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I'm curious if anyone knows a shop that sharpen nils augers close to lehi area?
As well I'm curious has anyone ever took a nils auger out on thick clear ice m, had some troubles drilling a hole because I went to fish lake today, and it was 99% clear ice with a thin scuff of fairy dust?
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Sorry I use a lazer. I can sharpen the blades my self.
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I have had that experience with my nils, and after further inspection found that ice was forming on the drill head, especially in the negative temps we have had lately. This prevented the blades from having the correct angle to cut into the ice. I chipped away the ice and it was good to go.
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curiuos how you sharpen your lazer blades? just wnet through trying to sharpen mine, tried a couple methods failed. then used dremal tool with sanding drum fine and the thing now cuts like new again.
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I picked up a tool a few years ago made by lazer.i believe they are still available. Thought I saw one at the grand junction cabelas a couple weeks ago. Here's a pic of it.
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Important to remember that the Nils is actually an ice drill, not an auger. The curl and angle of the cutting edge are very precise and typically auger sharpening tools will not work, and may in fact destroy the cutting head beyond repair.
In my experience, 9 out of 10 times the Nils head is compromised by an inexperienced user that either slams the head down onto the ice or tries to apply pressure during the cutting process.
No issues with blazing through ice of any hardness/thickness with a sharp Nils.
Don't fool around, send it to Frank... you'll have it back in less than a week cutting better than new. Contact him for instructions, availability, and pricing.
Frank DeLuca
5382 Jentoft Road
Saginaw, MN 55779
USA
frankdeluca@yahoo.com
• Use USPS Priority Mail
• Write name on blade in permanent ink
• Ship blade w/ guard on
• Include name, address, and e-mail address (in case of problems)
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+1 on Frank, don't even think about trying to sharpen a nils yourself.
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I lived in MN for 15 years and know Frank personally. He is the way to go. The back story here. A bunch of us bought Nils augers back when probably 2004 and the only sharping place was in VT and they took forever. Frank took it upon himself to get a better service for us.He is now the master and his prices are very fair. I tried to overpay him couple of years ago as a thank you and even said so in my note. He sent me the extra cash back.
FYI my Nils is still going strong. Fired up on second pull last week. Just the proper maintenance each spring and it will last a long time.
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Does he sharpen all types of auger blades or just nils?
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Another +1 on Frank DeLuca. I sent him two blades and both came back in a week like new. Joe got all his info right, but his card is attached. He's legit.
Also, watch out for wind-blown dirt and small rocks in the ice. That's what got my blades... Ice fishing near a tall rock face at the Gorge. There was a lot of debris in the ice and it just chewed the blade up. I didn't notice it until it was too late.
Send 'em to Frank and have another season of laughing at the power auger gang! haha
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I sharpen my own. Piece of cake. Of course I sharpen all of my woodworking tools I.e. Planes, chisels, gouges, spoke shaves, draw knives, and scrapers. If you don't have the tools and know what you are doing I would send them to an expert.
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