Pre-Wire Drill & Bit Recommendations

[pvrfan]

... make it easier to get some push behind the bit..
 
Forget the right angle drill except for really tough locations. They are hard to get enough pressure to make it fast. Not enough pressure will make your bits overheat and lose their temper and dull quickly.

 
With an auger with a lead screw, you don't need any significant pressure--the screw draws the auger bit through the wood.  Not that in the old days, bits were available with fine, medium and coarse thread lead screws for hardwood, softwood, and green wood (not dried, very soft).
 

 
Nowadays, you would have to search high and low to find anything other than medium thread.  I believe he bits pictured above would be considered medium (left) and fine.
 
Craig
Gratuitous old tools tip:  If you use a brace and count the number of turns, you can repeatedly drill to the same depth since the lead screw will advance a certain fraction of an inch for each turn.  For example, an 8 thread per inch screw will drill 1.5 inches in 12 turns.

 

[kurtmccaslin]

Your bits should work fine.   As you mentioned, you will need longer bits for drilling some areas, but these should work on most.   You might have to make a quick trip to the big box store if these bits hit a nail and are dulled.   My experience with spade bits has been very bad.    They are slow,  they dont drill well at an angle, and they dont work at all when you hit a nail.  
 
I drilled hundreds of holes with my Makita cordless drill.   The key is running the drill on the low speed setting (which gives you the torque needed to drive these auger bits)   I also used an angle drill for the tight spaces.   It worked, but not as well.   Mine did not have a low speed setting, and was subject to stalling.   However, there are some times when nothing else will work.

 

[Del91574]

When you're drilling a lot of holes the paddle bits are a chore.  Much slower to make the holes and often get duller, faster.  I was impressed how much faster the work went using auger bits and a corded drill.
 
Yep, nails are a problem.  The naileater bits made it less of one, as I could get a few more holes done before resharpening.  A plain one would dull almost immediately.  

That is the truth about augers, but the largest issue with a rough is usually power. Augers really need at least a 1/2" drill with a ton of torque or gearing. If you're careful, it's pretty easy to avoid nails, the bigger enemy of augers is the screw tip and dulling that. At minimum, I wouldn't suggest most to use them on a drill without an aux handle. I wouldn't recommend using one with a cordless no matter what the voltage/size.
 
Paddle bits are also easily sharpened with a file, just like an auger. Most of the other pros I know or have worked with usually carried a flat mill file because of the dulling. If you take your time, the nail issue is usually not a huge issue.

 

[pete_c]

That is the truth about augers, but the largest issue with a rough is usually power. Augers really need at least a 1/2" drill with a ton of torque or gearing. If you're careful, it's pretty easy to avoid nails, the bigger enemy of augers is the screw tip and dulling that. At minimum, I wouldn't suggest most to use them on a drill without an aux handle. I wouldn't recommend using one with a cordless no matter what the voltage/size.
 
Paddle bits are also easily sharpened with a file, just like an auger. Most of the other pros I know or have worked with usually carried a flat mill file because of the dulling. If you take your time, the nail issue is usually not a huge issue.

 
I have both types here and have used them for my DIY projects.  That said I prefer the paddle bits.
 
Just looked and I have two augers and two paddle bits plus some 6 smaller regular of a variety of bit size 3-5 or so foot bits here.  I think over the last 15 years would purchase one bit for whatever I was working on at the time DIY wise in this house.  Looking at the tips they look fine such that I must have always hit those sweet spots when drilling (really it is just a good look before drilling; not a guess).

 

[wkearney99]

When I ran all my wire I kept both paddles and augers handy.  When you're up on a 8' tall ladder, doing work above a 10' ceiling line, you really hate climbing up/down for changes (or stuff you dropped).  For me it was helpful to have a Werner ladder with their lock-in accessory tray and tool loops.  The loops were handy on the drills, both corded and cordless.  A tool belt with deep pockets for shorty zip ties, d-rings and other cabling materials also helped.
 
