Auger Sharp

[Shrubs]

I've got a strikemaster lazer mag that badly needs a sharpen. Hopefully before tomorrow.

At the local sports store they sell a product called auger sharp which is made by accusharp. If anything like the knife sharpener it should do a fine job but I'm unsure if it will work on the curved style blades the lazer mags have.

Anyone know for sure?

Thanks,

[Alex K]

Hi Shrubs,

Save yourself the grief and go buy a new set. I have tried to sharpen blades on my hand augers and power augers and it just ends up making them worse. Now with that said I am probably doing it wrong but that is my experience. for the price of new ones I couldn't be bothered anymore.

Alex Kreis

[huntin'fool]

Hi Shrubs,

Save yourself the grief and go buy a new set. I have tried to sharpen blades on my hand augers and power augers and it just ends up making them worse. Now with that said I am probably doing it wrong but that is my experience. for the price of new ones I couldn't be bothered anymore.

Alex Kreis

X2, just went and picked up a set for my Normark 6" hand auger for 25 bucks. It now only takes 30 seconds to drill through 15 inches of ice. I, like Alex, have also attemtpted to sharpen and re-use only to find my sharpening made the blades worse...but like he said, I'm probably doing it all wrong.

[FisherPotch]

X3

If there is an art to sharpening these things I'd like to know it!!!

Anybody know the art?

From my understaning because they use lasers to put the edge on these blades conventional methods dont work. Not sure why, just what I was told.

[seahawkfisher]

for the price, i change my blades every season, keep the last season ones as backup; never had a problem even through gull-at-the-end-of-feb thick stuff (i use an 8" hand auger)
cheers

[BEL]

I picked up a Jiffy auger sharpener last month and it worked great. Would it be good for other brands, I don't know. BEL

[Okotoksangler]

X2, just went and picked up a set for my Normark 6" hand auger for 25 bucks. It now only takes 30 seconds to drill through 15 inches of ice. I, like Alex, have also attemtpted to sharpen and re-use only to find my sharpening made the blades worse...but like he said, I'm probably doing it all wrong.

where did you get an auger for 25 bucks?

[308 man]

Very simple to sharpen by hand. Have sharpened my jiffy for 8 years now same blade. Just get a fine small stone and only on the top do not even have to take the blade of of the auger, only needs a few strokes and just 1 stroke on the underneath of the blade to remove the burrs gently does it.
The blades on the jiffy do not seam to be of very hard material so does not take very long, also worked on my hand auger when I used it before the jiffy.

[AxeMan]

Blades can be sharpened with excellent results.
See thread http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=26825&highlight=auger
I don't feel that Accusharp is the answer. The top side of the blade must be sharpened only and just the burr removed on the bottom. Some blades may have to be shimmed slightly to correct the cutting angle. Refer to the thread I listed. Some excellent info in there.

[Hammer Handle]

Go get yourself some sand paper 100 or 120 grit run it along the curve of the blade to take the burr off. This works great as long as you don't have any dings in the blade if you have dings in your blade this may not work. Be careful not to change the blade angle all you want to remove is the burr.

[Cal]

When I was a kid I dulled a new set of blades by hitting a sand bottom, got them sharpened up with a file and a whole lot of elbow grease and I think they are still on that auger which I still use. Like everyone else says just sharpen the tops of them, shims may be required. I bet you could do it with a grinder as well, you would just have to be very carefull not let the blades heat up too much. Lightly make a pass and dip the blade in water between strokes, if the ground edge turns a dark blueish color you've got it to hot, might still work for a while though. If you get it too hot you can also try heating it till its a dull red and then cooling it in oil. I have no idea what that last suggestion would actualy do to auger blades, I've used it to harden and temper all kinds of steel though and its what I would try if I realy screwed my blades up.

[huntin'fool]

where did you get an auger for 25 bucks?

Read the entire sentence Okotoks.

[Shrubs]

Well had no choice but to try and sharpen them as our sports store doesn't carry strikemaster blades and I wasn't going to try the city for them this weekend either. I figured there was nothing to lose as the neighbour offered to lend me his Jiffy as a backup and if worse came to worse I'd have to get new blades later on anyways.

I decided against the auger sharp and went with a pen style diamond sharpener. With the blades in a vice I carefully sharpened them as best I could trying not to change the cutting angle to much. Quick buff on the non machined edge to remove burrs as suggested, off I go to Burnstick.

Might as well mention that I saw a cougar run across the road just past the Beaver lake access. Pretty cool I thought.

Anyways started her up and she's cuttin good. Did six holes and I'm pleased so far. I think I changed the angle a touch so it's cutting more aggressive but it's really smoothe. I am interested to see how long before I have to touch it up.

Caught lots of little perch.

Thanks for the replies. Gonna hit gull tommorow and see how the edge holds up.

