Wood Owl Confusion. Who can help?

[Davis Lunsford]

Hey all,

I'm shopping for a set of auger bits. I will often use a Bell (Yankee) brace, sometimes use a drill press, and sometimes use a hand-held power drill. If one set of bits will preform all three tasks, that's awesome. If not, I'm open to buying two different types (probably buy a half set of each).

I have a problem: there are so many bits in the Wood Owl/ Star-M family I have trouble distinguishing between them. Here's a list of everything I could find online about Wood Owl/ Star-M auger bits. Can you help me fill in the gaps and make a recommendation?

• Wood Owl Ultra Smooth Tri-Cut Auger bits. These have a lead screw, which means they shouldn't (can't?) be used with a drill press. They have three spurs/ flutes and 7/16" hex shanks.
• Wood Owl OverDrive. These have no lead screw, just a point, which makes them suited for a drill press. Can you use a bit without a lead screw in a brace? They have double flutes, no spurs and a 1/4" hex shank.
• Wood Owl 6000 Standard Combination Augers. Haven't heard much about these. Much more press on the Tri-Cut.
• Star M Auger bits (Standard). These have a lead screw with fine threads, which makes them more suitable for power drills. What about drill presses? They have a single spur/flute and a 1/4" hex shank, which is suitable for smaller drills.
• Star-M F-Type Auger bit. These have no lead screw, which makes them suited for the drill press. Can you use a bit without a lead screw in a brace? They have a double flute, no spurs, and a hex shank. (What size?). I believe these cut the entire length of the flute, which makes it easy to waller out the hole, but also easy to adjust direction as you drill.
• Wood Owl Nail Chipper. I haven't seen these widely recommended for standard woodworking.

[Derek Cohen]

I have the Wood Owl Ultra Tri-cut, and these work well in a Bell brace. I doubt that they would fit the jaw of another type.







I also have the Star M F-type bits, which perform wonderfully in a drill press ...






Regards from Perth

Derek

[Tom M King]

http://www.woodowl.com/products.htm Each product page has a pretty good description.

[Jim Koepke]

Hey all,

I'm shopping for a set of auger bits. I will often use a Bell (Yankee) brace, sometimes use a drill press, and sometimes use a hand-held power drill. If one set of bits will preform all three tasks, that's awesome. If not, I'm open to buying two different types (probably buy a half set of each).
[edited]

If you are looking for one type of bit to do it all, let me save you some time. There is no such thing.

The Bell System (Yankee #2101) brace and many others have jaws specially made to use twist bits or straight shanked bits along with a tanged bit, common to augers.

So far no Wood Owl bits have made it into my shop, maybe someday.

There are multiple sets of; auger bits, twist drills (numbered, inch size and even a metric bit), center bits, brad point bits, spoon bits, short & long twist bits with tangs for use in a brace, left hand spiral twist drills and likely a few that have been forgotten.

Of course, some get used more often than others.

Sounds like a reason to take the camera to the shop this afternoon.

jtk

[Ben Ellenberger]

I have a couple of the wood owl bits with a lead screw and a large hex shank. I use them in a brace made for square shanked bits. It is a little fiddly to tighten them in the brace, but once I got the hang of it they work great.

[Davis Lunsford]

Thanks so far, gang.

What I’m hearing is that drill press and auger are going to be mutually exclusive. Any one disagree?

Recommendations so far for the Star-M F-Type and Wood Owl Ultra Tri-Cut, but no love yet for the others.

The Wood Owl specs are a little helpful, but the marketing lingo makes everything sound perfect for everything.

Jim, pictures welcome! I have a deep wish list. Wood Owls are at the top because they’ve been recommended, but no reason to stop there.

[Jim Koepke]

Here be a picture:

Various Drilling Bits.jpg

My mind blanked on the brad point bits and they are not represented in the image.

Clockwise from the bottom left off of the styrofoam is a drill index of numbered bits (0.0135 to 0.2280), an index of fractional sizes (1/16" to 1/2" in steps of 1/64"), a set of fractional sized bits (1/16" to 1/4" steps of 1/64").

At the top on the styrofoam Is a long auger and a long twist drill with a tang for use in a brace. These are often found with the tang cut off.

The one below that has a hex end for use in an electric drill. Notice the wires at the cutting end. This is a type of bit often referred to as a 'bell hanger's bit.' After drilling through a wall or other barrier a wire can be fed through the hole and then pulled back through the wall. These were very handy during my days as a telephone installer.

