Auger Bit

Accession Number1986.008.0777

VesselSanta Margarita (1622)

Datecirca 1620

DescriptionA carpenter’s “twist auger” was designed to make holes in wood. The working end of the long, iron shaft has a twisted, cutting blade, and at the other end there would have been a wooden “T” handle. To use the device, a pilot mark would have been set in the wood at the point where the hole was to be. The point of the cutting end placed there, and the handle was leaned on and turned with two hands to spin the shaft downward into the wood and create a hole the same width as the blade. The foot-long shaft allowed for holes of significant depth to be produced.