ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area spade bit extensions

Thanks for all the tips. I bought a 5/8 x 18" auger bit and five Rigid extensions. I will try it Monday. I also have some forstner bits, never thought about using them. They will fit my Milwaukee extensions. As far as pricey, I can price them into the job, well worth it.

Obsaleet, whenever I work on the old plaster lath houses with the plaster piled up on the blocking, I use a masonary bit. It takes longer to get thru the wood, but it doesn't get destroyed by the plaster. You can get them in a flex bit also.

Reno I'm going to try that with the pipe and the flex bit.

On the other hand, if you think there is a good chance you are going to hit a nail a spade bid is one you don't mind trashing. I am an unhappy camper when I hit a nail with a $40 ship auger.
In real life you can bring a spade bit back from the dead on a grinder in a minute or two. I have some that have been reground so many times they don't even like like a regular spade. I made one over 3' long to drill a sole plate from some allthread once (before I saw a Diversabit). It wasn't pretty but it worked.
I agree they are not very elegant and I like a nice auger but if it isn't virgin wood I will probably be using a spade.

Check out these extensions www.priceandrutzebeck.com, click on drill extensions. I have one and it is great, drilling with no ladder.

+1 on the Forstner type bits. I use them as often as augers, and they are the ones I use with extensions.

Dave

It is possible that I was not clear as to the bits I am calling "Ship augers."

The ones I have in mind have no center shank, and are also intended to cut through nails. I takes quite a few impacts to make much of a difference in how they cut. Others claim success in dressing these with a file as well.

this is a ship auger:


This is a forstner bit:

we have the forsteners in sizes down to 3/8ths

on the augers and nails... hit a few framing nails, and they'll just snap or wrap around the leader with little or no damage, hit a framing nail and you'll still be able to drill holes, it'll just take a whole lotta force, or a dremel rotary tool.

IMHE (in my humble experience)
-Will

The auger I trashed was like that but the nail knocked the edge off the tool to the point that it was gnawing through the wood, not cutting. I was using a ship auger for drilling 8" pilings and if ut isn't cutting clean it will quickly bind up. Clean chips walk down the auger and fall out, Grindings just clump up.

Speaking of auger bits have you seen the new ones by Rigid? They only have one spiral at the cutting end with a screw tip, and the rest is just a small diameter shank. They were selling them at Home Depot for $12.00 for three in a package. They are not long, only 6 inches but they do cut thru the wood fast. Maybe spirals up the whole length are not really needed, as they do clog up.


[This message has been edited by BigB (edited 02-25-2007).]

I have those bits from Rigid and I don't like them. Once the bit goes thru, because of the small shank, you have to line it up perfectly to pull it out, slows me up when drilling alot of holes.