The other bits from left to right are a gimlet bit. These are handy for boring pilot holes for wood screws. Next is a spoon bit. These can be a little tricky. Chair makers and greenwood workers like these because they can be used to make the bottom of a hole a little bigger which is handy for wedging.

The third bit from the left is a Cook's Patent bit. It is one of the early designs (patent 1851) of auger bits.

More about them here > https://www.georgesbasement.com/brac...tAugerBits.htm

Next is a 'Russel Jennings pattern' bit (this one is made by Greenlee) then an 'Irwin pattern' bit (made by Van Camp).

Next is a twist drill with a tang for use in a brace. Notice the tip is at a much steeper angle than bits sharpened for metal. Next to that is a bit with left hand threads. It is difficult to see this in an image. These are very handy when trying to remove a broken/stuck screw or bolt. Below the left hand bit is a twist drill bit from the handle of one of my eggbeater drills. These penetrate wood very fast.

Next is a bit for drilling ceramics. Followed by a center bit. These were well before auger bits and were often made to match a specific bit stock. Notice how big the tang is compared to the other bits.

Forstner bits are great for drilling counter sinks for washers or any other time one wants a flat bottomed hole.

Last is a spade bit. These are an inexpensive bit for fast boring.

Anyone of these bits can make a hole. Some are better than others at making clean and/or accurate holes.

For a bit more about augers, here is an old post > https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?131238

jtk

[Derek Cohen]

Thanks so far, gang.

What I’m hearing is that drill press and auger are going to be mutually exclusive. Any one disagree?

Recommendations so far for the Star-M F-Type and Wood Owl Ultra Tri-Cut, but no love yet for the others.

The Wood Owl specs are a little helpful, but the marketing lingo makes everything sound perfect for everything.

Jim, pictures welcome! I have a deep wish list. Wood Owls are at the top because they’ve been recommended, but no reason to stop there.

Hi Davis

If you look carefully at the bits in one of my pics, you will note that I also have some Star-M 601 bits ...

https://www.workshopheaven.com/star-...l-bit-set.html

These are an alternative to brad points and also best used in a drill press.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Davis Lunsford]

Thanks Derek. A combo of F-Type and Tri-cut seem like a good place to start. Do the 601s work any better or different than standard brad points?

Jim, the post you linked is great. Thanks for sharing the history.

[Derek Cohen]

Do the 601s work any better or different than standard brad points?

Davis, the 601s cut faster and cleaner.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Matthew Hills]

Thanks so far, gang.

What I’m hearing is that drill press and auger are going to be mutually exclusive. Any one disagree?

To juggle the bit/chuck interface, there are adapters out there:

https://taytools.com/products/woodow...dium=affiliate


Matt

[Jim Koepke]

Thanks so far, gang.

What I’m hearing is that drill press and auger are going to be mutually exclusive. Any one disagree?

Recommendations so far for the Star-M F-Type and Wood Owl Ultra Tri-Cut, but no love yet for the others.

The Wood Owl specs are a little helpful, but the marketing lingo makes everything sound perfect for everything.

Jim, pictures welcome! I have a deep wish list. Wood Owls are at the top because they’ve been recommended, but no reason to stop there.

Thanks Derek. A combo of F-Type and Tri-cut seem like a good place to start. Do the 601s work any better or different than standard brad points?

Jim, the post you linked is great. Thanks for sharing the history.

You are welcome, glad to help. To rewrite an old saying, when one shares knowledge with another both learn.

To juggle the bit/chuck interface, there are adapters out there:

https://taytools.com/products/woodow...dium=affiliate


Matt

If you do not mind purchasing second hand there are chucks made for using twist bits in a brace:

g2 Drilling For Latch Plate.jpg

Many of the braces made in the early 20th century and later are able to hold twist bits.

This is the small version. It will hold bits up to 1/4". My larger version will hold bits with up to a 1/2" shank.

The springs may need to be replaced. For mine the springs from an old disposable BIC lighter were used. The BIC lighters have two different sized springs. One is under the flint the other is under the gas valve lever. Be careful when cutting the springs, they can fly across a room.

jtk

[steven c newman]

Happen to have an almost full set of Twist drill bits...with the tapered, square shank like a brace drill's bit....Photo in a little bit of some of them....

[steven c newman]

I keep these 3 out....for pilot hole work....smallest one is a 1/8"....largest one I think I have is about 1/2"