Using a bushcraft auger to build things during a bug out or electricity-free disaster

Frank Sampson - March 28, 2022

GearScenarios

Just came across a thing called a bushcraft auger. It’s like a giant drill bit that can be turned by using a stick.

Originally I thought that must be pretty hard to drill through something by hand, but then remembering my physics class, you can make it as easy as you want by inserting a longer stick longer and getting more leverage.

“Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.” – Archimedes.

From a preparedness perspective, it would be good to have a way to drill holes without the need for complex machines that run off of electricity. 

On Amazon you can buy a variety of sizes – 

You could even make your own by welding a normal drill bit onto a piece of pipe. It seems to be what this person did- 

The most common projects I’ve seen the bushcrafter crowd make are stools, ladders, and swedish rocket stove fires.

Sorry I got a bit carried away there with multiple pictures, hopefully there isn’t a forum limit and they all come through. Has anyone heard of or used one of these before? What are your thoughts on it being a practical prep vs. just being a cool tool for bushcraft projects?

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Braces and bits have been available for years and in many situations are.  preferable to an electric drill  They can be just as fast or even faster.

 

I didn’t know what that was but just looked it up and know what you are talking about now.

That does look much easier and quicker than a bushcraft auger, but does introduce more moving parts that need to be maintained and could break.

Get a bit and brace for the bug in homestead and a bushcraft auger if you have to evacuate to the woods.

 

I’m not saying it can’t happen, but the only part of a brace and bit I’ve ever damaged is the auger bit itself, and I am using old ones that have seen a lot of use over the last three generations of my family.  It’s not like an electric drill where it only lasts a few years.

 

Interesting.  Never seen them before, though do have a tiny version of something similar for doing delicate work.

I would say mostly just a cool tool for bushcraft projects.  I like the extreme simplicity of it, but a brace and bit (aka “hand auger”) is probably easier to use and do precise work with, if you just need a way to drill holes around the homestead post-TEOTWAWKI. 

Even a child can use a brace and bit, whereas these look (bear in mind I’ve never actually used them) like they would place a lot of strain on the arms and wrists, leading to fatigue.

On the other hand these bushcraft augers are a cheaper option, and take up less space.  So for someone who doesn’t have any use for a brace and bit in their daily life, but wants something “just in case” these might be a more reasonable investment. 

Or one could add just one or two sizes of these to a bug out bag, where a brace and bit is too heavy to make the cut.

 

So far it’s Brace and Bit 2 – 0 Bushcraft auger.