Most of the time I used the augers as their screw-point tip was really handy at getting the hole positioned and started quickly. The paddles weren't as easy/predictable (for me) when going through the sides of engineered wood I-beams (modern floor joists).  That and augers just made the holes faster.  But I did keep both up in the tray with me and swapped augers our for paddles a couple of times.  I think most often because one had gotten dull and it was easier to switch rather than stop and sharpen.
 
I was surprised how easy it was to resharpen the bits, and how much it REALLY helped.  Yeah, there's right ways and wrong ways of sharpening, but if you keep tabs on how the bit's doing you can use a small hand file to freshen up the edge. 

 

[LarrylLix]

Auger bits are not self propelling. This is why the old brace and bit type boring tool had a big pad on the end of it, so you could put your chest on it and get enough pressure.
 
Every so often with an auger bit you will lose the thread grip in the wood and then you will put the auger away and get a spade Irwin Speedbore, or equivalent other brand, type bit and finish the job. These auger type bits are not good where you cannot lean on them as they require more pressure than other types to maintain that bite. You will see and find out the hard way. Sharpen every couple of dozen holes.

 

[wkearney99]

The screw tip on the augers I've used sure as hell DOES help propel it into the wood.  Now, it's not 'self propelling', but then neither are spade bits.  Forstner style neither, but they do tend tend to pull themselves into the material a little more than paddle or augers.  Trouble is forstner bits are usually a LOT more expensive and would be a waste if there's any risk of nails.  Regardless, both paddles and augers did require some amount of force applied to the drill to get through the material.
 
The extra money spent on the "nail eating" variety of the augers was worth it for me.  In the process of doing the work I had some older augers and found they were nowhere near as tough as the metal in the newer naileaters.  I'm sure there's metallurgical arguments to be made, but I don't particularly care.  What I cared about was getting the job DONE, quickly and effectively.  The sooner I got the Hell down off that ladder, the better...
 
That and when encountering a nail the augers quite often had enough advantage to either break through or force the nail out of the way.  A paddle would just dull instantly.
 
My point is there's no one bit style best for the overall job of wiring up a house.  Excepting, of course, to say hole saws are pretty much completely useless for doing anything other than making a hole through drywall or 3/4" (or less) plywood.

 

[pvrfan]

Auger bits are not self propelling. This is why the old brace and bit type boring tool had a big pad on the end of it, so you could put your chest on it and get enough pressure.
 
...Sharpen every couple of dozen holes.

 
Mine are self propelling.  If you don't believe me, how about the blog from a professional cabinet maker:
 

An auger bit self feeds via the lead screw at its tip. There are coarse pitched lead screws for soft woods and fine pitched lead screws for hard woods. If the bit is properly sharpened and this lead screw is functioning properly (and isn’t too coarsely or finely threaded for the wood being bored), the bit should require no downward pressure at all to progress through the cut once the lead screw is engaged.

https://logancabinetshoppe.wordpress.com/2012/01/13/sharpening-auger-bits/
 
I do agree, however, that a sharp auger is a good thing.  The linked article has a good write-up on the proper way to sharpen auger bits.
 
Craig

 

[LarrylLix]

The screw tip on the auger bits only helps until it strips the hole because not enough pressure is applied or you hit a knot or hard spot in the wood. Once the hole is stripped the function of the screw is lost and almost impossible to get the bit to bite or feed again. The Forstner style cutting tips just float on top of the polished hard wood section because they are not designed to bite.
 
You'll notice the mention in the articles about "brace and bit"? Obviously not for boring wire holes in joists overhead, or walls for that matter, by any experienced person unless you want an exercise program and your flooring is not installed so you have room to manually slow turn a "brace and bit". I have a few auger bits with broken off tips from hitting nails in joists. Not the right tool for construction.
 
