Alternate to barefoot auger?

[Seth Wood]

**moved up here from Resources/Product Search:

With the Fuller factory lost, I'm in need of something I'm not sure I can get: a 1/2" barefoot auger.

I actually already have one, and was planning to get a second, and brazing an extension to it to drill deep holes (16"-33") in my deadwood. This way I wouldn't have to use a 33" auger/extension to drill some of the shorter holes (9-16").

So, any suggestions? I'm considering:
1) drilling all the holes with the long auger/extension.

2) getting a good brad-point bit, extra long, putting an extension on that.

3) drilling all the short holes, adding the extension, then drilling the long holes.

My favorite is #2, except I worry about that brad point wandering in the deep holes, even if they're "only" 16" or less.

[gary porter]

Seth, the Fuller factory web page says they are hard at getting the factory back up and running.
The reality of how soon that is remains to be seen but they intend to get back at it as soon as possible. You might also give Jamestown Distributors a call or one of the other folks who carry that line.
Gary

[Dave Fleming]

Geeze took ya long enough!
<insert big smiley here>

Seth, this is going to be a problem for many folks in the near future I'm thinkin'.

What might be a work around is this.
First keep in mind that a barefoot auger is NOT really a precision tool. Tips are fairly easy to spring out of shape and should be checked for this before each new use.

I would drill a pilot hole with the longest brad point drill I could get. Then have a regular JOBBERS style twist drill long length ( available from most metal working supply houses like Travers, MSC or MMC) have the point ground for wood drilling, weld extension on to it and drill.

NOTE: no matter what drill bit you are using it is IMPERATIVE to withdraw the bit fully from the hole frequently to clear chips. A long nozzle for a compressed air blow tip is ideal for this or the narrowest tip on a good shop vac is a help too.

Once that brad point has created the pilot hole as deep as it can go, unless the wood is super dence and twisty grained you should be OK.
As a check have a dowel, regular lumber yard 36 inch or longer) of a diameter just under the diameter of the hole you are drilling and use that along with a sliding carpenters square or framing square to check how straight you are drilling.
If you wish have an extension welded bye a machine shop not the local muffler welder person, on to the brad point bit. I recall Fuller had long lenght brad points in carbon steel but....

Another source for wood boring bits is Forest City Tool Co., Hickory, North Carolina.
They bought the boring tools business of Greenlee many years ago. Greenlee was the premier maker of wood boring, counterboring, step drill, multi spur tools for many years and when they closed up and sold it to Forest City, it seems like Fuller became the heirs to that type of tooling for wooden boat yards.

NOTE: it has been my practice to never buy just one of a piece of tooling always two or if used frequently three of an item.
One working, One in reserve, One being sharpened, is how I look at it.
But then I am tool rich and money poor, sigh......

[ 03-19-2003, 02:14 PM: Message edited by: Dave Fleming ]

[Matt J.]

Seth,
I've got a 1/2" barefoot auger you can borrow. Brand new, from W.L. Fuller. We'll have to arrange how to get it to you, but we can think of something.

I've got 5 of them from 5/16, 3/8, 7/16, 1/2, and 5/8 (or is that 9/16"?).

Let me know. I work in Beltsville, just NE on the capitol Beltway.

-Matt

[ 03-19-2003, 02:48 PM: Message edited by: Matt Joyce ]

[gary porter]

Seth, sounds like Matt has you covered,praise the Lord for this forum eh, but if you still want to buy some then try Advantage. They are at www.advantage-drillbits.com/woodworking.html (http://www.advantage-drillbits.com/woodworking.html)
or 407-478-2487 They claim to have barefoot augers or anything you want. If not they say they'll make it.
Gary

[Seth Wood]

Thank goodness for the forum, indeed. Matt, check your email; Dave and Gary - great advice. I'd not seen that site Gary, but it looks extremely complete. Dave, I may get an extra jobber's length bit to have on hand "just in case" things go awry.

So you're saying if the bit gets stuck 20" into the 32" hole, then I should probably NOT un-chuck it and pound away with a sledge to try to hammer it through like a giant drift?
Har har.