I just got the new milwaukee super hole hawg, it's cut hole production time nearly in half, except it also burns through bits twice as fast. I nead to find the best 7/8 auger bits out there. the other option is to change bits when they heat up too much, but that'd take some time out of my production. The units I'm working on now, are 8 family multiplexes, wood construction and we drill these units out each week and a half. Thanks take care Brian

Greenlee Nail Eaters -
http://198.247.193.8/wwwroot/greenlee/holemaking.pdf

Check out Page 52.

They're quick, durable, and _go_through_ nails without dulling too badly, like a regular auger bit. They also come in different lengths for cross-drilling, or going through sole plates.

I'm with Doug on that one.

The contractor I work for uses Lennox auger bits (white with a blue wolf) for our primary auger bits all 1 1/8 or 7/8 we do log homes as our primary contract so 4-5 feet in 1 continuous hole is usual. Sharpen only when hit a spike or sinker nail!! we are still looking for a good holesaw bit or forstener bit set. We have recently gone to the super hawg as well- love that machine, it replaced the regular hawg hands down, a 2-3 minute hole is now 45-55 sec. chips fly now!! annual hawg burn up at about 2 a year - superhawg has gone year and half only tore out 3 handles on the head.

[This message has been edited by sparkystudent (edited 04-15-2004).]

I have found the Greeblee and Lenox auger bits to be quite good.

Sparkystudent,


If you are "burning up" that many hole hawgs in a year, then they are getting some serious abuse. Have you been tossing them or getting them rebuilt? $700 a year just on drills seems like an awful waste.

Peter

I have used a regular hole hawg for a long time, what are the differences?
and what price range are the supers

Lenox, hands down. We've even been using a dremel to sharpen the screw when it gets dull, and getting way more time out of them than the Greenlee bits.. For the holes over 1" now were using Greenlee "Mod" bits with the 6" extension, seem to break the worms on them quite a bit though.

GreenLee all the way! All my guys have tried virtually every auger on the market and we conclude that Greenlees are the toughest and stay sharpest the longest. Steer clear of lesser known brands (Raptor, and most store brands).

We've also had good success with the Ideal bits, but overall like Greenlee the best.

I use Greenlee if available or the Lenox. I don't see one lasting any longer than the other.
I also don't use a bit smaller than the 1 1/8th unless clearence is tight. Makes wire pulling much easier due to the larger hole.

... ONLY Greenlee!!!!!!! They can't be matched!!! In our opinion...
Russ

greenline is the best one and i have one for over 8 years now and not even bent yet and take a lot of abuse and i run it behind the right angle drill or hevey duty cordless drill [ Dewalt ] and it hold up very nice for me for my money worth.. i did try other brands but they were not even last long for the money worth..

for any more augar bits ,etc go for greenline,, i know it cost little more than others but it will outlast other brands i went thru with it.

merci , marc

sorry for not being here for long time i was busy working

Lenox has new auger bits with the tip hardened like the klien screwdrivers. I am amazed at how much better then greenlee, Ideal etc. they work. I have taken out several nails with ease.
I have been using a Hole hawg 300/600 rpm for years!

Ob

Do you nail plate everyone of those holes when drilled through a 3 1/2" stud or are the inspectors in your area just not aware of 300.4(A)(1)?

If your aim is dead center the largest hole you could have is 1"

If you're going through bits at a high rate, maybe you are waiting too long to sharpen them. If I'm going to be doing a serious amount of drilling, I sharpen the bit before use with a small, fine cut 3 corner file & touch up frequently. Don't forget to sharpen the outside spur while you're at it.

I've been using the same 1" bit so long that I can't remember when I bought it. It is a Greenlee.

"Do you nail plate everyone of those holes when drilled through a 3 1/2" stud or are the inspectors in your area just not aware of 300.4(A)(1)?

If your aim is dead center the largest hole you could have is 1"

I don't drill across bays and I nail plate the top of the stud. Although the nail plate should be on both sides, can't do that on a outside wall no one has ever said anything.
Saying that I have never had a nail or a screw into a wire in a new construction job

Joey D, all I am saying is it is something to think about when selecting a bit, as sometime you may have an inspector that picks up on this and you may be putting in a lot of nail plates.

When I did NM in wood buildings we would always use a 7/8" bit just for this reason.



I am sure that is true, but it has nothing to do with following the code.

Bob

CT wireman we have them rebuilt about 2 times before the repair ctr tells us to forget it. lennox bits and a fine three faced file are what we have best results with.

Thanks everyone for your input! I have resharpening down to a fine science now. I really like the lenox bits, but I don't seem to be able to sharpen them easily at all. Tried grinding the outer de-burring edge off completely, actually cuts real nice now. Too much work to be cost effective. The greenlee naileater II's are real nice for resharpening, but the screw pt. seams kinda crappy. All in all I like the longevity of the greenlees, and it seems, so does everyone else. Thanks folks, best wishes!

iwire, I see your point. It could cause an issue. I have been lucky so far.

In July 2002, I sent an email to Greenlee about touching up ship augers [They’ve probably been making them for ~100 years] and heard back from them overnite. Their answer was almost unbelievable…

"We do not recommend sharpening our tools. There are no instructions for doing so."

Earlier E-C.net posts on sharpening— https://www.electrical-contractor.net/ubb/Forum1/HTML/001262.html https://www.electrical-contractor.net/Forum/Images/Auger_Sharpening.jpg

and https://www.electrical-contractor.net/ubb/Forum1/HTML/003331.html

So they do not know how to sharpen them either.

I am surprised they did not tell you sharpening the bits is very dangerous and should never be attempted but here is where you can buy a new one.