I would never have cut my maple with a spade, it most probably would

have twisted off.

I used to feel the same way about spades but the new bits by Irwin and others have a pretty sophisticated grind. In construction it takes about 2 seconds to get through a 2x. I mean these things are aggressive and cut clean if you control the rate of feed and they feel like they are pulling the bit through the wood, if not possibly literally doing so.

Just an idea.