This is part 2 of a three-part post on Sharpening, Installing, & Setting up a Mortiser. Read the first post.

With the hollow-chisel tune-up complete, I turn my attention to sharpening the auger. This can be accomplished with a wide array of tools, including a flat file, a triangle file, a sharpening stone, or an auger bit file. I use a combination of these options, starting with an auger bit file and finishing with a small sharpening stone. 

It’s hard to go wrong when sharpening the auger bit as long as you keep one rule in mind: DO NOT ALTER THE ORIGINAL SHAPE OR ANGLE OF THE BIT. Your goal is simply to restore a keen edge to the intersection of the bevel and its underside on the main cutter.

I use a Nicholson 7″ auger bit file, and my sharpening stone is a medium or fine oil stone. To sharpen the auger bit you need only take a few strokes first with the auger bit file, then a few strokes with the sharpening tool, and you’re done.

Once you’ve performed this process a few times, you’ll find it takes less time than what you have invested in reading this post.