Sharpening and restoring vintage auger bits | Part 1
Spiral auger bits are one of the great achievements of the hand tool era. It's not uncommon to find sets of rusty vintage auger bits that are in poor shape. The majority of vintage auger bits I find have been filed improperly. Many of these bits were passed down for multiple generations and I think the art of filing auger bits was largely lost in later generations as electric tools took over in the middle of the last century. Luckily, with a few tricks it's possible to bring almost any auger bit back to perfect working condition and preserve them for future generations. In this two-part video, I'll sharpen and restore vintage bits from Irwin, Russell Jennings, and Millers Falls.
My goal in tool restoration is to make the tool clean and functional while preserving all of the unique signs of its age and history.
I’m the middle of restoring a vintage set of augers from the states and this video has covered every issue I’m having thank you!
Glad it helped !
Great video, got hours of fun ahead of me cleaning up my old auger bits now. Great detail provided
Glad you enjoyed it!
I actually have a number of auger bits and braces and have files but have not needed a thread restorer as of yet but will be getting one wirh all the old tools I've collected over the years. This was a delight to somebody taking care of these great old tools! Thankyou!
Bryan, thanks for watching, glad you enjoyed it! Many more old tools on the way.
Thank you for this video! It is the most informative and easy to follow video I've ever seen!
Thom, thank you, I'm so glad you enjoyed the video! I had a lot of fun making it.
Thanks again! My file came in today and I'm looking forward to getting all my auger bits sharp and working!
I never thought of using a thread file on the lead screw. You’re brilliant 😊
Thanks @robwoodke6592 !
Brilliantly clear and to the point. Very useful, thank you!
Thanks Tony, glad you found it useful!
I've really enjoyed your restoration videos. You're respect for the integrity of the tools really comes through and now I've got some project ideas for holiday break. Best wishes.
Thank you very much @abdossett , glad you're enjoying the channel. Good luck with your projects!
Great video. I doubt I will ever restore auger bits like these, but appreciate your knowledge and the sharing of it in a very well structured way! Subscribed!
Thanks for watching and welcome to the channel!
Really informative and helpful thank you
Glad it was helpful!
Simple and no fluff, just good stuff! I will get some eventually....
Thanks @robohippy ! Good luck!
Great videos!
Thanks!
This is just too weird. Last night after restoring my Stanley #3 Sweetheart plane, I looked at my auger bits and thought it's time to restore them and right before I turned the lights out, I set them out on the bench to remind me. This morning the first video recommended was this one. I did not say anything, my phone was not with me. I guess I'll have to believe in Karma. Thanks Handtoolworks for this timely video.
oh wow, that's quite a coincidence. glad karma brought you to the channel. that sounds like a great hand plane btw.
@@thehandtoolworks I think it might be my new favorite. There isn't much of the tool steel left on the Iron, I can see the forge weld maybe less than 1/8 inch but at 70yrs old I probably wont sharpen it enough to lose what's left. I think of the guy that wore this almost down to the nubs. I love bringing this old stuff back to life.
Best of its kind! Thanks. Great video!
Thanks @larsfrandsen2501 !
Finally got around to watching your part 1 and 2 on this and well worth it! Definitely 👍on both. I thought I had a good grasp of what was needed in sharpening old augers but occasionally I've run across problem ones where I thought the lead screw was too worn, but I see now that I'm going to have to revisit them. Based on what you've shown I think a couple are salvageable, but one for sure the business end is too far gone. Thankfully I got that one in a job lot of tools (my best yet) so it was sort of free 🙂
Thanks Tungsten! Good luck with your restorations!
Very informative..hope to see more of your restoration projects....
Thanks! More on the way
Awesome sharpening video!
Thanks @joeteejoetee !
Making these sharp and usable is the same satisfaction I get from making a plane iron shave the hair on my arms...it's weird but enjoyable...nice video!
Thanks Shannon! I feel the same way :)
Great video, thanks!
Glad you liked it!
This is great thanks, I have a decent collection of auger bits I inherited from Dad, I'm keen to restore them all, the ones that are still usable are brilliant to use
Awesome! Good luck restoring!
@@thehandtoolworks thank you!
Thank you. I have a rusty brace and some bits that need restoration. I'll keep a link to this for when I get time to do it. Thanks for posting
Thanks and good luck!
