re-drilling holes with strikemaster???

[walleye 4 me]

this weekend I went out to by brothers wheelhouse and tried to re-drill holes with my new strikemaster (2 blade) and all it did was bounce around in the hole. Ended up moving the house and drilling new holes. This was not a problem with the chipper blade on my old auger. Any ideas on what to do? It cuts great when drilling a new hole, but would like to be able to re-drill if needed. Thanks

[McGurk]

I have both a 2 blade shaver and a one blade chipper auger for my SM, and it is no secret that the chipper is the better option for redrilling old holes. That being said, I have redrilled many an old hole with my 2 blade. When I say old hole, I mean frozen solid just like fresh ice, and not a "narrowed" hole a day or 2 old.

Another problem people have with 2 blade shavers is that they push down while drilling and tweak the pitch angle of the part of the auger that the blades mount to. The auger should pull itself down and all yo need to do is hold on. Pushing while drilling will definately cause that problem, along with dull blades.

[FirstIce]

Had the same problem. The Lazer's are notorious for not being the best at re-opening a hole. I remember it was best to try and start drilling slowly and not give it a lot of gas right away and keep pressure on the center point. A buddy of mine just bought a chipper bottom for his lazer and he switches out when needed.

[Hawg]

You only have 1 option and that's to buy a chipper drill for it.

[walleye 4 me]

can i put a chipper blade on my auger or do i need a new auger?

[Crow Hunter]

Same problem here. When I leave my perm to go home for a few days, I shovel openings thru my banking so that the holes freeze up good, that helps. It also helps to not push down on the auger, just let the weight of the auger press down on the ice. But sometimes I still borrow my buddy's auger that has a chipper blade on it.

[FirstIce]

can i put a chipper blade on my auger or do i need a new auger?

Yes, a strikemaster chipper bottom should fit on a lazer head. They have the same connections.

[Hawg]

An 8 inch chipper is about $100 at Fleet and they are a breeze to change. I hardly ever put my Lazer blades on anymore, they always let you down when you need them the most. I'll sacrifice a tiny bit of speed for dependability anyday.

[McGurk]

...I hardly ever put my Lazer blades on anymore, they always let you down when you need them the most...

Huh, I haven't had a repetative problem with the Lazer augers after 3+ years and hundreds of holes on the same blades. Just lucky, I guess. I will agree that the chipper will be the better option if you are worried about dirty ice or sand-scoured lakes.

[dan z]

I never drill out old holes I would rather drill right beside my old hole I have heard learned that the shaver blades on the SM's dont re-open holes very well. And I also heard and learned with my old auger "OPE" it drilled old holes great it had a chipper style blade.

[MNfan]

No Jiffy comments!!!!!!

[walleye 4 me]

can I just take the shaver blades off and put 1 chipper blade on? I am guessing no.

[McGurk]

can I just take the shaver blades off and put 1 chipper blade on? I am guessing no.

No, they are totally different as far as blade angle and auger blade design.