Strikemaster 40V Cutting Problem

[zforste1]

Hey all, wondering if anyone has had issues with their Strikemaster 40v lithium struggling to cut ice seemingly out of no where? I was drilling holes in my shack today, it cut 3/5 just fine and something went wrong halfway through the 4th hole and barely cut the 5th. it cuts good the first 2-3" of ice then just wont do anything but shave "snow cone" type ice and it has a bit of a wobble. The blades seem reasonably sharp, not broken and not iced up. i have to lean way into it to get it do make downward progress.

any thoughts?

thanks.

[350 Mag]

I have seen this with Ion augers as well.

They don't drill well in slush or water.

They drill great in clean solid ice.

[zforste1]

I have seen this with Ion augers as well.

They don't drill well in slush or water.

They drill great in clean solid ice.

We were drilling new holes in good clean dark ice.

[jigapoolza]

I’ve read that sometimes you might have to shime the blades on Strikemaster gas auger maybe the electrics are the same!

[winterbuddy]

i have to lean way into it to get it do make downward progress.

any thoughts?

Leaning way into the auger, ie. putting your weight into it, is a problem in itself.  Probably the #1 cause of putting a drill head out of pitch.  I'm not sure why it would go bad all of a sudden, but my guess is you likely need to have the pitch looked at, possibly adjusted. 

You mentioned it wasn't iced up, but I have seen some pretty thin sheens of ice buildup cause this too, so maybe worth double checking before you throw a hammer at it.

[BlueDevil]

Is it a possibility you were drilling on dirty ice and your blades got dull?  Shaver style blades are terrible on dirty ice.

[hardwater diehard]

Is it a possibility you were drilling on dirty ice and your blades got dull?  Shaver style blades are terrible on dirty ice.

I assume its a lazer style blades ..they hate dirty ice .

[anglerbrian]

I would also check to make sure the blades are screwed down tight happened to me once. I always carry an 8mm wrench just in case. My blades have never become dull but I keep a spare set handy just in case. They can sharpen them at Pokeys tackle in Regina and do an awesome Job.

[PikeKing23]

X2 for dull blades. I have found that you never really know how dull your blades are until you get them sharpened. They always feel sharp.

[zforste1]

Thanks all for the input. I did get them sharpened at Pokey's over the weekend which seemed to solve my issue. I would not have guessed by feeling the edges that they were dull but after a quick touch up they were back to normal.

[Timetofish]

Thanks all for the input. I did get them sharpened at Pokey's over the weekend which seemed to solve my issue. I would not have guessed by feeling the edges that they were dull but after a quick touch up they were back to normal.

Does anyone know of someone who sharpens strikemaster blades in prince Alberta or Saskatoon?

[Diggs]

In Saskatoon try Accu-Sharp.

[jpicks]

A whetstone and some time will get you a long ways in life.  Plus you'll learn a new skill.  Tons of videos on youtube.

I had a set of eskimo blades trashed once.   After that I've started doing them myself and never looked back.

[Timetofish]

A whetstone and some time will get you a long ways in life.  Plus you'll learn a new skill.  Tons of videos on youtube.

I had a set of eskimo blades trashed once.   After that I've started doing them myself and never looked back.

I can sharpen flat blades, not so easy for the curved strikemaster/mora blades

[Arlberg20]

I can sharpen flat blades, not so easy for the curved strikemaster/mora blades
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[Twistedhook]

Great Western Saw on 45th ST W in Saskatoon does a great job on blades and at very reasonable pricing.