Gracias amigo por este vídeo, tengo que restaurar un taladro antiguo espiral que era de mi abuelito Laureano y no tenía idea como arreglarlo, así que este vídeo me va a servir para restaurarlo; saludos desde Chile.
de nada, suerte en tu proyecto!
very cool. I have a tonne of these and cannot bring myself to scrap them.
Thanks @markiobook8639, Good luck !
I've never seen a thread file. Nice.
Perfect tutorial
Thanks for watching!
i have ended up with a bunch of these over hte years from random garage sales and just stumbled across a handdrill to use with them. of course they are all very dull, thanks for hte video
Good luck!
I've decided the next time I clean up all my bits, I am going to use gun blue on them. I have done a few steel items that way and really like how they look and wear.
Good luck!
I rust blued mine. Turned out just fine!
Removing rust from tool steel with a wheel is one of the most satisfying things to do to relax in the shop.
Subscribed ! Thanks for this perfekt restoration video. Gruß Tino
Thanks and welcome to the channel!
Nice!
Thank you! Cheers!
Awesome
Thanks @deemdoubleu !
Thank you for your help on the cutting edge do we remove all bits ? On the spur if there rough what did you do ??
hi Bruce, if there are small nicks in the cutting edge or spurs, I would just get the rest of the edge sharp and not worry too much about the nicks. The nicks will be removed over time as the bit is used and sharpened repeatedly.
Hi I loved the video - beautifully done. So heartwarming to come across someone that takes the time to restore these incredible but simple pieces of engineering. I had not come across the thread restorer file solution for blunt lead screws/snails before. Brilliant. I've had a look on-line and they come in different standards (BSF, Whitworth etc) and I presume there is a difference in thread angle? I'm very familiar with the concept of threads per inch, but I was thinking, the right TPI with the wrong thread angle maybe won't do quite as good a job. Do you have any idea which "standard" best applies to old auger bit threads, or are they all different? Or am I overthinking this?! Kind regards and please carry on with the excellent work
Old auger bit threads typically have a 60 degree thread angle and match the UTS/SAE standard fairly well. The vast majority of my auger bits look like they would clean up fine with a standard SAE thread restoring file if needed. Wood is pretty forgiving and the tolerances here are probably not that important (compared to screw threads used in machines and the like). I usually do the bare minimum amount of filing, just enough to get the auger bit to pull into the wood, rather than trying to make the threads look perfect. Glad you're enjoying the channel!
Hiya Thanks for getting back to me so quickly - good information I'll get hold of the right file (as far as I can work out, the Whitworth files have a 55 degree thread angle, so I'm glad I asked) and give it a go
On the first bit you sharpened ,it has 2 flat cutting edges.,one on each side. And two Spurs? Do the spurs also cut or do they act like rakers on a chain saw chain? I have had many of the old bits like this ,I am going to attempt to sharpen now!.I also have a few expensive long auger bits I used for wiring homes.They are beat up from use ,they were Green Line Nail Eater Bits! I believe they only had one cutting edge and one spur though!.
Hi @gregr1672, Yes it has 2 spurs. The spurs sever the wood fibers around the perimeter of the hole ahead of the cutting edges, making it easier for the cutting edges to lift out a wood shaving and giving a clean entry hole and relatively smooth inner bore. Good luck!
👌👌👌
What's the name of the tool that you used to make the screw tread ? Can't find anywhere, keep up the good work 👍
hi valter, it's called a thread restoring file. thanks for watching!
How do I store them without worry of rust? I have seen oil paper and wax paper. What do you recommend?
I wipe them down with 3-in-1 oil and/or paste wax after every few uses and always keep them free of saw dust during storage (this really goes for all my tools). Storage in a dry space, inside a drawer or in one of the vintage wooden boxes or canvas rolls they were originally sold in is perfect. Maintaining the dark patina (underneath the loose orange/brown surface rust) during restoration is also important because it protects the steel from further rusting.
I used this video to sharpen my auger bits successfully. What a difference. Nice clean hole. I put a thick backer on the exit side to mitigate tear out. With two clamps. However, each time I did a hole, it still tore out. Hard wood. Why? Please help.
The tiniest gap between the work piece and the backer can allow tearout. I would make sure the two mating surfaces are perfectly flat using a hand plane or by sanding on a flat surface. The lead screw can also exert a lot of pressure on the backer, causing a tiny gap to open even with clamping; I would try getting the clamps as close to the hole as you can and add extra clamps if needed. Of course instead of using a backer you can always stop boring when the lead screw starts to poke out of the back then turn the piece around and drill from the other side to get a clean exit hole.
