Manual Ice Auger

[chrispee]

How long does it take you to drill a hole with say an 8 inch manual ice auger through 12 - 18 inches of ice...what ever there is out there now?

[Kevin C.]

with a good sharp auger it usually takes me about 45 seconds to a minute, I use a fin bore III that has a double offset handle that allows both arms to do the cranking!

[Newspeak]

Depends on how much energy you have. I slow down the more I drill.

But I agree with above, 30 - 60 seconds. Warms you up nice too!

[Husky Jerk]

I guess I have to do a better job of sharpening the blades on my fin bore III. There is no way I can rip through 18" of ice in under a minute. It takes me at least 5 minutes to get through and by then I have stripped down to my base layer and have lost enough sweat flood out my shack. :lol:

[timsesink]

I've found a sharp balde is essential to hand augering without it it's a pain int he rear end! I keep a sharp spare in my tackle kit and when I swiitch one set out I get it sharpened immediatly

[Husky Jerk]

The auger used to be my grandfather's but I inherited it when he passed away, so I never really knew how well it chewed when it was new. I think I must have screwed up the angle of the bevel when I sharpened it. I'll sharpen it again and try 'er out thursday. If it's no better I'll stick to the jiffy.

[aulrich]

I found one of those carbide sharpeners (auger specific not just any old knife one) to be real helpful between sharpenings. I was out a while back and the auger lost it's bite 4-5 swipes and it was back to normal.

I get about 3-5 min per hole

[Jack&7]

with a good sharp auger it usually takes me about 45 seconds to a minute, I use a fin bore III that has a double offset handle that allows both arms to do the cranking!

X2...with very sharp blades. It also doesn't hurt if you're in decent shape!;)

[Paul C]

I guess I have to do a better job of sharpening the blades on my fin bore III. There is no way I can rip through 18" of ice in under a minute. It takes me at least 5 minutes to get through and by then I have stripped down to my base layer and have lost enough sweat flood out my shack. :lol: I know it is time to replace blades when ice chunks are turned to small pieces or is powder ice.
Happy Fishin :D

[JohnB]

Way too long for me; thank God the wife got me a gas one for xmas. Fishing will now be much more enjoyable.

[slingshotz]

5 min is way too long. Takes me 30-60 sec with the Nils 8". If you have to push down hard, then the angle of the blades is screwed. A properly angled sharp auger grabs the ice and the only effort you really need to do is turn the handles.

You have an auger that is razor sharp to shave with but won't cut any ice due to the angle. It's a fine art to get the angle right (takes me many attempts to come close :()

[Husky Jerk]

I know it is time to replace blades when ice chunks are turned to small pieces or is powder ice.
Happy Fishin :D

Oh it's powder ice alright. It's basically snow. :lol: No wonder people are always chuckling when they see me drilling a hole.

[rxxxm22]

:(;)in the "old days" we would have four feet or so of ice by now {Northern Ontario} we would use two guys on the auger at the same time ......with practice a pair of guys could rip through the ice in no time....

grampa and the gkids

[nevercatchmuch]

I bought a hand held 6 inch today.... It felt like 15 minutes of huffing and puffing to get through 2 feet of ice. :(

[WayneChristie]

I bought a hand held 6 inch today.... It felt like 15 minutes of huffing and puffing to get through 2 feet of ice. :(

after drilling thru over 20 feet of ice yesterday with my 8 inch manual, I hit WSS this morning and bought a gas auger. hopefully to ward off the heart attack I was sure I was going to have yesterday :lol: and man does it work nice.

[flygirrl]

after drilling thru over 20 feet of ice yesterday with my 8 inch manual, I hit WSS this morning and bought a gas auger. hopefully to ward off the heart attack I was sure I was going to have yesterday :lol: and man does it work nice.
:evilgrin:IM glad to see you've come in out of the dark ages Wayne. P.S. Does this mean I dont have to bring my auger down:wave: I will pay for some gas for you to drill some holes for me. :evilgrin: But only if they are good fishing holes, no fish, no loot:lol:

[jacob1202]

I guess I have to do a better job of sharpening the blades on my fin bore III. There is no way I can rip through 18" of ice in under a minute. It takes me at least 5 minutes to get through and by then I have stripped down to my base layer and have lost enough sweat flood out my shack. :lol:

u have a dull blade... best way to see that is how big of ice chunks are coming up... u want big ones... not just shavings... same idea as with a chainsaw and cutting wood... big chunks means sharp!!!!

[jacob1202]

The auger used to be my grandfather's but I inherited it when he passed away, so I never really knew how well it chewed when it was new. I think I must have screwed up the angle of the bevel when I sharpened it. I'll sharpen it again and try 'er out thursday. If it's no better I'll stick to the jiffy.

ive tried countless times to sharpen my blades... not much effect... new blades for a fin bore are about 26 ... saves alot of effort

[drenalinjunkie]

As most people are saying an 18" hole should be less than a minute to a minute and a half. My 8" Swede bore chewed thru in about 45 seconds. I found that a perfect 45 degree angle on the blades is the best.
junkie

[tacklerunner]

X2...with very sharp blades. It also doesn't hurt if you're in decent shape!;)

So what are you saying? You're outta shape? Heard a rumour that you just got your Jiffy yesterday.

[tacklerunner]

after drilling thru over 20 feet of ice yesterday with my 8 inch manual, I hit WSS this morning and bought a gas auger. hopefully to ward off the heart attack I was sure I was going to have yesterday :lol: and man does it work nice.

That's like 10 holes! Why don't you just drill 2 in the right spot to begin with? :lol:

[WayneChristie]

That's like 10 holes! Why don't you just drill 2 in the right spot to begin with? :lol:

oh its way more than 2 feet where I was, even Enchant was brutal. I usually pick the right 2 holes, but this last couple weeks I think Ive been facing the wrong way or something :D

[burningfreak]

Might take the average guy a few seconds longer with the manual auger, but I prefer them. Nothing will ruin a good trip quicker then only having along a power auger that wont start!

[WayneChristie]

Might take the average guy a few seconds longer with the manual auger, but I prefer them. Nothing will ruin a good trip quicker then only having along a power auger that wont start!

Ive watched more than one person go home without getting theirs started, and lent my manual out a few times to other power auger users, so I think mine will still be along for the ride, especially if its a long ride from home :D

[Jack&7]

Ive watched more than one person go home without getting theirs started, and lent my manual out a few times to other power auger users, so I think mine will still be along for the ride, especially if its a long ride from home :D

I'm with you on that one, Wayne! Just bought a used Jiffy and I'll be keeping the 8" manual as a back-up just in case.

[aulrich]

My 8" armstrong is going to go into semi retirment, A power one is in my future , but in the mean time i am gonna pick up a 6". I did the math and a 6" moves 43% less ice than a 8.

[nevercatchmuch]

my 6 inch moves less ice and it's still too exhausting. I'm a wimp! Still sore as hell today after drilling one hole on sunday. lol:huh: