# Using an auger bit in a drill press.



## ashahidan (Dec 1, 2009)

I was told I could use an auger bit in a drill press to drill large holes in hardwood.
I have tried it and the bit got jammed in the hole as the screw tip of the drill started to dig in. To avoid this happening I drilled a pilot hole in the wood so that the tip couldn't screw itself into tje wood. Then Ii removed the drill and fixed a large diameter auger bit to complete the drilling.The wood was securely held in a drill vice so that the pilot hole and the auger bit tip would be aligned.

I found this a good solution to the problem of an auger bit getting jammed in the hole. I would like to know if any woodworker had tried this before.

Shahidan


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

I do things the same way, drill a pilot hole large enough for the screw and it works just fine. I shouldn't tell this but the first time I didn't drill a large enough pilot hole, the top of the screw caught and for about 1/100 of a second things got very exciting. My thumb was black and blue for a month. Moral of the story… make positively sure the pilot hole is larger than the screw!


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## ZacD (Aug 1, 2013)

I think it is generally considered bad practice / dangerous to use an auger bit in a drill press, just as Rick has demonstrated through his own experience. Auger bits are best used with a brace or possibly in a hand drill where the speeds are much slower and the rate of feed can be easily controlled.

Auger bits can exert a very large amount of pressure along its cutting radius, which is why they are great for boring holes quickly. However, while you may get away with using one in a drill press, the risk of damaging your machine by pulling the chuck off the spindle or worse, the risk of damaging yourself, if the bit catches and turns your work piece into a rotary finger basher, seems to great for my interests. I prefer to stay on the safe side of things.


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## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

might be safer to take off the drive belt
and wind a rope around the pulley

work it like an outboard motor


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## ashahidan (Dec 1, 2009)

Rick. I think as long as the wood is held fast in a vice it would not become a windmill. 
I don't know what other drill bit could bore a one and a half inch diameter hole.
Also I have to admit that I no longer have the strength to twist a brace to bore a large hole with an auger bit. that size.
I also agree with ZacD the danger is there but is there any choice?


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## dhazelton (Feb 11, 2012)

"I don't know what other drill bit could bore a one and a half inch diameter hole."

Spade bit? Forstner bit?

Augur bits are designed to pull themselves into wood and displace the shavings at slow rpm. If you push on the bit it will not cut - if you let it pull itself in it works great. When using with a hand drill I do short slow bursts.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

The piece was clamped to the table and braced against a fence but apparently my drill press has enough torque to overcome that. The bit was a forstner with threaded tip. It isn't something I do very often but I don't have a regular forstner in every size.


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## Tim457 (Jan 11, 2013)

Forstner bits are made up to 4" at least. Not real cheap, but cheaper than the emergency room. Spade bits are a lot cheaper and are good up to 1-1/2" which is about all you'll get most auger bits up to anyway.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

Lots of things are dangerous if you are careless which I was when I drilled the pilot hole too small. If I have gone through life never doing anything that could result in injury I can't imagine how droll my life would have been … would never have jumped from a plane, never rapelled from a helicopter, never played football, never ridden a carnival ride, never used a tablesaw, never climbed a mountain, never driven a car, sure as hell would never have ridden a motorcycle. The point being all this safety nanny business is itself very droll and frankly insincere.


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## rhford (Aug 28, 2013)

I'm all for pushing the edge on things that have an element of danger (skydiving, bungee jumping, etc.) but this one has all the earmarks of someone's last words being "Hey Cooter! Watch this!!!" Auger bits are simply not made to be driven under power and doing so = bad idea in my book.


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## kaerlighedsbamsen (Sep 16, 2013)

I once learned from a carpenter that auger drills work in a drillpress or with a large handheld drill (with 2 handles) if you grind down the thread on the screw on 4 sides so that it resembles a ponted pyramid with a little thread left on the corners. This will center the bit but not make it drag too hard into the wood.


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## ZacD (Aug 1, 2013)

Woah, this really isn't a case of taking chances to live life to the fullest Rick. This is much more of a case of taking unnecessary risk, aka cutting corners, where better alternatives exist. I just don't think it is wise to suggest to people that putting an auger bit in a drill press is all good, when it isn't generally suggested as a safe practice and could have some serious consequences should something not go as planned. If you feel comfortable doing it, by all means, charge on. I think you're passing over better tools that exist to do the job of boring large holes with a drill press, and I hope others will seek the safer tools instead. There should be absolutely no reason that a tool, if used properly, should send you to the hospital or injure you in any way.


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## wiswood2 (Apr 12, 2008)

file the treads off the tip and then it can not pull.
Chuck


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## pauldye (Sep 10, 2012)

I use a hole saw when I need larger diameter holes drilled. I find hole saw are easier to use in a hand drill. It will still work for the drill press. It either case, I have not found them to be dangerous.

For really big diameters, try a circle jig on a band saw.


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## WayneC (Mar 8, 2007)

There is a hand tool for pretty much everything.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

My brace won't grip round bits. And I don't remember suggesting it was safe, my post made it clear otherwise, just that it will work if you drill a proper sized pilot hole. I speak for myself and I'm all for individual responsibility.


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## Tim457 (Jan 11, 2013)

Rick totally agree you can't go through life avoiding everything dangerous. But I also agree with the other guys here that when easy safer alternatives exist, there's no reason to take the risky route that has no benefit. I've jumped out of several planes, climbed decent rock formations, and done plenty of other fun stuff. I won't call a 9,000 foot peak that you can make it up in hiking boots mountain climbing, so I can't say I've done that. Wouldn't turn it down though.


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## Grandpa (Jan 28, 2011)

yeah, auger bits are made for hand braces. Drill presses don't need the threaded tip to pull it into the wood. Anytime you use a drill press, you also need to secure the material being drilled to the table with clamping devices. There are better choices out there to use in your drill press if you don't want to grind or file the tip into a smooth point. invest in some of the proper bits for making this hole with a drill press and you will be happier in the long term.


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## Pimzedd (Jan 22, 2007)

When I was in high school, a guy came into class and asked the brand new teacher if he could drill a hole. They guy had not had woodshop. He put an auger bit in the drill press. At some point after turning on the drill press, the auger bit bent at a 90 degree angle and ripped the palm of the guy. Lots of blood and lots of stitches.

Good *sharp *auger bits in a brace will do the job without a lot of effort.


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## crank49 (Apr 7, 2010)

Nice looking brace Wayne.


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## WayneC (Mar 8, 2007)

Thanks Michael.


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## UpstateNYdude (Dec 20, 2012)

Forstner bit or if you're looking for a cheaper route use an Irwin Speedbor MAX.


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