Auger bits and their uses.

What are auger bits?

Auger bits are power tool accessories used for drilling holes in hard and soft wood. It is easily recognizable by its unique spiral groove, which helps remove waste and wood chips. The deep groove prevents the drill bit from getting jammed, or friction from occurring during the cut. Without the spiral groove, the waste would get trapped, causing heat build-up due to the increased friction. A deeper grove results in less friction, giving a better overall performance of the drill bit.

DART auger bits also have a threaded, self-feed tip to help with extreme precision when placing the drill bit on the material and it draws the auger bit through the material. This tip helps to increase the speed and efficiency of the cut.

Auger bits can be used on all types of wood, and for a variety of different applications, such as drilling holes in walls and floors for electricians and plumbers. They are great power tool accessories for joiners, carpenters, electricians, plumbers and also locksmiths.


What is the difference between auger bits and 4-wing auger bits?

4-wing auger bits, also known as 3-wing and wood beaver drill bits are difference to the regular auger bits. The 4-wing auger bits have 4 wings as well as a threaded tip, this gives it an extremely fast and aggressive cut compared to the regular auger bit. These also cut all types of wood, but will do the cut a lot faster, and it won’t be as clean a cut.


Do auger bits fit in any drill?
NO, drill bits are not universal. It all depends on what shank the drill bit has. For example, if you have an auger bit with a hex or round shank, then you will have to use a combi drill, for the drill bit to fit in. If you have an auger bit with an SDS+ shank, then you will need to use an SDS+ drill.


How are auger bits sized?

Auger bits are usually sized from 6mm to around 38mm wide. You can also get different overall lengths ranging from 100mm to 460mm and working lengths between 57mm and 370mm.

The size of the drill bit is the cutting width, so if you used a 18mm sized auger bit, then you would end up with a hole with a width of 18mm.


Step by step guide on how to use auger bits.

1. Determine the size of the hole that you need to drill, this will affect what size auger bit you use. For example, if you were needing to drill a hole 16mm wide, you would want to use an auger bit that has a size of 16mm.

2. Make a small indent in the center of the hole you want to drill with a nail or screw point so the auger bit point can hold to the materials when you start drilling.

3. Insert the auger bit into the drill and begin drilling.

Caution: Self-feed auger bits will provide an aggressive, fast cut. Caution should be used when drilling as they can pull through the material faster than expected. Caution should also be used when drilling large diameter holes in hard wood or wood with lots of knots, as they can sometimes jam forcing the power drill to jolt, therefore two hands should be on the drill at all times.


Different Types of Flute

Many auger bits in the market come with a center rod stretching from the shank to the threaded tip, to provide strength to the bit. However, it also reduces the depth of the spiral groove limiting the speed of material removal and increasing the risk of seizing.
DART’s auger bits come with no center rod, they have been specially designed and rigorously tested for extreme strength and the deeper groove allows for rapid swarf removal.

Auger bits without a center core provide superior drilling performance, allowing for very fast drilling, without the worry of material jamming and friction occurring. At DART we want to ensure we provide accessories that have the latest technology and design, the auger bits are no exception to this.


What is the difference between auger bits and drill bits?

There is a very wide range of drill bits, and an auger bit is part of this range. Some drill bits are specific to a particular material, such as auger and brad point drill bits are for drilling wood.

Auger bits and other wood drill bits all have differences and are specific to their type of drilling. For example, auger bits are very fast and can drill deep holes, with fast removal of material. Whereas brad-point drill bits are different, they have shallower spurs resulting in a narrower hole, the flute is also more stretched out. This means that they are more suited to drilling thin holes with a more precise and accurate cut.

Flat wood/ Spade bits are also used for drilling through wood, these are more suited to drilling shallower holes, and have a very different head shape compared to auger bits. It has a broad, flat head has three points across it, and these flat bits would generally be used to drill wider and shallower holes compared to auger bits.

Forstner bits also drill through wood but are again different to auger bits. Unlike auger bits, they are spurless, so are able to drill flat bottom holes. Forstner bits are usually a lot shorter than auger bits, so are used for creating shallow holes. You would usually use Forstner bits in hardware applications, such as fitting door handles on kitchen units, or if you need a flat bottom hole for any purpose.

Overall, each different type of wood drill bit all have their own purpose when drilling through all types of soft and hard wood. It depends on what application you are doing, for what drill bit you need to use in order to complete the application and cut to a good quality standard.


DART’s range of auger bit’s

DART high quality range of precision ground auger bits provide very fast clean drilling in all types of wood.

Large Size Range –Sizes range from 6mm to 38mm in diameter. The extensive range also includes 3 different options for overall and working length: 100/57mm, 230/170mm and 460/370mm.

Shank Options – The DART auger bit range comes with the option of hex and SDS shanks. The SDS shank range is smaller, due to its low demand in the industry. DART’s SDS range only has 8 different sizes, with overall lengths of 230mm and working lengths of 160mm. Whereas, the hex range is extremely big as it includes 40 different size variations.

Cutting Materials – The auger bits are suitable for drilling through construction timber, soft (pine) and hard (oak) woods – both wet and dry, laminated chipboard and veneered wood.

Features - The auger bits have a threaded tip which help provide self-centering and self-feeding, to provide a very quick cut into any wood material. There is one main spur and one pre-cutting spur for extreme accuracy and clean cutting. The smooth flute on the auger drill bit helps to ensure there is a speedy chip removal without the bit getting jammed, and the modern geometry of the flute enables fast and smooth drilling, providing you with a very clean cut.

We love to see our DART products in action! Be sure to tag DART Tool Group on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn to share your experiences of the DART auger drill bits!

Kester Paterson | DART Tool Group