember one review where only the roughing bit was available ("Nail Chipper", or something like that,) and the reviewer said it produced surprisingly smooth holes when used in a brace. Sounds like it's hard to go wrong with this line.

[Tim Nguyen]

Thanks, I have to check out the TFWW Jenning pattern.

Edit:
Checked them out. They are nice, but rather expensive.

[Jim Koepke]

Depending on how the operator goes about boring a hole, there are not many that will not blow out the exit edges.

One habit to learn when boring holes with a brace is to count the turns when the cutting edges start lifting shavings. Then you will be able to stop just when the screw breaks through so the hole can be completed from the backside.

The other option on thick work requires accurate layout. Bore from the backside with a larger bit for a half inch or so. Then bore from the top side. What little blow out takes place will be in the counter bored hole.

The 1.25" auger is handy if you make bird houses for smaller birds.

If the top is already on the bench a corner brace can be used on the under side:

431994

It lets one work in tight places.

jtk

[Frank Pratt]

I got a 3/4" tri-cut Wood Owl to drill out some dog holes. It works very well with a nice smooth, accurate bore.

[Tim Nguyen]

That is my intended process too. I just ordered a few bits, not ready for drilling yet, but the bench it almost ready.

Thanks for your guys suggestion, seems the WoodOwl tri-cut is a good work horse.

[Derek Cohen]

To clarify which Owl augers ...

I use them in Bell System braces. Here, drilling the mortice in a rung ..

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

The working end ...

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

The augers for the brace are at the rear side. At the close side are Star-M (made by the same company), which are augers for the drill press ...

https://i.postimg.cc/3NVv9T4y/Star-M-and-Wood-Owl.jpg

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Joe Tilson]

Because of what Derek suggested to me about Wood Owl bits, I bought the same set he has pictured here. They work very well. They are all he says they are.

[John Stankus]

Derek,
Are those the the bits with the 7/16 hex shanks like Lee Valley sells? Do they fit ok in two jaw chucks? Or do they make bits with the square shank? I have a Bell System B Brace with the two jaw chuck.

John

[Derek Cohen]

John, the 7/16 hex shanks fit in the Bell System brace. They do not fit in a Spofford.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Robert Galey]

You might want to check out the Irwin brace/auger bits. They sell individual bits. I noticed they have a set, 1/4-in. through 1". as well. These bits fit a traditional(?), Spofford-style chuck. I was looking for an 11/16-in. bit for chair making. They had it in stock.

[Jim Koepke]

Derek,
Are those the the bits with the 7/16 hex shanks like Lee Valley sells? Do they fit ok in two jaw chucks? Or do they make bits with the square shank? I have a Bell System B Brace with the two jaw chuck.

John

The Bell System brace were usually a Stanley/Yankee 2101. The chuck on these is made to hold round or tanged bits. They could have claimed to hold hex bits, but at the time hex drive bits were not made.

My first out of family job was with a company in the Bell System, Pacific Telephone & Telegraph, we used 'bell hanger' bits. They were long round shaft twist drill bits. They have a hole in the flutes so a wire could be pulled through the hole that was drilled.

jtk

[Tom Bender]

Just a note on that 'careful layout' to make the rear and front holes line up; just drill a small pilot hole thru and your layout is done.