I bought a Swede-bore last year. Some dampness in storage in the off season caused some surface rust on the blades. I re-sharpened them by hand last week and they're as good as new now.
So, if you're up for sharpening them yourself when they start to dull, they'll last a long, long time. A few minutes on a stone beats $15 and a drive to the store everytime it gets dull too.
EZ
How long should auger blades last.
- fishforfun
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Just bought a new set of 8" Swede-Bore & Mora blades made by Normark for $25 yesterday. Old blades will pick-up a beer cap new ones won't. Btw if you fish where they drive thier vechicles on the ice make sure you don't try to cut a hole where sand has fallen off a vechicle. Will dull your blades fast.
Also picked up a Lazer ice auger shapener (carbide-tipped) for $10. Seems to sharpen the old blades. Will try them out on Sun. and post the results.
Also picked up a Lazer ice auger shapener (carbide-tipped) for $10. Seems to sharpen the old blades. Will try them out on Sun. and post the results.
- MichaelVandenberg
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- TroutSlayer
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I never clean, dry or oil the blades on my 25 year old Fin-bore III at all. The blades are 440 stainless and will not rust or corrode regardless. If you start frigging with a cloth around those blades, you will get cut! As long as you don't nick them or change their angle of attack, you will get hundreds of holes out of one set of blades.probassing wrote:Keep the blades ice free when out on the ice and dry when storing the auger and they should last. Don't bang the auger blades on the ice or anything. Keep a cover on the auger while storage for safety and protecting the blades.
Cheers,
As far as sharpening them yourself, don't even try. You are dealing with a curved blade that has a graduated angle and relief from the right side of the blade to the left. For example only, the right side might be sharpened to 10 degrees with no underside relief while the left side of that same blade is sharpened to 9 degrees with 1 degree relief on the underside of the blade. (I don't know the true angles). The transition between these two angles across the length of the blade must be precise! To build a proper jig to give you these angles would be very complicated. Anyone who claims to have sharpened their own blades was more than likely disappointed in their effort and went out to purchase new blades.
I know many people that thought they could hone their own blades, It never worked out for them.
Just re-read the posts above and I am now thinking that maybe the Sweed-bore which I have never seen, might have a single angle blade, making it possible to sharpen at home.
But, for sure the model I own and have used for years, the Fin-Bore III, has a multi-angle blade that cannot be home sharpened.
Cheers,
TS
TS