Ice Auger Drill Adapter

[tippmannr]

Went out and tried the adapter today that turns your hand auger into drill powered. Have a 6" Swede Bore auger, blades are sharp. Went through three 4Ah batteries 1.5 holes using M18 drills. Batteries where kept warm. Ice was 2' thick. Drilled like crap, 10+ minutes a hole.

Heard pretty good things about these adapters on the forum, anyone else had an experience like this? Just wondering if I should try another hand auger, or get a gas one. Don't really wanna spend $300 on a K Drill.

Thanks

[Dewey Cox]

I don't think its an auger or adapter problem.
The milwaukee drills don't like drilling big holes, in my experience.
That's why I went away from them.
I've burned out too many milwaukee drills far too fast.

I'm sure I'll have some disagreement on that, its kind of a chevy/ford debate.

[Dewey Cox]

Let me know if you want to get rid of that adapter, by the way.
I've been thinking of trying one. (With a dewalt drill)

Edit:
If its only $15, I guess I should go down and get one for myself.

[Ppb]

I bought the $15 drill adapter from Canadian tire and hooked up my p251 Ryobi hammer drill to it and couldn’t be happier. I have a 8” auger and a 4 ah battery lasts me around 10-12 holes in 15” of ice.
So I’m guessing it must be your drill.

[Chief16]

My buddy had one that he had great luck with and he really liked it. He did burn out the drill the last time he went out but that was because he was drilling 8" holes and drilled 3 in a row through ice ~15" deep.
I used it and personally did not like it as much as a gas powered auger but cannot really expect it to perform that well regardless.

[Dweb]

Dewalt brushless XR .....:scared0018:

[Etownpaul]

What kind of Milwaukee drill are you using? There is a considerable difference in torque between the homeowner compact drills and the full sized fuel brushless drills.

[spin]

Dewalt brushless XR .....:scared0018:

I picked up a Dewalt brushless hammer drill this season. Works amazing with my 7 inch hand drill. Very happy with it, especially since you can use it for your anchors too.

Is your m18 a regular drill or hammer? Might not have enough torque with the regular drills.

[Ppb]

As a side note, if you are using the adapter from Canadian tire I would suggest attaching a 10” frisbee or 5 gallon lid to your auger by drilling a hole through the middle and sliding it onto the shaft of the auger and attaching it in a way it will not come off.
A few time I’ve noticed the chuck loosening off while drilling and the frisbee has saved my auger from going down to the bottom of the lake.

[PlayDoh]

I wonder how a Dewalt 60v hammer drill would compare to the new electric augers? I’m sure not quite as well, but you could kill 2 birds with one stone, and save quite a bit of coin.
And as far as your auger taking 10 mins to cut a hole in 2 ft, I’d guess while your blades are sharp, they likely don’t have the right pitch. Been sharpened? Tried just using the hand crank?
I can’t see it, but maybe you were going too fast. I know you don’t want to go Mach 6 with an auger, yet I can’t see a cordless 18v drill having the power to do that.
If the auger don’t cut by hand, or on a powered auger, there’s your problem. Auger blades aren’t a basic chisel when it comes to the edge. Grab some new ones, specific for the auger, I’d suggest.
And the frisbee idea is the way to go, as I’ve read a few accounts of sinking flights.

[tool]

I agree, definitely something wromg with your blades. There is no way you should have to spin your auger in a hole for 10 minutes, you should be able to drill to Australia by then.

20" of ice should take no time at all.

I've adapted a 8" Mora Sweedbore to my own interpretation, (12V starter motor setup and will drill through 3' of ice in less than a minjte I would guess.

[NW Tradegunner]

My brother had an old 6" Mora hand auger. I took it and cut the shaft about 12" above the threaded joint. Then I bought an adapter from The Fishing Hole for ~$15 and turned the round end on my metal lathe down to fit in the pipe and drilled it through and put in a click pin like you'd put on a receiver hitch. Put on my 18V Dewalt hammer drill with the side handle and put it on the highest resistance setting and lowest speed setting. Took it out yesterday and drilled a couple holes in about 18" of ice. Worked great! Each hole took about 20 seconds! The only problem was starting the hole. It danced around and when it finally caught, with good pressure on the drill, away she went! I put a 1 gallon paint can lid on, between the adapter and the click pin, just in case the chuck loosened up. Worked Great!:sHa_shakeshout:

[tippmannr]

I wonder how a Dewalt 60v hammer drill would compare to the new electric augers? I’m sure not quite as well, but you could kill 2 birds with one stone, and save quite a bit of coin.
And as far as your auger taking 10 mins to cut a hole in 2 ft, I’d guess while your blades are sharp, they likely don’t have the right pitch. Been sharpened? Tried just using the hand crank?
I can’t see it, but maybe you were going too fast. I know you don’t want to go Mach 6 with an auger, yet I can’t see a cordless 18v drill having the power to do that.
If the auger don’t cut by hand, or on a powered auger, there’s your problem. Auger blades aren’t a basic chisel when it comes to the edge. Grab some new ones, specific for the auger, I’d suggest.
And the frisbee idea is the way to go, as I’ve read a few accounts of sinking flights.

Yea, kinda of decided it is the blades after watching a few youtube videos of guys drilling with the hand auger, theirs worked waaayy better. Compared to new ones in the store mine aren't quite as sharp, and have a few dings in them. Purchased the hand auger off Kijiji but the guy said it was one used once. Gonna try to strap some new ones on.

I was just using the regular Milwaukee drills, not ones that can be used as hammer drills, but they seemed to have plenty of turning power.

Thanks

[MrDave]

Check the orientation of the blades. Bet you they are on wrong, I run essentially the same and blast through the ice.

[musak4ears]

I bought a fin-bore for my drill and that cuts like a dream. Gotta hold it back as it digs. It's not your drill it's your auger. Hated my Swede-bore.

[Bhflyfisher]

Finbore 8", Clam plate adapter and Milwaukee Fuel 18v Brushless (2704). No issues, faster then any gas auger I've come across. Get a sharpening tool for your blades, touching them up briefly makes a world of a difference. I can do 15-20 holes w/ 5AH battery in 16" of ice depending on temperature and how you keep your batteries.

[musak4ears]

Bhflyfisher do you have a picture of what you use to touch up your fin-bore blades?

[PlayDoh]

Bhflyfisher do you have a picture of what you use to touch up your fin-bore blades?


There ceramic rods, used to straighten the edge. Just like a Steel you’d use on a knife.
Most places that sell augers have them.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190128/f07df08cef728e37579c894f422332f8.jpg

[lastlatvian]

Have the same auger as you but a nice Makita, drilled at spray lakes no problem through 12 plus inches, maybe ten seconds per hole max.

[Bhflyfisher]

There ceramic rods, used to straighten the edge. Just like a Steel you’d use on a knife.
Most places that sell augers have them.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190128/f07df08cef728e37579c894f422332f8.jpg

This right here is exactly what I use. The swede-bore augers have been well documented to bog down even the best drills. If you're budget minded, the finbore/laser auger bit is the way to go.

If you want something really sweet, you'd either an 8" K-drill or an Eskimo Pistol Bit, and clam plate. Even lighter. But your the auger bit is about 2-3x more expensive than a finbore bit.