Drill bit sharpener

[wv109323]

Since this is a diverse group, I need to invest in a drill bit sharpener. There seems to be many options from a hand held stone with the bit in the drill to industrial sharpeners. I would never sharpen anything over 1/2" down tp 1/16". So what do you have experience and what do you recommend?

[Winger Ed.]

I've hacked around with a bunch of them.

My favorite, and one I'd buy again is the 'Drill Doctor'.

Each stone for it is good for about 300 sharpenings, and you'll need the extra chuck that goes from 3/8 or so to 1/2 inch.
The bottom line one is OK, the next one up, I think is the '750' is the one ya want.

When the stone/wheel wears out, flip it over. It only uses less than 1/2 of the it up by the end.

[Minerat]

Drill doctor is the one I have too a 750 as Ed says.

[Mk42gunner]

Like Winger Ed, I've used several. The cheap ones aren't usually worth hauling home, if you want any kind of adjustability. I have not used the Drill Doctor, although I have read good things about them.

For years I used two hex nuts pushed together for a gauge. The angle is 120 degrees, while at the time most drill bits used a 118 degree point.

What I've been doing lately is use my 1x30" belt sander. Hold the drill so the flute cutting edge meets the belt squarely, then kind of lift and twist. This gives you the clearance you need behind the cutting edge. There are numerous videos on youtube showing this method.

One last thing. If the size of the hole is critical, like for tapping threads, drill a test hole after sharpening.

Robert

[megasupermagnum]

There's more than one Drill Doctor, and make sure you get the right one. I got one of the cheaper ones, a handheld model, and it is in the running for the worst tool I've ever used. It can take a dull drill bit, and turn it into something that wont even cut plastic.

Unfortunately I've never found anything under a few hundred dollars that can do better than a grinder and a good hand. I'm not even good at sharpening bits, but at least I can make them usable. I'd be more tempted to try a jig to use with your bench grinder, rather than a standalone drill bit sharpener.

The only standalone drill bit sharpener I ever liked was a vintage industrial one at my old shop. It was a solid chunk of cast iron, and it had 3 collets to hold bits. Between those three, you could sharpen bits from 1/6" to I think 3/4". It did a great job, but I don't think you are going to touch one for under $1000 either.

[Hannibal]

I do 'em by hand but don't mess with anything under 1/4". Too easy to mess up and I'm typically trying to drill a straight hole if it's a small diameter. I just toss the smaller ones and buy new as needed.

[bangerjim]

Drill Doctor. Period. No hand-held sharpening will give you equal flute grinds. Hand sharpening is a thing of the past when the only thing you had was some kluge thing that mounted beside your bench grinder. (been there done that) Or a DAREX! The ultimate sharpening grinder.

Again your best economical thing is a Drill Doctor with both sizes of chucks.

I still have the original abrasive media in mine. If you buy GOOD QUALITY AMERICAN drills (not HF junk), you rarely ever sharpen them!!!! I have drills that I have used regularly for over 20 years and they are as sharp as the day I bought them.....and NO sharpening ever done.

Good luck on your choice.

[metricmonkeywrench]

Found myself an older Drill Dr 400(I think) darn near new in the box. Does everything I need it to do to support my home use. Easy to use and has easily paid for itself in drilling frustration avoidance when your trying to drill that one hole….

[SeabeeMan]

I have the 750 and it is wonderful, sharpening everything up to 1/2". I had to drill a pile of 1/2" holes for some trailer builds and I bet I paid for it in saved bits throughout the project. I'd love to know how to do it by hand but lacking that skill, the Drill Doctor has my full recommendation.

[too many things]

drill dr is good for 3/16 up

just toss the small ones

[xs11jack]

65 years ago my shop instructor showed my class how to sharpen by hand and it hasn't fail me yet.
Ole Jack

[memtb]

Drill Doctor! memtb

[country gent]

I sharpen by hand and use a gauge made by general for 1/2" up. Its not hard to learn and the gauge keeps the point centered and the angles even, this is importnt or the drill to cut to size. Most bench grinders wheels are to coarse to do a really good job sharpening.

My brother has a drill doctor sharpener and likes it.

