Corkscfrew auger?

I acquired this recently from a workshop clear out. It is stamped Marple and Son 1". It has a small tapered screw thread on the tip to pull it in and the straight edge of the cone has been sharpened to give a cutting edge. I thought at first it was a hand auger or countersink of some kind for wood, but when I tried it on a piece of softwood it pulled in OK for the threaded bit then just mangled the grain. My best guess is that it was maybe for cutting a cone in lead for some kind of plumbing joint?

I would love to know what it is called and what it is used for. It is absolutely useless for opening wine bottles! Thanks in advance. Bob

Marples was very much a woodworking tool manufacturer as I recall.

Plumbers Lead Pipe Opener.

MichaelR

I suggest in that case it is for making a hole in the side of a lead pipe to solder another one in, hence the starter spiral.

Lead pipe cutter there are several images on google.

Hi, this ad from a 1958 tools catalogue, calls it a pipe opener.

While Buck & Hickman 1964 catalogue, calls it a branch pipe opener.

Regards Nick.

Thanks very much for all the answers. Once again the wide range of knowledge on this site has come up trumps. I obviously have the posh version with the screw nose but at an extra one and five pence I bet I would only have been able to afford the plain version at the time!

I bet the Asbestos saws were popular for building Prefabs.