clam plate and nils

[eyes11]

what do i need to use an orange nils auger (made for a drill on its own) on the clam plate?

[Agronomist_at_IA]

Go on eBay and they have an adaptor that is a bit longer then the original one. So the stem fits up in the adaptor.

[lynng]

I have a couple of the ebay adapters on clam plates. They are well made. Mine are used with the BLUE Nils. I would check to be sure the orange is the same size, both shaft diameter and location of hole. You may also need to pick up a couple of bolts; 20x1/4 and 12 mm ( have tried both a bolt and clevis with no preference).

[Agronomist_at_IA]

I have a couple of the ebay adapters on clam plates. They are well made. Mine are used with the BLUE Nils. I would check to be sure the orange is the same size, both shaft diameter and location of hole. You may also need to pick up a couple of bolts; 20x1/4 and 12 mm ( have tried both a bolt and clevis with no preference).

Yep that is what I've got. I'm not sure, but I think they made one for the orange nils that was like it, only it was longer in the middle then when put on the orange nils the drill stem on top of the orange auger would slide up in the open part of the neck.

[lynng]

Here is the eBay link.  I woud contact the seller to be sure it fits the orange Nils.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Nils-Ice-Auger-Adapter-to-Clam-Plate/172960019359?epid=1254072021&hash=item284538739f:g:UZkAAOSwySVZ-mZw

[Agronomist_at_IA]

Here is the eBay link.  I woud contact the seller to be sure it fits the orange Nils.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Nils-Ice-Auger-Adapter-to-Clam-Plate/172960019359?epid=1254072021&hash=item284538739f:g:UZkAAOSwySVZ-mZw

That is what I have but I think there is one that is longer

[eyes11]

thanks for the info.  I put in a question on ebay friday and havent heard back yet.  How does this auger perform on the clam plate

[joedevera]

How does this auger perform on the clam plate

Cuts like butter. I run the 6" on the Clam Plate with my brushless and I don't imagine I'll go back to running a gas auger ever

[icebucketjohn]

Orange Colored Nils 6" Convertible Auger
Clam Plate
DeWalt 20v Cordless Drill

...Would never consider anything else

[DBV]

I think one big disadvantge of the clam plate is the weight it adds to the setup - right?  I think it adds 5 pounds, so the light setup as not as light anymore.  The weight would be similar to my Tanaka powerhead with the 6 inch Nils.  Maybe the aerodynamics of using it as handle make up for it?  It also makes the auger harder to transport - right?

[kondan]

I think one big disadvantge of the clam plate is the weight it adds to the setup - right?  I think it adds 5 pounds, so the light setup as not as light anymore.  The weight would be similar to my Tanaka powerhead with the 6 inch Nils.  Maybe the aerodynamics of using it as handle make up for it?  It also makes the auger harder to transport - right?

That's what my buddy thought too, but half way through our fishing day, he kept using my clam/strikemaster setup and didn't even touch his Tanaka/nils. 

[lynng]

I think one big disadvantge of the clam plate is the weight it adds to the setup - right?  I think it adds 5 pounds, so the light setup as not as light anymore.  The weight would be similar to my Tanaka powerhead with the 6 inch Nils.  Maybe the aerodynamics of using it as handle make up for it?  It also makes the auger harder to transport - right?

I think the extra weight is worth it. It is still much lighter than my Tanaka power head. I like the convenience of the handles when drilling and especially when you lay it down it keeps the drill up off the ice and snow. I've tried it both ways and prefer the handle.  I walk to all my fishing and find no problem transporting as it fits in my Smitty sled fine.

How does this auger perform on the clam plate

The Nils is the best cutting auger I've ever used by a large margin. You do need to take care of the blades as they are a bit more sensative to being sharp than other brands and I would recommend the Cold Snap cover. There are a number of YouTube videos that show a comparison with other brands. I've used the plate and Milwaukee M-18 with a Nils 6,8 and 10 inch (10 in. with the reduction gear) and they all cut just as well as with my 350 Tanaka power head. However, If I'm drilling a lot of 10 inch holes, I do use it on the powerhead most of the time. I see no need for the reduction gear on the Nils 6 or 8 inch and would not recommend it.

[lynng]

I also made this modification to the Clam Plate trigger and recommend it.  Parts from Home Depot ship to store less that $5.

https://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=348596.0

[BeenShanty]

Wait.. Why would you still use the nils and clam plate since the k-drill?  The kd's lighter, faster, floats, blades carry warranty (free sharpening), and you can use an extension or install it on a gas power head.  I have several DeWalt and other drills but they don't compare to the cold rated power of the red lithium's and now they have 9.0+ batt's.

[lynng]

Wait.. Why would you still use the nils and clam plate since the k-drill?  The kd's lighter, faster, floats, blades carry warranty (free sharpening), and you can use an extension or install it on a gas power head.  I have several DeWalt and other drills but they don't compare to the cold rated power of the red lithium's and now they have 9.0+ batt's.

