• The forum upgrades have been completed. These were moderate security fixes from our software vendor and it looks like everything is working well. If you see any problems please post in the Forum Technical Support forum or email us at forum_moderator (at) aawforum.org. Thank you
  • Congratulations to Bernie Hyrtzak, People's Choice in the January 2026 Turning Challenge (click here for details)
  • Congratulations to David Croxton for "Geri's Basket Illusion" being selected as Turning of the Week for February 2, 2026 (click here for details)
  • AAW Symposium demonstrators announced - If the 2026 AAW International Woodturning Symposium is not on your calendar, now is the time to register. And there are discounts available if you sign up early, by Feb. 28. Early Bird pricing gives you the best rate for our 40th Anniversary Symposium in Raleigh, North Carolina, June 4–7, 2026. (There are discounts for AAW chapter members too) For more information vist the discussion thread here or the AAW registration page
  • Welcome new registering member. Your username must be your real First and Last name (for example: John Doe). "Screen names" and "handles" are not allowed and your registration will be deleted if you don't use your real name. Also, do not use all caps nor all lower case.

Sharpening a Shell Auger

Is it the Crown lamp auger bit that you want to sharpen? If so, I think that using a diamond hone on the flat angled face of the bit should work. Be careful that you do not rock the hone as you sharpen the face. Do not touch the cylindrical face nor the inside of the flute.
 
Looks obvious. What's scratched is what's sharpened. Roy Underhill uses them, and his are honed and stropped to the state of a carving tool.

I have a couple of antique tool books downstairs that might show more. After they pick up the kids, I'll take a look.
 
Looks like one of the diamond "credit card" files would be the easiest to work the bevels.

As MM mentioned, it seems pretty clear what to sharpen. The dotted outline indicates what appears to be bevel on the back side although the top side needs to be flattened to make smooth contact with the wood being cut. This part requires care that you make the bevel angle such that it is making contact at the toe and not the heel but not so aggressive that it digs in and jams.

Auger 1.jpg
 
Back
Top