@@thehandtoolworks that makes sense. Frustrating that it's so finicky. But there you have it, two solutions. Thank you very much! Btw, I found your videos on sharpening truly excellent. Revelational in fact. Thank you
@@thehandtoolworks Hi. I have another piece of advice I'd like to ask. I am using a semi sharpened (not my best work admittedly) 3/8 bit to drill a hole whose centre is 3/4 inch away from the end of my stock. I am using round stock thats fairly wet to drill into. A project I am into. Each time I drill with the brace, the wood cracks horizontally when the bit reaches between 1/2-3/4 of the way through the hole. I am not using undue pressure, and I am going very slowly. The wood types are all different, including maple. Any advice here? I'll admit to being disappointed and a little bit frustrated. Help? Thank you.
Hi @LitoGeorge, Sorry just saw this now. The lead screw always exerts some outward pressure as you drill and can cause the wood to split along the grain if the hole is close to the end of the work piece. Auger bits with nice long nickers/spurs mitigate this because they score the wood more deeply around the perimeter of the hole as you drill. It's a good idea to clamp the end of the work piece so that it can't split when drilling close to the end. Another solution is to pre-drill a pilot hole using something like a 1/8 in drill bit or smaller, then drill the full sized hole with the auger bit (the lead screw will still be able to pull into the wood as long as the diameter of the pilot hole isn't too large).
@@thehandtoolworks thanks for your answer. I will try the pilot hole today, as I ran into the problem again just two days ago. Seems to happen in both soft and hardwoods. I'll also try the clamp, though that might prove difficult in some of the pieces I am working with. I'll provide feedback. Cheers.
What to use in place of these , difficult to get these.
for a brace or for an electric drill?
Huuuuuyyyyyyyyyyyyiiii q bien si hay de esas tipo más grandes de pulgada y media o dos pulgadas
My auger does not have the scoring part Tho it kinda has it but its towards the inside of the auger not sticking outside and even tho its sharp it just crushes all the fibers and leaves so rugged of a cut As far as i learned from your video is that the transition from snail to the cutters are not optimal other than that i really dont understand
It sounds like you might have a Scotch pattern auger bit. Those are usually for rougher work (eg landscaping timbers, construction) where the appearance of the hole isn't a big deal.
@@thehandtoolworks Now that I looked at scotch patterned augers, it looks like it. I am from Turkey so, it's unlikely the piece I have is actually made after scotch pattern but nvm. I just found it's so hard for me to turn it; even it's enough to cut me levels of sharp(2k sandpaper + stropped finish), in a soft wood like pine. Maybe my auger is small for the job, or I didn't do a good job of sharpening it right. Do you have a suggestion for troubleshooting why it might give me a struggle like mentioned above? Btw, thank you sir.
@@mizikacibalik what is the diameter of the auger bit?
@@thehandtoolworks I believe it's between 12-14 mm but didn't measured it
Does if feel like the auger is binding in the hole, ie the first few cm are fine but then it becomes very hard to turn? this could happen if someone previously tried to sharpen by filing the outside of the spurs instead of the inside. you could measure the diameter near the top with calipers and see if it gets wider a few cm down. Also, with a Scotch pattern, the corner where the spur meets the cutting edge has to be sharp or else it will crush the wood fibers instead of slicing - this is harder to sharpen correctly than a Jennings or Irwin pattern bit. To troubleshoot a bit, it usually helps to start drilling a hole very slowly and pay careful attention to how the lead screw, cutting edges, and spurs engage with the wood as they start to bite in. It can also help if you have another bit of the same type that works so that you can compare them visually and look for any differences in how they engage with the wood.
Is there any point to attempting a restoration if there is no spur?
Augers lacking a spur can actually be useful for drilling into tough end grain
@@thehandtoolworks So it's not the worst thing to have atound?
Thooth brush....are oxide......
How do you really know it's 30°?
hi @rp6879, I go by muscle memory but one could use a bevel gauge to check the angle. In general it's ok just to get the bevel angle in the right ballpark and usually you can follow the existing bevel.
It would be a lot easier to understand what you are doing if you actually spoke in stead of having to read.
reading is hawrd. Poor guy.