lazer blades…..

so before my first time out this year i replaced the blades on my strikemaster solo…..a few weeks ago the auger was cutting great……until this last weekend. so here is a little back story….. my solo lazer used to suffer from the nasty “gripping” at the bottom of the ice until i replaced the blades…..now it goes right through (must have been the pitch on the blades) so this last weekend i was up on Mille Lacs and boy was it cold and obviously the auger froze up like a rock. during the first day the ice around the auger and blades got pretty thick so obviously cutting holes would be tough…..after we were done for the day i let the auger sit in a heated garage to thaw out. next day out on the lake i went to drill my first hole and the auger acted like there was still snow and ice covering the blades……it just sat there and spun (i know not to put pressure down on the auger or push it up and down) but it wouldnt grip like the lazer blade augers typically do.

im just wondering did that serious ice and snow build up on the blades the day before effect the pitch of the blades? im thinking of loosening the blades and re-tighting them to see if that has any affect. i know these blades are sharp since i havent cut probably 50 holes with them.

Thanks –

-b-

Not implying you did this but I have seen where guys will keep the auger vertical and bang the blades against the ice in an effort to break away the ice buildup resulting the blade pitch moving. Having moved the pitch the auger would not perform as expected.

I know the old Strikemaster store in Big Lake would check and correct any pitch problems. Not sure if D-Rock does this? It might be worth a call.

Take the blades off, make sure there is nothing built up between the blades and the bit. Reinstall the blades making sure they are tight. If that doesn’t work try the old blades, if still a problem then the pitch on the bit is off.

I’m guessing it was off before and the new blades were sharp enough to over come that and have dulled enough that you are back to where you were with the original blades.

It only takes a fraction of movement to throw the pitch off.

Forgot also make sure the center point is intact and sharp.

When you’re on the ice do you stand the auger in a partially drilled hole? If so, that can bend the pitch on lazer augers. It’s also easy to misjudge the hole depth when pulling up the auger to clear the ice chips on a hole being drilled and bang into the bottom of the hole on the way back down.

Hope you get it sorted out soon so you can get back after them!

D rock in New Brighton can fix the pitch on 8″ and 10″ lazer bits for around 20$. I haven’t personally had it done there but I called earlier this week and that’s the info I got from them. I have similar issues with a 10″ auger that I picked up used last year.

Here’s a trick for keeping your blades ice free that I’ve been using for a few years.

I typically drill a string of holes, when I’ve drilled the last hole, about 2 feet away I drill 1″ deep and stop. Not enough to make a trip hazard.
That’s enough fresh dry ice to clean the blades of any water from your last hole. Blades will be shiny clean for your next hole, whenever that may be.

I do not worry about icing on the flights, that really doesn’t matter.

As far as blades grabbing ice at bottom of hole. I’ve only had that happen once, and I had a loose screw holding the blades. Tightened that up and problem went away.

I always put pressure on my auger…I like it to cut super fast.

ive never stood the auger up in a partial hole or bang it up and down…..i thought it could of been the ice build up? im gonna take the blades off and reinstall them first and see what that does

thanks for the replies

-brian

so i went out today to see how the auger cuts. i ended up taking off the new blades and reinstalling them (just to see if that did anything) and it didnt help. to really get the auger to grab and cut well i did need to put some downward pressure on the auger (which i know i shouldnt have to do). Next thing to try is install the old blades and see if there is any difference. guess ill start the elimination process

-b-

You could try shimming the blades.My 3hp Solo 8″ worked better with about a .006 plastic shim.

would it be possible to get a pic of this by chance? ive never shimmed blades before…

I’d have to say the pitch is definitely off. Had the same problem with my last lazer drill. If you’re in the twin cities GO TO DROCK! They are awesome. I tried adjusting it myself with limited success.

Be careful who you let use your auger. Some may not know you can’t bang them on the ice to remove the ice. The steel they use in these augers is really soft so they don’t break in the extreme cold. The downside is that they bend easily.

ya i live in eden prairie, thinking of calling DROCK tomorrow to see what they think. just weird how that first weekend with new blades it cut like butter and now after that Mille Lacs trip it just hasnt cut right…..btw i am the sole owner and operator of this auger

thanks for all the help

-b-

Brian Anderson wrote:

would it be possible to get a pic of this by chance? ive never shimmed blades before…

I don’t have the drill anymore,but loosen blade and insert shim in-between.Mine took a plastic shim that I had from my machinist days.

The old Mora blue drills required a shim in the same fashion.I have heard of Lazer hand drills working better with a thin shim installed.

I bought a new 8″ auger for my laser mag and it never cut right from new on. Had to push down on it. Tried several new blades and still didn’t cut right. I shimmed the front of the blades ten thousandths and now she cuts great. After these blades dullI’m gonna try another five thousandths shim and see if that helps.

i ended up going to DRock this last weekend and got my auger pitched…..everyone there was great and the guy that re-pitched the auger showed me how to do it myself if i wanted to (but for only costing $12 i dont mind bringing it back to them) later that night i went out fishing and it cuts perfectly. also for anyone that has auger issues or wants a tune up id highly recommend going to DRock……after the season is over im going to take my auger back and get a full tune up, they said depending obviously on what parts i need and what needs to be done it should run me around $60……not bad if you ask me when you are spending $300+ on a piece of equipment

-b-

I was at Drock on Saturday as well to pick up some used auger plastic parts. Great place!

My grandpa has a Lazer mag and I like it. Only problem is the blades being so finicky. It’s fast but so are the chipper blades with a 3 horse motor on top! I like being able to just hit the auger on the ice to clear up the blade. That’s why I don’t have a Lazer mag, well that and they’re a little expensive for a college kid!

I really wished that strikemaster offered an 8″ power drill with the nova composite head. That’s the primary reason I use the 6″ synthetic, the nova head is impervious to abuse and the blades seem to cut forever.

Hey everyone, I am new to lazer blades (been using a 1987 Model 30 until last week) and today I drilled a few holes with brand new lazer blades on a Lazer Pro. It cut very well but as soon as I got through the bottom of the ice, the auger would pull the powerhead straight down. I almost lost it the first time as I wasn’t expecting that lol.It also seemed to kind of get wedged in the hole and tough to get out. Is this typical?

Does anyone know where u can get a 7″ lazer bit pitch checked? Thx

slabz wrote:

as soon as I got through the bottom of the ice, the auger would pull the powerhead straight down.
..It also seemed to kind of get wedged in the hole and tough to get out. Is this typical?

It can be. The trick is to slightly lift up on the drill as you get to the bottom of the hole. You also want to clear the hole of accumulated shavings by plunging the auger out of the hole as you drill.

07lotwchamp wrote:

Does anyone know where u can get a 7″ lazer bit pitch checked? Thx

biggill wrote:

If you’re in the twin cities GO TO DROCK! They are awesome.

Mr. Derek wrote:

D rock in New Brighton can fix the pitch

broman wrote:

I was at Drock on Saturday as well to pick up some used auger plastic parts. Great place!

Drock can fix it. If you’re OK with a 7″ hole, I’d seriously investigate using the 6.3″ synthetic. I’ve seen it used on powerheads and it is extremely smooth breaking through the ice. The only drawback is the smaller diameter and the flights are short. You need to clear the hole 2-3 times when drilling over 2′ of ice.