If you have dealt with hundred or thousands of holes, over your head while standing on a ladder, in wet lumber, you will know they are not as good as a sharp spade bit that takes less pressure and never gets stalled halfway through the hole. Been there done that. I use spade bits that don't jam or strip the only pull they have if you aren't leaning your whole body weight on them. 

 

[pvrfan]

It is too bad that you've used crappy augers but that doesn't mean that everyone will have the same experience.  
 
Spade bits have the advantage that they are cheap but that is about all they have going for them.  There is no way that a "spade bit takes less pressure".  Completely against the laws of physics.  And, yes, an auger with the proper lead screw will pull itself through construction lumber.  If one hits a big knot, it may jam--so will the spade bit.  From the bit's point of view, we've gone from drilling soft lumber to very hard wood.  A bit suited for the former is going to have trouble with the latter.
 
Anyway, we've beaten the subject to death.  The OP can make his own choices
 
 
Craig
(And I'm not sure why you mentioned Forstner bits.  No one in their right mind would mistake them for being appropriate to the task we're discussing.  OTOH, they provide a wonderfully clean hole in hardwood when used in a drill press.)

 

[LarrylLix]

Notice that auger bits have four sided ends for a brace hand boring tool and your drill chuck has three jaws?

 

[pvrfan]

Notice that auger bits have four sided ends for a brace hand boring tool and your drill chuck has three jaws?

 
What is your point?  From the link earlier in the thread, here are some without:
 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006ZBBBQK?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00
 
BTW, notice the first line of the of the description:

• Lead screw pulls bit into work eliminating extra pressure and strain

[emphasis mine]
 
Craig

 

[LarrylLix]

I tried those junk quality ones, you show in your amazon link, as well as better brand names units, that cost more than that for each bit. I went through several of them. The cutting tips will be broken off after the first nail is hit and then the very cheap spade bits come back out.
 
They are a very  poor tool for higher volume construction installation.

 

[wkearney99]

Right, so we're all clear, Larry doesn't like auger bits for doing high volume construction.  And the rest of us have had some degree of success using them, along with spade/paddle bits, for our SINGLE home usage.
 
As for nails, the Irwin naileater variants held up quite well, tips included, when I hit nails.  I tried to avoid them, best I could, but my framing guys loved their air nailers.  I eventually got a 'feel for it' when the bits (paddle or auger) were hitting a nail and learned to back off, quick.  It's never quick enough and the cutting edge of the bit (whichever kind) will take a hit.  But NONE of the augers lost their screw tip from hitting a nail.  Now, my experience is arguably limited to just a few houses, but I'd find it hard to imagine just how you'd have to ignore the conditions to have the tip get sheared off.  Anything's possible, of course.
 
I'll reiterate, HAVE MORE THAN ONE BIT WITH YOU when you're up on the ladder.  1/2, 3/4, 9/16, whatever, you've got some leeway on just how small or large a hole has to be.  But you're better off being able to stay working rather than scrambing up/down the ladder or back to your toolbox.

 

[Del91574]

I disagree with Larry and have no idea where his basis comes from....
 
Bits have flats to help prevent rotation when used in a jacobs chuck to counteract the torque applied. It just happens they match the old bit/brace layout (when was the last time you ever saw someone pull one out to use anyhow?)

Augers will take you for a ride if you're not careful. While the screw tip can get dull and you can chip the bit, nothing is faster or more efficient to get through lumber. The downside is they pull themselves into the wood and are more difficult to control. The only pressure needed is the initial stab to get them started, but a dull auger will ruin your day and has every tendency as described. That's why guys carry multiples or a file with them on the job and sharpen as they go. Usually the problem is rookies don't follow/maintain the angles when resharpening.
 
Spade bits are a hit or miss for construction. They're slower and if you hit a nail, it's either going to chew up the end or bend the flats of the bit, rendering it just as useless as the auger mentioned.
 
There's no silver bullet. That said, for retrofit, I wouldn't recommend an auger. The speedbore auger/paddles or speedfeed (all which manufacturer you choose) are just an auger with a faster spiral on them.