An auger is a tool used to bore holes. Augers are often used in fields such as woodworking and construction; ice fishermen use augers to drill holes in the ice as well. There are many kinds of augers and all require several different parts to function properly. Some parts are basic to most all augers, such as a helical blade to cut through and extract various substances, such as ice, wood, or dirt. Some augers, such as motor augers or particularly large augers that must be attached to and positioned with motorized vehicles, require more specialized parts. Auger parts tend to be widely available, as augers are commonly used in a wide variety of jobs and recreational activities.
The auger's spiral-shaped blade, which closely resembles a drill bit and is referred to as the flighting, is the most important of all auger parts. The flighting typically has two sharp blades at the bottom, allowing the auger to penetrate the surface it is being used to drill. The size of the flighting and of the blades depends highly on the purpose of the auger—an auger intended to drill through wood will likely have a much smaller blade than one intended to drill holes through ice for ice fishing. An auger intended to drill into and extract dirt from the ground will likely have a still larger blade.
The handle is another particularly important auger part, particularly for hand augers. Generally, the top of the handle is round and, sometimes, able to spin. One hand is placed on this part of the handle while the other rotates the lower section of the handle, allowing for continuous motion with no need to switch hands. Motor augers tend to have somewhat different handles as no rotation is required. The handles on motor augers are simply designed to provide a steady and firm area to grip to allow an individual to hold the auger steady as it drills into a surface.
Motorized augers typically require specialized parts. Motor augers tend to have relatively small motors, but such motors can still vary greatly and require many different auger parts to function properly. Motor augers often require specialized blades as well; many hand auger blades can not be fitted with motors. Some augers, especially those used in heavy industry, are very large and must drill large holes. These must often be transported by specialized motor vehicles; both the auger and the vehicle generally require specialized auger parts.