Faster?? Uhh don't think so. And at $249 vs $179 I can pay for a lot of blade sharpening.  I've actually tried both and prefer the nils by a wide margin.

https://youtu.be/aj-dnyhZ3bU

[BeenShanty]

Not to be rude or ignorant but your link is not an equal comparison.

Where do you live?  Would you be interested running your nils against my 8" KD?  I've been running nils on a CP's for a few years and you've gotta be kidding if you think ~$70 more is not worth the investment.   I'm fairly confident though the 8" nils retails for closer to $200.. if that's your only argument is money saved on blade sharpening - the 8" cutting head of the nils is OVER $100 meanwhile replacement blades on the KD are like $40.  I sharpen my own nils, kd, and strikemaster blades though so I guess I can't relate.

If you feel you bias youtube video is your virtual balls to say so, then you shouldn't have too much trouble making me eat my words in an challenge, no?

[Agronomist_at_IA]

Not to be rude or ignorant but your link is not an equal comparison.

Where do you live?  Would you be interested running your nils against my 8" KD?  I've been running nils on a CP's for a few years and you've gotta be kidding if you think ~$70 more is not worth the investment.   I'm fairly confident though the 8" nils retails for closer to $200.. if that's your only argument is money saved on blade sharpening - the 8" cutting head of the nils is OVER $100 meanwhile replacement blades on the KD are like $40.  I sharpen my own nils, kd, and strikemaster blades though so I guess I can't relate.

If you feel you bias youtube video is your virtual balls to say so, then you shouldn't have too much trouble making me eat my words in an challenge, no?

LMAO....the auger wars how stupid. By the way a new nils can be found for $125 at times. Cabelas runs a sale every so often where you can get an 8in nils for $125-130 just get free shipping and use a $25 off coupon and boom when the nils are on sale and $124-$130 for a new 8in nils.

Overall nils and K-drills are nice, so are the curved blade augers like lasers......Honestly, there is not really any reason to buy any of these higher priced augers. A simple 8in shaver style hand auger on a drill is all a guy really needs. They rip through ice plenty fast and cut holes just fine. I've bought sold traded and played around with a lot of augers and all of the augers mentioned.....they all cut and do the job. For the most part we fall for marketing and think that higher cost = a better product which often doesn't hold true in today's world.

People argue over the smallest thing with these augers.....like weight.....I mean sure weight is or was a huge factor when a person moved from a 45lb jiffy model 30 to a 15-20lb drill setup, but once you get to the 15-20lb range they are all light enough and easy to use that the 2-3lbs difference isn't noticable or much difference for most anglers.

Now to the poster I quoted and replied to. I currently run an 8in nils auger with a power point. 

Here is why I use a nils and not the K-Drill. I use it in a wheel house and for normal ice fishing. In the wheel house The nils is perfect.

1. I put the drill adaptor plate on top of it, and I add a 14in flighted extention to it. Buy doing this it gives me a lot of length. When I drill I can leave my house up and get through the thick ice. With thick ice since the extention is added to the bottom the flighting is also extended. This helps because it pulls shavings up has I drill without having to clean the shavings, and keeps the drill from bogging down.

2. When I reverse to blow the shavings in the hole out the flighting is all the way to the top and grabs shavings from the top to blow it under the ice.

3.  The power point head is great because the guide point drills in where I put it no skipping around.

4. Because of the drill attachment I can remove the drill and use it to crank my house up when it is time to leave.

5. If my batteries are dead I can hand auger with it.

6. Since the blades are a cutting head, if something is out of wack, Frank can adjust and fix it when sharpening.....the auger isn't shot like most others if the pitch gets out of wack.

7. It's the most versital auger on the market. I can make it a power point auger guided cutting head or not, I can hand auger or power auger it, I can make the thing 6ft long or more if I want, and it's built fairly well.

Don't get me wrong, the k drill was nice. However at $125 more for a shorter auger, and without being able to hand auger with it I dumped it.

Also, not to argue......... but a sharp nils vs a Kdrill.....the nils is a touch faster. The difference is so small it is an insignificant deal IMO.

Also, I don't think you want to race a sharp nils against your 8in KDrill.....you won't like the results.Just an FYI.....the 8in Kdrill is 7.5in wide. The used power point head I bought for my nils that Frank had sharpened is 8.25-8.5in wide. The extra 1in on the hole size comes in handy when the wheel house holes are freezing down in size.

[BeenShanty]

Ag - now that's the kind of response I was going for.  Run the nils with a pp myself.  We tested between different gen milwaukee drills, batteries at their sharpest and swapped between the xc 5.0 red lith and 9 HD and it didn't matter kd or nils (we had 5 of each), whichever had a 9 was cutting faster.  Weight and portability is a factor in my opinion come first ice and hiking your gear, lugging and drilling all day, or wielding a sharp blade around inside a shanty.  We all have our preferences and for an agronomist glad you communicated yours effectively.

