T Handled Augers - Post them up!

I have one that looks like that. Check the wood to the right of the thumbscrew. Check both sides. Mine reads:

S & W CO
PAT'ED
MAR 20 1888
 
Square_peg said:
I have one that looks like that. . . .
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Thanks, wiped it off a little:
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PECK, STOW & WILCOX CO.
SOUTHINGTON, CONN. U.S.A.


Square_peg said:
. . . Mine reads:

S & W CO
PAT'ED
MAR 20 1888
Click to expand...

I have a brace marked "P S & W CO". Could be that the "P" got worn off of yours? I have some other tools with the "PEXTO" mark which seems to be more common.

Bob
 
I'd bet I saw 75 or more old augers last weekend at Preston court days in Bath Co. Ky. A few were in great shape, but none followed me home.
 
rjdankert said:
Thanks, wiped it off a little:

PECK, STOW & WILCOX CO.
SOUTHINGTON, CONN. U.S.A.


I have a brace marked "P S & W CO". Could be that the "P" got worn off of yours? I have some other tools with the "PEXTO" mark which seems to be more common.

Bob
Click to expand...

Hey, thanks! Under closer inspection I do see a faint 'P' on mine. So it's Pecks, Stow & Wilcox, the predecessor of Pexto.
http://vintagemachinery.org/mfgindex/detail.aspx?id=2721
 
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Earlier in this thread there was a post about ratcheting auger handles which got my interest. Finally found one. Here it is with the detachable handle in the vertical position:

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H. L. Pratt pat. no. 438,860 October 21, 1890

1925 ad
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Bob
 
I have one with a detachable handle, but it doesn't screw into the top like that. :)
 
This thread has been getting kind of lonesome. Time to revive it!

This evening after work I sharpened my 2" T-handle auger, anticipating needing it for an upcoming project. I've described my process before on this forum but it's been a while so I'll go over it again.

When I sharpen an auger I start by filing each edge until I raise a full burr and then gently honing off the burr with a tiny stone. I file them as evenly as I can by visual inspection and verify by finger that they are both sharp.

I don't know of a way to gauge the edges of an auger aside from putting them to wood. What I want to see are uniform chips coming off each edge.

1.jpg


When I first tested this auger one side was doing almost all the cutting. So I know that edge must be higher than the other edge. I mark the high edge with a Sharpie and take it back to the vise to file it down. I blacken the edge with the Sharpie. Then file until the black is gone and go test it again. I do this until I get fairly uniform chips off each edge.

2.jpg


Once I got even sized chips from each edge I examined the chips closer. I found one side was thicker toward the center while the other was slightly thicker toward the edge. I took it back to the vise and filed an adjustment. The pair that are 'spooning' in the image below were from my final test. The pair below and left of those were the previous pair that had a fat edge and a fat center.

3.jpg


If someone knows another method of doing this and gauging the edges then I'd like to hear about it. This works fine but if someone knows a better way then please share it.
 
Square_peg said:
He does a good job but when he starts drilling (8:30) you can see that one edge is doing most of the cutting.
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I am not sure why this comment was directed to me. I agree that having both edges cut equally is preferred so no argument from me. Respectfully, I think your observation would be better served shared with the YouTube poster.
​




Bob
 
rjdankert said:
I am not sure why this comment was directed to me.
Click to expand...

Please forgive me, Bob. I didn't mean it to be directed at you. I was just using your post as a segue to the point I wanted to make (as I'm doing in this post). I wanted the forum in general to recognize the importance of having both sides cutting equally.

Obviously my own sharpening techniques needs some refinement. But I end up with a well-cutting tool.

With that last auger the cutting edge as I acquired it actually back-tapered from the edge. The end of the bit had to be filed just to bring it flush with the cutter. But beyond that I probably should have focused more on the inner edge than the outer edge.

He makes good point about not changing the outside diameter of the auger. Some of the old shop-made augers you find have this flaw in them. You can see it well by rolling the auger on a flat surface. My 2-3/8" auger had this problem. What I did was file down the upper twists of the auger until they all fell in line and didn't exceed the diameter of the cutter.
 
This one is a 1 3/8" x 24" auger that was my grandfather's. I'm using it to make some very makeshift cedar benches by a little beaver pond a couple km back in the woods.

The original handle is worn out to the point where it will be replaced and kept at home after this. I hadn't looked into sharpening augers at the time so I only removed some rust from the cutting edges which were already somewhat sharp. They will still need some work.

It is stamped with "Thomson Glasgow" and I can make out "EWL" or something further down along with a 6 or 9.



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Pretty cool! Great that it has some family history.

I have a similar cedar bench project coming up.
 
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