Spiral auger bits are one of the great achievements of the hand tool era. It's not uncommon to find sets of rusty vintage auger bits that are in poor shape. The majority of vintage auger bits I find have been filed improperly. Many of these bits were passed down for multiple generations and I think the art of filing auger bits was largely lost in later generations as electric tools took over in the middle of the last century. Luckily, with a few tricks it's possible to bring almost any auger bit back to perfect working condition and preserve them for future generations. In this two-part video, I'll sharpen and restore vintage bits from Irwin, Russell Jennings, and Millers Falls.

My goal in tool restoration is to make the tool clean and functional while preserving all of the unique signs of its age and history.