General makes one that bolts to the grinders stand but needs the grinder locked in place also. A true oliver or industrial grinder will be costly and take up a lot of floor space. Also finding the missing tooling for these machines can be hard.

Hand sharpening a drill with a good well dressed wheel on a grinder isnt hard, but the wheels need to be flat and sharp. The tolling stars work but are more crude and for snag grinders. the sticks work but are hard to control by hand. A diamond with a stop for the rest really works well and makes for a straight flat sharp and open pored wheel. Add in the drill gauge or make one and you can sharpen most drills

[Kenstone]

I do bigger drills by hand, if that's difficult for you get this gage"
https://www.amazon.com/General-Tools-16ME-Multi-Rule/dp/B00004T7T7/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=drill+sharpening+gage&qid=1635214573&s=hi&sr=1-4

So no need for the big drill doctor for bigger drills, you (I) just need this for smaller bits:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D3NM3VU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Not looking for a debate, and yes you can sharpen a drill that will cut accurately "by hand" if you have the skills.
jmo,

[Polymath]

One of my first job as a young guy in a machine shop was to sharpen the drill bits. everything above 1/2" Need a angle protractor. Some of the old guys would make their own and that was sweet.
It's a good skill to learn. I've been stuck out in the field with a welding rig and hand sharpened dull bits on the angle grinder and voila I'm back in business. After a while you can learn to do it by eye. I use a Drill DR. too. Nothing under 1/8".
Paid for itself at the first yard sale I went to and picked up a half dozen coffee cans of dull/broken bits. My farmer cousins are set for life.

[BJK]

I don't have the hand grinding skill, but my Drill Dr. makes me look like I do. I don't remember the model #. I put dull bits in a container and when I get enough I pull it out and sharpen all of them. I need to freshen up on the instructions every time.

[GregLaROCHE]

I was taught that after you ground the flutes sufficiently, to go back and remove a little bit from behind each cutting edge. Especially with larger bits, to reduce friction and drag. Do these Drll Doctor sharpeners do that somehow?

[Winger Ed.]

, to go back and remove a little bit from behind each cutting edge.

Yes. It's called splitting the point.
Without doing it, the bit will crawl all over and not want to start a hole.

Look at a picture of one: The big chuck holds the bit in proper alignment to sharpen the front of the bit on the wheel.
Beside it is another hole for the chuck to fit into.
After the bit is sharp, ya stick it in the side hole and it grinds that little bit off the back edge of the point.

[JRLesan]

Darex: wasn't cheap 40 years ago but it has served me well. Bought one of the first ones and received a personal letter from the owner/inventor asking how I liked it.

[jimlj]

I had a Drill Dr 20 or more years ago in my shop. When it was new it worked well for me. I found it is not a tool to have on the bench for anyone to use though. I had a girl working for me that I showed how to use it, gave her a few bits to sharpen and went to line out a couple of employees on a job. I came back to ruined drill bits and a Drill Dr that would never work right again. If you get one, plan to be the only one to use it, it's likely you will be the only one who cares if it still works tomorrow.

[Newboy]

If you already have a TorMek grinder, their drill bit accessory is excellent.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[bangerjim]

If you study the geometry and performance behind a factory-sharpened perfectly sharpened twist drill, you will find (if in a drill press or mill) you will get two perfectly identical spiral cuts coming out of the hole you are drilling, one for each flute, each exactly the same size and thickness. You just cannot get that type of accuracy and repeatability with a hand fixture or holding them in your hand.

The drill Doctor technology rigidly holds the drill in a repeatable position (very important for accuracy for both drills and mills) and makes the cuts you need (or don't need). If operated properly, and with a little bit-o-practice, you too can have drills like I described above. And if you "split the point", your drills will start perfectly in the punch mark you made ever time, and not going for a stroll on you work surface!

If those that sharpen by hand only & are happy with their performance, more power to ya! ( I too was trained in a college metallurgy class how to hand sharpen twist drills, but was never happy with their precision or performance.) I just got sick of inaccurate sub-performing hand sharpened twist drills and invested in a DD years ago.................and never looked back.

