Types of Auger Bit: Introduction, Uses, Construction & Application

What is Auger Bit?

Types of Auger Bit: Introduction, Uses, Construction & Application :- AUGER: A wood auger is drilling equipment which is generally used for inducing holes in wood. It consists of a rotating helical screw blade to perform the operation of drilling and remove the drilled-out material. It also has a guide screw on its tip to draw the bit inside the wood without applying much force.

AUGER BITS: Auger drill bits are bits used to drill holes into wood. They are most commonly used in boring holes into bulkheads and general applications involving timber. These drill bits generally come with a built-in spiral drill bit head which, when performing the operation of drilling, is designed to force the bit into the wood under operation so we don’t have to apply extra unnecessary pressure.

Construction of an Auger Bit

Auger bit is used with a carpenter’s brace for drilling holes in wood. It is just like a corkscrew and consists of six parts: spurs, screw, cutting edges, twist, tang, and shank. The screw when observed, is like a tapered wood screw and is small and short in radius; it helps centring the bit and draws it into the workpiece.

At the end where work is taking place, there are two sharp points known as spurs, which score a circle exactly equal in size to the hole, and two radial edges which are cutting that cut shavings inside the circle generated (scored). The twist is helical in shape and does the work of carrying the shavings away from the cutters. The tang is square in shape and tapered from sides and fits in the chuck present on the brace. Expansive auger bits have blades which are adjustable with cutting edges and spurs that can be radially extended to cut through large holes.

Types of Auger Bits

1. Wood Boring Auger Bits: ( Types of Auger Bit )

This is the one of the most common type of auger bit and is used for drilling through thick pieces of wood for construction of channels for pipelines or electric cables. A wood boring auger can be defined as a spiral-shaped drill bit that is specifically designed for boring clean, deep holes into the wood. This is the standard type of auger bit which is used in DIY, and can be used simultaneously with hand drills, power drills and drill presses, etc.

Stubby wood augers are also used in confined spaces where it is very difficult or just not possible to fit a regular bit. Although being not much popular than some other wood-working bits in home, augers are most often used by construction workers, where drilling to a much greater depth is more frequently required.

2. Triple Fluted Wood Bit: ( Types of Auger Bit )

Triple-fluted wood bits are very aggressive, and are designed specifically to cut through rapidly through the wood stock where neatness is not at all a requirement. A triple-fluted wood bit is a bit which is designed for maximum efficiency of wood boring. What it does that, combines the flat cutting edges of spade bits with the wide-apart flighting and guide screws of auger bits and the steep spiral flutes of brad point bits.

The result is a very aggressive cutting tool that bores through wood very quickly but leaves an extremely rough finish on the workpiece. Triple-fluted wood bits only work simultaneously with power drills, and require a driver which is of an upwards of 18 volts in order to work efficiently. They are prone to cause tear out both on entry in a borehole and through exit from it. This means they can rip off large pieces of splinters from the surface of the wood stock, completely ruining its appearance. As such, this type of bit is generally best used for construction, or in situations where presentation isn’t a deciding factor (you might not be able to see the wood thoroughly) and you need to bore a large number of holes in a very short span of time.

3. Carbide Tipped Auger Bits: ( Types of Auger Bit )

Similar to the construction of a regular wood-boring augers, carbide-tipped augers are designed in a way that they are to be hard enough to cut through hidden nails, which would cause damage to other bits, meaning Carbide-tipped bits are likely to last for a much longer duration. Carbide-tipped auger bits are designed to resist the damage which occurs when boring through wood, that contains hidden nails. The bit features a solid nose which has a carbide insert, which is attached or detached with the help of a set screw.

The carbide tip is comparatively much harder than the steel and is used for developing nails, meaning the user can even drill through nailed-boards, like decking, not having to much worry about damaging the bits in use. If a carbide-tipped bit happens to wear down from the cutting through too many nails, the carbide insert can be removed and then replaced by unfastening the locking screw and then re-tightening it once the insert has been replaced successfully. Carbide-tipped bits are usually of L’Hommedieu structure, which itself is very strong and flexible.

4. Concrete Auger Bit: ( Types of Auger Bit )

Concrete augers are designed such that they can be used simultaneously with hammer drills. This is done because this combination is of much higher relevance in usability in the industry. They provide the plus-points that you would much likely associate with wood augers, such as highly efficient clearance of waste material and generation a neat bore hole, with the resilience of masonry drill bits.

5. Ice Auger Bit: ( Types of Auger Bit )

Ice augers are gigantic drill bits that can be powered with the help of cordless drills through the use of an adaptor. They are used to drill cavities and holes in thick ice by fishermen. An ice auger bit is a big, sturdy auger bit used to drill through thick ice to create holes for fishermen working in ice.

They can be attached to cordless drill drivers with the help of an adaptor, which fits into a 13mm (1/2″) drill chuck. 24–36-volt drivers are perfectly ideal for use with ice auger bits, but it’s possible to take use of a standard 18-volt driver, which should be able to drill upwards of at least ten holes before running out of power. If the weather is cold particularly, this may have an adverse effect on the drill’s battery, causing it to deplete rather exponentially.

Additionally, if you are drilling through an ice which is particularly thick, you may see that you get fewer holes out of the drill before it needs to be recharged again. Used on a rather low speed, auger bits are ideal for drilling through ice work, as they make a clean cut without even causing any damage to the surrounding surface present. The traction from the guide screw simply means that you don’t have to apply high amounts of pressure downwards while boring a hole.

6. Earth Auger Bit: ( Types of Auger Bit )

Earth augers are large tools that are used to bore post holes into soil. They are often used in gardens. They need a driver more powerful than a cordless drill, such as a chainsaw motor, to work. Sometimes, post holes are needed to be drilled through tarmac or solid concrete. In this case, earth augers with ‘rock rippers’ which are specially designed tips, are used to break through to the soil present below.

Earth auger bits are generally the tools used to bore holes into the ground for posting fence. Due to their size, they are often driven with chainsaw motors or supplied with their own separate driver. These large drivers function on a mixture which consists of petrol and oil rather than batteries and are designed especially for the outdoor uses. More than creating holes in the ground for fence posting, either for fences or other garden DIY projects, these tools have a rather limited use in a home habitat.