IRWINTools SPEEDBOR Max Speed Auger Wood Drill Bit Set, 6-Piece, 3041006 (4 Sets)

These are sharp and sturdy bits designed to bore into softwoods quickly. The design is an improvement over spade and auger bits, although not a substitute for these type bits in every situation. Do not expect a clean neat hole as would be achieved with a forstner, hole saw, or brad point bit nor are they suitable for drilling thick hardwoods like oak or maple. These are aggressive bits (hence the name Speedbore) that are designed for drilling through softwoods like pine, cedar, fir, or spruce, the type of woods typically used in residential framing. Because of their aggressiveness they require a stout drill, however I find that a 18 volt impact driver that accepts hex shank bits has enough torque to adequately turn these bits.

These are serious tools!! We manufacture feeder and mineral boxes for livestock and raised garden beds all from 4x4s which we get surplus. We fasten all together by driving oak pegs into holes bored through the beams. There are like 100+ holes needed for a 4'x 9' model so the quicker they get drilled, the better. I have tried a number of different bits and these are by far the best. But, be advised, the bigger bits, say from 3/4" up, require a heavy duty drill to really take advantage of these bits. I had a cheap Chinese spade drill from a major tool chain and it had the power and torque to do it right but, the dang chuck screw kept breaking! Tried another spade type drill of a major seller and, while it cost more, it too was made in China and used the same screw which, also kept breaking. Finally got a major name brand drill and it will keep going but, I have to be careful not to over heat this drill. So like I said at the beginning, I would not recommend the larger of these bits unless you have need of serious high speed production and the tools to take advantage of them. That is why I put a down check on the "easy to use" column and only a 4 star rating.

There are a lot of big dummies on here using these bits with a traditional drill. You need to use an impact with these, because they're designed to self-drill and no pushing is necessary. You can use an impact with one hand and the largest bit will chew threw whatever you point it at.Also, not a knock on the tool, but be aware: the self-propelled action does not lend itself to precision work. You can't build up speed, so if you decide to make a hole in the side of a house with vinyl siding, this thing will likely rip it apart. It's low speed, high torque.

Haven't used them much but when I got them in i completely destroyed whatever wood I put these bits to. Just blew my mind so they stay in the truck for whenever I need to make some sexy holes in some wood.But not all cordless drills can handle these bit I have a Dewalt DCD995 and it cut like butter my Ridged couldn't get half way and it kept locking up and overheat my battery the drill just couldn't handle the torque required for these self feeding bits. So obviously your drill plays a big part in this but for the people who think it's the bits it's more than likely your drill. Don't just start downing something if you have a $100 Dollar drill.

I made carving blanks for Scout neckerchief slides. Needed 20 of them. I tried spade bits, which worked but cut slowly and gave a rough hole. Tried a brace and auger bit, which also cut slowly. Remembered that these bits were in the drawer, and I got out the proper (5/8 inch) size, clamped the blank in the vise, and bored the 4 inch hole through quickly. The result in softwood (pine) end grain was excellent. The hole has smooth sides, the boring was quick, helped along by the screw point. I also bored a couple of basswood blanks, with excellent results - the hole was smooth sided. One thing that contributed a lot to the quality result was the sharp flutes on these bits. The Scouts were very happy to get pre-bored blanks for their carvings, and I'm expecting some interesting results.

Holy $#&! these bits work well! The 1 1/4" bit went through just shy of a 6" joist like it was nothing. I'd used spade bits previously and drilling just a single hole would destroy the bit. Beware though, this thing has a CRAZY STRONG kick when the bit digs in. I tried using it without the secondary handle the first time and almost broke my wrist it torqued my whole body sideways (no fun). DO NOT attempt to dig with this drill bit going at full speed. Unlike a spade bit where the faster the blade is going the smoother it'll get started, you should try to start relatively slow with this. Kind of crazy but pulling back on the drill as it was going in actually made it pull harder through the joist (not sure how that trick works).Awesome drill bits to have for the job. Use with caution though.

I got these for DIY home renovation. I've used them to drill through joists and beams to run wire throughout my house, and they've worked great. Before, I was using a paddle bit as that's all I had (I'm new to all of this) and it took a lot of labor, effort and about 20 minutes to go through a joist, with these auger bits it took this bit about 5 seconds.Other use, there were 3 large stumps in the lawn of the house I just bought. Saw an idea on a website that suggested drilling into the stump and putting in some chemical to rot the stump out. I decided to try doing the pilot holes with these bits. Worked amazing until I hit a soft spot in the stump and got a bit stuck! Whoops, that's the downside of how efficient these are. Luckily, after using the pilot holes i had drilled and a sledge hammer and splitter I destroyed the stump and took the section with the bit and cut it out. Afterward, the bit was still in perfect shape - it was all the way in there as my drill went flush with the stump. These are fast, and sturdy.

First off, I use these in a Makita 18v impact driver for drill through studs and top plates for electrical. They go through wood with no issues other than wood chips clogging on long drills. If you hit a nail, these are done. They are fragile and any nail hit ruins them. That being said, I usually get a good 5-10 resharpens with a small rat tail file before I retire them. Just file them equally in number of strokes so that the blades stay about the same length.