Problem with 1952 Jiffy Auger

[oddy19]

Hey all,

OK, here is my problem. I have a 1952 Jiffy Auger. I have had it all my life, and nothing has been more reliable. The trouble though, is that I can no longer seem to get the blades sharp. The units that old, do not have the replaceable blades...you have to replace the whole drill. Can anyone give any ideas? I have used just a basic sharpener, so does anyone know if there is someone in the Mankato area that I may be able to take this to, to professionally sharpen it? A replacement auger for that unit would run me $180 and at that point, I may as well buy a brand new unit. Is there a cheaper way to replace the lower unit? Let me know any thoughts that you may have. Thanks for your help!

[polarsusd81]

Oddy, if I were you, I would hang that auger on the wall like a trophy mount and replace it with a new one. Not very often you will find something that will give you 50+ years of reliable service. I bet you got your moneys worth out of it. Give the boys at Jiffy a bit more out of appreciation for a fine product and send them a photo of you with the old one and a new one. That just seems like too good of a story.

[hunter1down]

There is a guy ins shakopee up from Turtles bar that sharpens blades-can get the number tomorrow if you want. Not sure if he can do yours or not

[snoozebutton]

I'd put an ad in the paper looking for a used Jiffy that doesn't run. Find someone with one that the engine is shot and you could probably get it for $50 or less.

[upnorth]

Hey all,

OK, here is my problem. I have a 1952 Jiffy Auger. I have had it all my life, and nothing has been more reliable. The trouble though, is that I can no longer seem to get the blades sharp. The units that old, do not have the replaceable blades...you have to replace the whole drill. Can anyone give any ideas? I have used just a basic sharpener, so does anyone know if there is someone in the Mankato area that I may be able to take this to, to professionally sharpen it? A replacement auger for that unit would run me $180 and at that point, I may as well buy a brand new unit. Is there a cheaper way to replace the lower unit? Let me know any thoughts that you may have. Thanks for your help!

I would contact Jiffy and see if they want to buy it and your story. Heck of a sales pitch "1952 auger and still cutting holes"!!

Or just hang it on the wall as a memento as mentioned earlier.

[Surface Tension]

If the powerhead is still good it be worth keeping it going.

I take it you've been sharpening the blades throughout its life.

It could over the years the angle is off a bit now. If the blade is a lost cause you should be able to find a used shaft for cheap that will accept a new blade. As long as the rotation is counterclockwise.

[PierBridge]

I agree the pitch very well could be the problem.

It sure would be cool to see a picture of your auger.

Is it a model 30?

Anyway my Jiffy model 30 is 27 years old and still going strong.

The older Jiffys are know to be pretty bullet-proof!

[jigeye]

I have a 29 year old Jiffy Model 30 that is still running great. It has the old style auger with the blade welded to the auger flight. I have been sharpening it with a flat file making sure I keep the angle the same. Luckily I haven't banged up the blade yet so it's still good but you could see if a machine shop can mill it for you as long as they can tell what the correct angle used to be or you can find out from Jiffy what it's supposed to be.

Jigeye

[JeffB]

I know some companies like nils make a replacabe blade head. You could buy one of these and have it welded on to your flighting after cutting off your blade head. Probably still have at least $100 into it.

[sparcebag]

oddy19 check this thread out.

http://www.fishingminnesota.com/forum/ub...er_drill#UNREAD

[deadeye]

Man if its that old and still working I would hate to get rid of it. I would get ahold of Jiffy directly and maybe they have a tip on someone that could fix the pitch and sharpen it up. I remember talking to Marv (the guy who made the first jiffy drill) and I remember him saying there was someone around that would fix it up. Heck he might even beable to fix her up in the offseason for ya.

[oddy19]

Hey guys,

I was away for business, so I wasn't able to respond. I appreciate all of the advice. I would rather not drill into it and update with new equipment. It was my father’s before it was mine, and if that is the only hope, I guess I will clean her up and put it up in my cabin somewhere. I did contact Larson Sharpening here in Mankato, MN and they said that without removing the blade, they would not be able to help much. I have contacted Jiffy to see if they have any suggestions. I was using a file to sharpen the blades, and would always sharpen the center blade as well. Lately though, it doesn’t get real sharp, and definitely doesn’t stay sharp long.

[upnorth]

Since you have been using a file my guess is that the angle of the blade is wrong. If you can get someone that has some sort of a jig to hold it and get a clean straight edge with the correct angle I would say you would be in business.