[X86BSD]

Good evening ladies and gentlemen,

So as probably the newest member here, a little background before my question.

I’ve just started to get into hand woodworking. And upon purchasing my first tools, one of the many I will find I am sure, dilemmas, is which auger bits to get for my brace, a Yankee brace.

For two days I have been binging on reading up on this conundrum. Apparently there are basically two common, main stream options. Irwin and Jenning’s.

Irwin being more common.

Even further reading and things start to get really fuzzy and a lot of the same information is parroted around regarding the tip’s and threading of the two brands of bits. It appears people favor the Jenning’s thread and tips but more so of the ever elusive “101” series of Jenning’s. Which I have googled for days looking for and found not a single set of them anywhere.

I managed to stumble upon the following bit’s being sold by “Tools for Working Wood”. https://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/store/dept/TD/item/MS-JB.XX

In their description it *seems* like they are saying they took the threading of the 101 series to use on their Jenning’s copied bits. For working well in both soft and hardwood.

As I live in Kansas City, MO I have osage orange pouring out of my ears.

And my very first project involves, don’t laugh, making my Joiners mallet out of OO. I want to try and build as many of my tools as I can and my workbench.

So basically I’ve read the Irwins are good for softer woods, and the Jenning’s 101 series are good for both soft and hard. Would the aforementioned link to these modern machined Jenning’s bits be a good buy? They seem to know what they are talking about regarding the threading, and Jenning’s bits.

But I know next to nothing so I thought I would seek out knowledge from the wise amongst the site.

Thank you very much for your time and wisdom!

Chris

Topic

[Mike in TN]

#2029131

Hi,

I don’t have any specific information on the difference between the Jenning’s bit series but I seem to remember that the lead screws (the point) came in single and double thread styles. The double thread lead screws had finer threads so that they were more suitable for hardwoods than softwoods. I have bits under several names ( even though I suspect that some of them were manufactured by the same people) and have discovered they all seem to work well if sharp. The Jennings bits do tend to clog on soft and wet woods because the double main threads are close enough that large chips will clog them up. The single screw Irwins just have more clearance for the chips. I prefer to buy older tools and restore them to use and bits are widely available. Whether the bits you are looking at are a “good buy” or not is something I can’t answer for you but the company does have a good reputation.

What I would really like to address is the osage orange pouring from your ears. I was warned as a child not to swallow seeds or they would grow inside me so I am wondering how the osage orange got started and if it causes you any problems. I am at that age where my hair has relocated from my head and has started to show up in places that many folks find unattractive, ears included, and as a result, trimming has become a regular activity. Hair is bad enough and I can’t imagine having to keep osage orange trimmed back. It is good that you are finding a use for it but it must be inconvenient to have to let it grow enough to make a mallet before you can trim it.

Have fun

[Author]

Replies