# Harbor Frieght Auger Bit Set in a Brace



## Gilgaron (Mar 16, 2012)

I decided to get this set on a lark to see how it compared to my mostly worn out vintage auger bits in my brace.

The hex shank chucks securely in a two jaw brace, but when going through pine, the tip of the spur on the 1/2 inch bit actually outward bent somehow. Since these are for a power drill I'm not sure that operator error could be blamed, but maybe the physics is all wrong. 

I don't know if the tip was softened accidentally during manufacturing and the rest is properly hardened, but I would be surprised if these lived up to the claim that they could drill through nails. I'll try a few more later tonight and see how they faire. 

On the plus side, this does make me think that those Milwaulkee auger bits with the hex shank would work well in my brace should I have need of them at some point.


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## Fred Hargis (Apr 28, 2012)

I have a set of Craftsman auger bits that have that shank. These are over 30 years old and were made when Craftsman was a higher quality brand than it is today (just my opinion). Anyway, I've used them in a brace quite a bit (no pun intended) and they work quite well....I probably use them more that way than in a power drill.


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## Gilgaron (Mar 16, 2012)

I tried the 3/4 bit today through a lamination of SYP that was 6" thick. (I'm making a new block for my wagon vise)

This bit held up fine and did a good job, so there just must've been a problem with the 1/2's manufacturing. 

The only problem with the design is that the flutes don't allow chips to escape if you drill deep past the beginning of the shank. Eventually they cram full and you have to back out and clear the flutes before proceeding again. The vintage auger bits have flutes that do not close up, so you can continue drilling until you run out of shank.


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