I just bought a Swan premium but haven't used it yet, I am making a new base piece that was warped.
They all have their own features, and quirks.
What boring machine do you prefer, if you are a boring machine kinda person?

Dave

From left to right, Millers Falls, Boss Double Eagle, Ajax, Snell.
Each machine has it's own unique features. I like the Millers Falls the best. The Boss has a double chuck with different gear ratios. The Ajax has a special chuck that allowes the use of old T-auger bits and a angled depth stop that shifts the retraction mechanism into gear when the proper depth has been reached. The Snell is a basic no frills economy design. Tom

I'm a boring machine junkie and like them all, each for a different reason.

My best worker (and favorite machine) is a Millers Falls, the height of the machine and adjustable crank arm length makes a nice fit for my long arms and torso. It has good rigidity and the action is very smooth, my one minor issue is the depth stop can slip so I back it up with a small C clamp.

The Boss is another nice machine but it feels a little cramped compared to the MF and it's climbing gear is a little rough. I don't have an original depth stop for the Boss so it sits with a 3/4" auger in the "high speed" chuck for peg and J-bolt holes.

3/4 horse dewalt with an owl triple edge bit. LOL

Does anyone have a guess as to how many shops are still using these machines? I have just completed a frame for the first time in 11 years using chain morticers. Previously all mortices were done with a hand crank machine. With the exception of speed I see no advantage. For a comfortable mortice and tenon fit one still needs to clean the mortice up and check for square. This is working with rough stock not s4s timber. When building I like to think the structure will last for generations and so a few more minutes during construction does not bother me. Besides, Safety glasses fog up in the winter in a unheated shop and that is a bother let alone the chips in your nose and beard. I think it is impossible to get one of those beautiful half roung chips stuck in your nose or eye. How come more folks are not using these machines? They can be used for many years and have no break downs, and are easily repaired via the local machine shop. My favorite machine is a snell, I believe, I replaced the wooden frame with a 1/2" angle iron frame and a new base and after a few years changed the gears out from the 1:1 ratio to a 1:.75 or something like that, it turnes slower but has more power. The gears came out of a Ford 3rd member which broke while plowing snow. Any way I don't think I will be sucked into the power vacume any time soon. I recently purchased a Boss and am looking forward to its use. Tim

I use a Swan machine I got a few years ago.
We've seen about 60 machines move through here.
So there are lots of shops or timber framers using them.

Jim Rogers

Bits for these machines are at times a challenge. I wish they made a new 2" bit. The older ones are alright for now. I have a cheep 1-1/2" adapted to the 1/2" chuck, for brace pockets. On a faster geared machine it works well with minimal effort. It takes about 4-5 minutes to bore the four holes and 10 minutes to clean it out and chop the housing. That's 15 min. total, no peg hole. I am saving the peg hole for a machine set up. I also am doing some larger brace pockets, 2" and 13" long and 6" deep, due to a flared post, these take 45 min. to complete w/2 peg holes, all with hand tools. I am continuously trying to find the right combination or gears and/or feed screw thread pitch to ease the process. My latest find is a 2" T- auger bit with a course feed screw. It cuts twice as fast with the same gears as the one with the finer screw. here is the photo. I think this is the key to the boring machines, and brace and bits. Where are all the course feed screw bits, I have one 3/4" bit but the cutters are on the short side. I am cutting pine, by the way. Second pic. is the 1-1/2" adapted, I switch heads to change gears. Tim

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In my tap and die kit is a thread gauge:



I can use this to gauge the threads of bit tips.

Tim, if you can get one of these, you can measure your bits and tell me the thread spacing and I'll look for one for you that is coarser or the same.
Just let me know....

Tom and I measured some of the bits we have on hand here and some are 12 and others are 14. There may have been one less then 12 (which is the coarsest gauge on the tool). The higher the number the finer the thread on the lead screw.

Jim, I will check the coarse one and get back here with the numbers. I will have to borrow one. The finer one will work nice on spruce to keep the grunt factor down.

I also discovered today that some diesel and oil mixed in a spray bottle helps with cutting the pitch buildup on the auger the chips fall off easily and was a noticeably smother, this was with a brace and bit and I now keep the big bits oiled as well. It is the same solution I use on my bands to help with rust while they set idle. Tim

Jim, the course 2" bit has 10 threads/inch. with that bit in my machine with a 1.5:1 ratio it turns well. I have a modern 1-1/2" bit with the same 10 tpi tip on the boss and it bores a 4-1/4" deep hole in 20 seconds. Tim

I recently bought this but I'm not very impressed with it. The bit can touch down in quite a range of locations using this device. Certainly several millimeters of lateral play.

We use 2 speed squares, and an 18" bit. Arrange squares 90 to one another and sight up the spaces between the bit and the squares, and GO!

huge fan of millers falls because of flexibility and adjustable depth stop. our crew has 9 boring machines and we actively use 4 - a couple of swanns. its nice to have them dedicated- w/bits and stops for standard tasks- brace pockets etc.