Laser LD-6 auger problem?

[outdoorsman4]

I have been using the strikemaster LD-6 hand auger for 3 years now and have been very satisfied with the performance. I bought it new and have never sharpened or adjusted it. The issue I have always had with this auger is that the outermost corners of the blades seem to severly catch on the sides of the hole when I remove the auger after drilling. It has been this way right out of the box. In softer ice the condition is worse. Does anyone else with a laser auger experience this? I have not owned any other augers but I have watched others drill with their augers which seem to come out without any hangup. The blades are still very sharp and I am not tilting the auger while removing it. Any thoughts?

[DaveW731]

I have been using the strikemaster LD-6 hand auger for 3 years now and have been very satisfied with the performance. I bought it new and have never sharpened or adjusted it. The issue I have always had with this auger is that the outermost corners of the blades seem to severly catch on the sides of the hole when I remove the auger after drilling. It has been this way right out of the box. In softer ice the condition is worse. Does anyone else with a laser auger experience this? I have not owned any other augers but I have watched others drill with their augers which seem to come out without any hangup. The blades are still very sharp and I am not tilting the auger while removing it. Any thoughts?

I've had similar experiences. I have found that if I push the auger down an additional foot or so after the hole is cut and move it up and down a couple times I have little trouble pulling it out. My problem is when the edges bind up just as the drill is cutting through and causes the whole operation to stop. In that case, the only thing I have thought of is to alternate between turning the handle backwards and forwards, till it loosens: similar to freeing a regular drill bit that binds up.
Hope this helps,
DaveW

[jbird68]

I have a new HT Arctic Express, which is similar to the Lazer. Mine hangs up when breaking through the bottom of the hole too. it's back and forth, back and forth until the auger finally breaks through. Then I push down until my the handle is almost down the hole and pull it up fast. I've never had a problem getting mine out of the hole.

[shawnfire]

I have a 7 in with the same problem sometimes

[HOSSUM]

i also have the same problems with my 7" lazer. i pretty much do the same thing to solve it. do keep an eye on the screws; i lost mine the other day on the first hole out. fortunately i carry some spare from my old mora in my bag. they r a little longer; nothing a washer can't fix. good luck, last ice is near!!!!

[Radar420]

Outdoorsman - does Dave W's suggestion solve your problem or are you experiencing what the last few posters have said?

For the guys who get hung up at the bottom of the hole, you can try what I do with my 8" Lazer. When drilling my hole, I can usually tell a difference in the noise the auger makes as it gets near the bottom of the ice, usually within the last 2". When I hear the difference in sound I take a little break to rest my arms and then really crank the auger for the last little bit. Once you get some good momentum going it doesn't seem to have a problem getting hung up on the bottom. I think the problem is that most of us are tired by the end of the hole so you're not using as much power as when you started and due to the fact you are tired, you're probably not paying too much attention to how straight the auger is going down.

[outdoorsman4]

Let me clear things up a bit. First, I have never had a problem cutting holes with my 6" Laser. After 3 seasons of use, without sharpening, my laser still cuts thru ice easily and quickly. I have never had a problem with finishing the cut at the bottom of the hole either. The issue I experience occurs while I am lifting the auger up out of the hole after punching thru. The outermost points of the blades (the sharp corners) catch on the hole wall preventing smooth removal. The condition is worse in softer ice.

After some inspection and measurements here's what I have discovered:
I turned my auger upside down and sighted down the shaft. What I saw is that the blades are mounted in such a way that they cut a slightly larger hole than the rest of the auger. This is done by design to facilitate easier removal of the auger from the hole (no binding). I then took a pair of dividers and placed one point on the center of the blade support bracket. I then moved the other point of the dividers to the outermost edge of one blade. I then checked for concentricity by swinging that point around to the other blades edge. Once I established the true shaft center I was able to swing the point along the blades edges to check their profiles. I guess I wasn't surprised to find that the outer edges of the blades DO NOT follow a true circle. Instead, the sharp corner of each blade ends up being about 2mm proud of the rest of the blade. So what is happening is that the sharp corner of each blade is acting like an ice pick rubbing against the side of the hole as I remove the auger. The softer the ice, the more it grabs. Also, the faster I lift it out the less it grabs.

The blades on my Laser are not adjustable and I assume that the blades shape/position are engineered that way for their cutting properties anyway.
I am really not bothered by this issue at all, I was just wondering if anyone else noticed it also. Good Drilling to all.:cool:

[stinger63]

Outdoorsman - does Dave W's suggestion solve your problem or are you experiencing what the last few posters have said?

For the guys who get hung up at the bottom of the hole, you can try what I do with my 8" Lazer. When drilling my hole, I can usually tell a difference in the noise the auger makes as it gets near the bottom of the ice, usually within the last 2". When I hear the difference in sound I take a little break to rest my arms and then really crank the auger for the last little bit. Once you get some good momentum going it doesn't seem to have a problem getting hung up on the bottom. I think the problem is that most of us are tired by the end of the hole so you're not using as much power as when you started and due to the fact you are tired, you're probably not paying too much attention to how straight the auger is going down.


The 6 inch lazers dont seem to hang up as bad..As for getting tired when we get to end of the hole well I guess we need to start working out more:help: I was thinking about it after today.

[greelhappy]

I replied to this same question on a different thread. but here it is again. I finish the hole with a spud. Always take one in case.