Shrubs

[linecook]

I tried to sharpen my own blades... ended up being a horrible idea. Went to Eagle lake on Sat. at 7 am and couldn't get 3 inches in the ice. Went back to Strathmore and Canadian Tire didn't have any replacement blades... went to The Fishin Hole in Calgary and they didn't have any replacement blades... ended up buying a new Eskimo 8 inch auger. Got back to Eagle at 11.... After all that I didn't even get a bite.

I don't recommmend the Eskimo maunal auger, it was a lot of work to drill through 2 feet of ice. I do recommmend the Normark auger. Brand new I could get through 2 feet of ice in less than a minute.

[BUD]

Get a round piece of wood dowling 1in , then glue on a piece of heavy leather , rough side out , then rub a heavy load of sharpening compound on it , then put your blades /one blade at a time in a vice or vice grips , then gently but furmly stroke the blade going one direction only from back to front on the angle side.
A few strokes will bring it back to razor , l do mine after 6 uses .
.After your done finish it of by strapping the blade with the smooth side of a piece of leather with no compound , ya might wanna make up another short piece with the smooth side out , carry them with you in a ziplock with the compound , always be sharp.

[Nerdapres']

This will be the last time I type this, unless some asks me directly.


Carbide Saw Service - $8 will get you the sharpest blades ever. Way sharper than brand new.

My 8 inch hand auger cuts through 24 inches before most dudes have their gas augers started.

[bubba 96]

Also western saw in calgary sharpens blades, take mine in every year, 8 bucks a blade..

[FisherPotch]

This will be the last time I type this, unless some asks me directly.


Carbide Saw Service - $8 will get you the sharpest blades ever. Way sharper than brand new.

My 8 inch hand auger cuts through 24 inches before most dudes have their gas augers started.

Interesting......

Thanks for all the info fellas

[Hunter Trav]

Go get yourself some sand paper 100 or 120 grit run it along the curve of the blade to take the burr off. This works great as long as you don't have any dings in the blade if you have dings in your blade this may not work. Be careful not to change the blade angle all you want to remove is the burr.

I wouldn't even bother removing the burr, the ice will take care of it after a couple of holes. I doesn't take much to sharpen the blades anyways, unless you really ding them up, it should just take a few strokes with a fine stone, and they should be good as new. If your changing the angle of the blade, your overdoing it bigtime. Just rest the stone on the blade at the same angle, a few quick strokes across the entire length of it, and your done. :cool:

[Cal]

Hitting a sand bottom can mess them up big time I think the sand grinds the angle on the botom side completely wrong and then your realy have your work cut out. Your probably right that you dont need to take the burr off the botom but a knife that has no burr on the edge sure seems to stay sharper longer, I think when the burr breaks off it leaves less of an edge than when it is carefully removed.

[jrs]

Brand new Strikemaster Mora 6'' or 8'' hand augers for $30 at Red Deer UFA, with blades. Thought I'd mention for those needing a spare auger or for helping someone else who's getting into ice fishing. Great deal.

[Hunter Trav]

Hitting a sand bottom can mess them up big time I think the sand grinds the angle on the botom side completely wrong and then your realy have your work cut out. Your probably right that you dont need to take the burr off the botom but a knife that has no burr on the edge sure seems to stay sharper longer, I think when the burr breaks off it leaves less of an edge than when it is carefully removed.

Yes a knife with no burr does stay sharper longer, but were not talking knifes here. Auger blades are a different beast altogether. When I was first learning to sharpen my auger blades, I figured it was best to just quickly remove the burr, a quick stroke across the blade with the fine stone was all it took. But the auger wouldn't cut worth a crap after I did that. I searched around for some info, and the best advise I got was to sharpen one side and leave the burr, as it will help the blades dig into the ice. I started doing this, and my auger has never cut better, even when it was new out of the box. And as for the burr breaking off, there shouldn't be enough of a burr that when it comes off it damages the blades. If you have that much burr left, you've sharpened it too much. I think most guys fail at blade sharpening because they go way overboard when they do it. It really doesn't take alot to get them sharp, especially if you do it every 3-4 trips out, and dont beat your blades up. :)

[Shrubs]

Yes a knife with no burr does stay sharper longer, but were not talking knifes here. Auger blades are a different beast altogether. When I was first learning to sharpen my auger blades, I figured it was best to just quickly remove the burr, a quick stroke across the blade with the fine stone was all it took. But the auger wouldn't cut worth a crap after I did that. I searched around for some info, and the best advise I got was to sharpen one side and leave the burr, as it will help the blades dig into the ice. I started doing this, and my auger has never cut better, even when it was new out of the box. And as for the burr breaking off, there shouldn't be enough of a burr that when it comes off it damages the blades. If you have that much burr left, you've sharpened it too much. I think most guys fail at blade sharpening because they go way overboard when they do it. It really doesn't take alot to get them sharp, especially if you do it every 3-4 trips out, and dont beat your blades up. :)

Took the burr off on my blades and it worked pretty good. I was very careful to not apply much pressure at all and angle the sharpener so it was flat on the blade.