Best of luck to all. :drinks:

[megasupermagnum]

Like I said, there's more than one Drill Doctor model. The one I had was such a piece of junk, it would make dull bits even duller. The things are made of all plastic and have a ridiculous amount of slop in them. A real industrial drill bit sharpener is steel, and is a precision instrument.

I can take a destroyed drill bit and sharpen it on a bench grinder good enough to drill a hole through plate steel. I can't do the same with a drill doctor.

[Mal Paso]

If you already have a TorMek grinder, their drill bit accessory is excellent.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Thanks! I've been looking at that.

[Winger Ed.]

Darex: wasn't cheap 40 years ago but it has served me well.

They've grown.

At the safe company we used a bunch of carbide bits made just for getting into real hard steel, and were big bucks.
They used to use 'em and toss them until the owner of the company saw how many thousands of dollars worth of bits went into the trash.
The company wouldn't let me get the $20,000 Darex sharpener, so I had to settle for the $1800 dollar one.

It was great. The diamond stone wheel in it was about 4" in diameter and cost $350 all by itself,
but it put those cobalt & carbide bits back to factory fresh if one of the kids didn't burn it up & ruin the heat treat on it.

[JRLesan]

I bought the (now) $1800.00 dollar model for right around $600.00 at Bossert Machinery in downtown KCMO some 40 years ago. It was expensive but worth it to me. I don't use it now but a couple times a year but it is still handy. Also got the second collet attachment that handles 3/4" bits and a diamond wheel and a "Grind-R-Table (not from Darex).

[Shopdog]

Look up the paper;

"Drill point geometry" by Joseph Mazoff. He started as an apprentice around 1930. He's,"the guy". You're gonna learn more than you probably want to know on the subject. I have it bookmarked and love referencing it. Too dumb to attach a link.... find it, you won't be disappointed.

[Kenstone]

Look up the paper;

"Drill point geometry" by Joseph Mazoff. He started as an apprentice around 1930. He's,"the guy". You're gonna learn more than you probably want to know on the subject. I have it bookmarked and love referencing it. Too dumb to attach a link.... find it, you won't be disappointed.

Here:
https://www.newmantools.com/machines/drillpoint.html#top

[Thundarstick]

I learned to free hand them in them school!

[Traffer]

I have a sharpener that I never use. Since getting it I have learned to sharpen them free hand on either a wheel or with a dremel....(yes a dremel) with a diamond cutting wheel. Absolutely no need for a sharpener. It is not all that hard to learn to sharpen them on a regular grinder.
But there is ONE drill bit sharpener that I would like to have. It is this:
(the word "cheet" in Fin means "stuff". There are no language violations in this video.)

https://youtu.be/jx_9GK3sF6g

[Txcowboy52]

Was taught how to sharpen a drill bit by hand over 40 years ago, its not that difficult to learn . Its like anything if you know how its easy, it takes lots of practice.

[David2011]

My grandfather was a young mechanic and welder during the depression. He taught me how to sharpen drill bits but I prefer my Drill Doctor, especially for smaller bits. I sharpen bigger bits on a bench model belt sander.

[GregLaROCHE]

I have a sharpener that I never use. Since getting it I have learned to sharpen them free hand on either a wheel or with a dremel....(yes a dremel) with a diamond cutting wheel. Absolutely no need for a sharpener. It is not all that hard to learn to sharpen them on a regular grinder.
But there is ONE drill bit sharpener that I would like to have. It is this:
(the word "cheet" in Fin means "stuff". There are no language violations in this video.)

https://youtu.be/jx_9GK3sF6g

Interesting video. Thanks.

[GregLaROCHE]

I’ve been watching some videos on the Drill Doctor 750. I’m considering getting one, but over here the best price is over 300 in US dollars. Amazon has a 750 and a 750X. The 750X is normally more expensive, but is now on sale for less. What is the difference between 750 and 750X? I would think it is a newer model, but newer models aren’t always better. I would buy one from the US and have it shipped, but it’s 220Volts over here. Any advice?
Thanks.

[Traffer]

For entertainment purposes only>>>>This is ME about a year ago. hahahahah
https://youtu.be/Myfv_D-cZOQ?list=TLPQMjgxMDIwMjHQ3jCTK5Q9UQ