Respectfully,
Ben

[eyes11]

I guess the ebay seller is currently out of the orange nils adapters and doesn't know when he will have more. Any other suggestion on where i can get my hands on an adapter for the orange nils to a clam plate? Thanks

[Agronomist_at_IA]

I guess the ebay seller is currently out of the orange nils adapters and doesn't know when he will have more. Any other suggestion on where i can get my hands on an adapter for the orange nils to a clam plate? Thanks

Not sure....I got mine off eBay. I would think guys would start having adaptors made and selling its Dec. now.

[lynng]

I guess the ebay seller is currently out of the orange nils adapters and doesn't know when he will have more. Any other suggestion on where i can get my hands on an adapter for the orange nils to a clam plate? Thanks

PM Sharp Nils. If anyone would know where to get one Frank would.

[FlamDragger]

My Ridgid drill with a 6” Nils cuts like a hot knife through butter. Why add weight to a finely tuned instrument? Should the drill ever have an issue, it’s under warranty. No Clam plate for me. JMTCW

[eyes11]

has anyone made an adapter themselves?  I bought a new 1200 in/lbs milwaukee and could run it with just the orange nils but when i tried my 8in orange nils with my old drill (10yr old hitachi) it seemed to put alot of torque on the drill so i was hoping to use a clam plate to help with that and to keep drill out of the snow and slush while on the ice.

[Deal Ninja]

Try the new drill and the Nils together first before you spring for the Clam Plate.  You'll find the new M18 1200ip drill is more than capable of turning that auger.  Trust me when I tell you there is NO comparison between your old Hitachi and the new Milwaukee M18 2703 or 2704 drills.

DN 

[bowski76]

If you don't use a clam plate, be sure to brace the drill against your hip, the drill can really mess up your wrist no matter how "manly" you are.

[FlamDragger]

If you don't use a clam plate, be sure to brace the drill against your hip, the drill can really mess up your wrist no matter how "manly" you are.

I use the detachable handle on my Ridgid. It gives me two points of contact, same as the clam plate, except at a 90 degree angle, instead of 180. My contact points are braced with my elbows against my hips. The clam plate puts my arms too far away from me to brace against anything. Besides, my Nils is smoothe as silk, so far. YMMV

[Agronomist_at_IA]

I use the detachable handle on my Ridgid. It gives me two points of contact, same as the clam plate, except at a 90 degree angle, instead of 180. My contact points are braced with my elbows against my hips. The clam plate puts my arms too far away from me to brace against anything. Besides, my Nils is smoothe as silk, so far. YMMV

No knock on Ridgid....but they are not even close to 1200in lbs. When the Milwaukee drill is turning, something is gonna give. I've seen a number of side handles that were ripped off from the torque. I've put an item in a vice anchored on a work bench, then hit it with the 1200in lb Milwaukee......it actually ripped the corner of the work bench off. Sure the clam plate isn't needed. However it saves your wrist, and keeps a guy from breaking the side handle.

If I was the OP I'd give it a bit of time, and run it with the drill for now. I'm sure either clam or an eBay seller will have a few adaptors made. If not the OP has two options.

1. By the adaptor for the blue nils for the clam plate then mode a pipe to make a small hallow extention from the adaptor to the plate.

2.Cut off the top bit on his orange nils. Then just use the normal adaptor. If he ever wanted to run it without the plate just get the drill adaptor. (Not that you would once on a clam plate)

[FlamDragger]

When my Ridgid turns, the 6” Nils eats ice. It doesn’t hiccup or buck whatsoever. I had heard all the warnings about getting your wrists broken without a clam plate, but I’ve had no issues. The thing just whistles right through. The drill cost me 1/3 the price of a Milwaukee, and it’s guaranteed for life. Not so for the competition. Again, it’s just an opinion.

[todalake]

When my Ridgid turns, the 6” Nils eats ice. It doesn’t hiccup or buck whatsoever. I had heard all the warnings about getting your wrists broken without a clam plate, but I’ve had no issues. The thing just whistles right through. The drill cost me 1/3 the price of a Milwaukee, and it’s guaranteed for life. Not so for the competition. Again, it’s just an opinion.

    I have exact same setup with Nils and Ridgid.   Had the earlier one with 2 amp battery and it cut but not as many holes.   4 amp battery and Ridgid with 780# torque is current setup.   If  Ridgid had 9 amp battery with LTW might get that.   Also think since Nils is shaver type blade rather than chipper type why it is smoother.

[Agronomist_at_IA]

When my Ridgid turns, the 6” Nils eats ice. It doesn’t hiccup or buck whatsoever. I had heard all the warnings about getting your wrists broken without a clam plate, but I’ve had no issues. The thing just whistles right through. The drill cost me 1/3 the price of a Milwaukee, and it’s guaranteed for life. Not so for the competition. Again, it’s just an opinion.

You don't need the guarantee when it last like Milwaukee.