Hawg Posted November 27, 2016 Share Posted November 27, 2016 Is there enough steel there to thread? Are the blades far enough to even do it? Starting to hear more and more Ion guys doing it and the point would be handy at times. I heard the new Ion has a center point. papadarv 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Uran Posted November 27, 2016 Share Posted November 27, 2016 Interesting! What other augers run without them? Quite a few, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leech~~ Posted November 28, 2016 Share Posted November 28, 2016 2 hours ago, Jim Uran said: Interesting! What other augers run without them? Quite a few, right? Not many powered augers run without a point anymore. Hand powered yes but not many powered ones. The points help a lot starting a hole. papadarv 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lip_Ripper Guy Posted November 28, 2016 Share Posted November 28, 2016 The ION absolutely needs a center point. I'm thinking of upgrading to the ION X, but just realized that we may be able to weld a nut on the end and thread a point in there. I'll try to take a look tomorrow and see if it'll work. papadarv and Hawg 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawg Posted November 28, 2016 Author Share Posted November 28, 2016 There isn't much room for a nut. My concern would be the leading edge of the blades could get messed up. The X has a weird point that may be the way it is because of the potential problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papadarv Posted November 28, 2016 Share Posted November 28, 2016 It appears the ION auger has enough steel and space to add a point. Also from photos looks like there already a hole drilled into the center of the blade mounting bracket. I don't have an ION but I did add a point to my Vintage Mora where I converted my 6" and 8" for my Clam Plate and in the process of adding an adapter for my Eskimo Mako. I drilled and tapped the auger blade mounting bracket to 3/8-20 tap (anything smaller the tap will break due to steel hardness). I cut the point out of a Wood Spade drill bit, cut a slot in a 3/8-20 bolt and welded the cut blade to the bolt. While very hot from welding drop the welded point in oil to fast cool and recover some of the lost hardness from welding heat. Sharpen the point to the same angle as the bit point. Screwed the bolt into the blade bracket tapped hole with a lock washer at the base. You may need to add other washers to obtain the point position to the space between the blades. Extra washer on my 6" to get the point centered between the blades. This point was made with a 1" wood drill bit. The 5/8" bit top picture on my 8". Found both points work equally well. Because it is a Mora hand auger, I modified the blade with ice relief cuts and put a .015 shim on the leading edge of the blade to increase the cut angle. Hand augers have a more shallow bite compared to my Eskimo Mako due to the force it takes to turn the hand auger. Skip adding a shim to your ION. Ended with amazing results in no blade walking and increased drill speed through the ice. leech~~ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawg Posted November 28, 2016 Author Share Posted November 28, 2016 That looks like a good job but why not just buy a tip made for another company? papadarv 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papadarv Posted November 28, 2016 Share Posted November 28, 2016 19 minutes ago, Hawg said: That looks like a good job but why not just buy a tip made for another company? Much more gratification creating and building and ending up with something that really works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawg Posted November 28, 2016 Author Share Posted November 28, 2016 John (Great guy) at Ardisen says the last years Ion drill is not conducive to adding a point. The blade spacing is too critical for top performance. Their new drill for $150 seems a better deal than adding a K drill or mickey mousing someone else's on if I need to do it that way. He claims the new drill is an improvement. They have always been pretty straight with their info and help so I believe him. Darn, another decision! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawg Posted November 28, 2016 Author Share Posted November 28, 2016 (edited) John (Great guy) at Ardisen says the last years Ion drill is not conducive to adding a point. The blade spacing is too critical for top performance. Their new drill for $150 seems a better deal than adding a K drill or mickey mousing someone else's on if I need to do it that way. He claims the new drill is an improvement. They have always been pretty straight with their info and help so I believe him. Darn, another decision! Just checked e b a y and saw the drills. If you do the best price thing on Reed's you get it for $132.99 +tx but not sure if that includes shipping because I ordered it on e b a y before I checked at $139 & tax before I knew it was Reeds. $159 + tax and $13.00 shipping on Ion's site. Edited November 28, 2016 by Hawg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawg Posted November 29, 2016 Author Share Posted November 29, 2016 I don't usually do this but after I thought about it I thought I would email Reed's e b a y store and ask if they would match the $132 price on their s i t e. $7 isn't a big deal but I've bought a ton of stuff from them and they are known for customer service so what the heck, I tried. I thought it was a dumb thing to write back-Here's the response: Hello, Thank you for contacting us. Our e B ay store does not price match with other stores, including our own. Have a great night! Thank You, Huntn and Fishn REEDS SPORTING GOODS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now ↓↓↓ or ask your question and then register. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.