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Comparison between flex bits and rigid augers for drilling through old-growth studs on a 1920s house last Tuesday

After struggling with a rigid auger that kept binding halfway through the double top plate, I finally grabbed a Milwaukee flex bit with a swivel tip and cleared that whole run in under 10 minutes-has anyone else found flex bits way faster on really dense wood?
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2 Comments
lisa_ross16
Dude, old growth studs are hard but theyre not that bad. A rigid auger should plow right through if you keep it straight and let the bit do the work. Sounds like you might have been pushing too hard or hitting a knot. Ive drilled plenty of those 1920s joists with a basic Irwin auger and never had it bind up on me like that.
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the_alex
the_alex12d ago
Its just like anything else with old houses right? You figure out the rhythm of the material and it works with you, fight it and it fights right back. Feels like half the battle with that stuff is knowing when to back off a little.
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