Tool Tuesday: Spoon Auger

[johan_steele]

The spoon auger is another ancient tool that lives on today. Simple and easy to use it takes only a steady hand and some effort to use one to make a hole. They are becoming scarce as more modern auger bits and braces replace them. But so long as men wish to save coin and try to squeeze a little more out of an old tool they will remain in use. I really don't know where I acquired these but like most tools I like them.

There is a movement in manufacturing to replace wood tools with those made of cast iron. I do not much care for that as I prefer the feel of wood under my hand. On a cold day that cast iron handle will be quite cold, painfully so. Also when dropped onto a hard surface that cold cast iron is as like as not to break. With the American method of mass production prices of all sorts of tools has reached a level where the improvements upon old emerge in the marketplace. The world is changing and changing quickly. I hope this is a change for the better.