Drill bit sharpening.

[64V-K7]

For a number of years I've sharpened my drill bits by hand. Sometimes good, sometimes not. I don't think I've ever thrown away a drill but until it was absolutely useless. OTOH, I have thrown away money on drill bit sharpeners.
Now there's a "Drill Bit Doctor" at Lowes. Anyone ever used one of them?


Bob Johnstone

https://www.studebaker-info.org

64 GT Hawk
55 President State Sedan
70 Avanti (R3)

[DEEPNHOCK]

My Dad taught me how to sharpen drill bits when I was a young'un.
He said "If you break them, you sharpen them"...
I bought a jig fixture years later, and all it did for me was tell me I was spot on by hand.
Bought a Black and Decker pencil sharpener thing, and it does ok on 5/16" and under.
Borrowed a Drill Doctor and played with it.
It gives you an even cut 'side to side', but it does not gve you a decent ledge cutting edge ...
(So your drill does not stay sharp as long as a decent cutting edge will get you).
I passed on buying a Drill Doctor...
The CASO in me sticks to 'by hand'...
Here's some good reading on hand sharpening...

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=how+to+sharpen+drill+bits+by+hand&aq=o&oq=

As a related note, I was the 'go to guy' in the shop when it came to sharpening drill bits...
HTIH
Jeff[8D]
PS: I suck at sharpening milling bits though

quote:Originally posted by 55Prez

For a number of years I've sharpened my drill bits by hand. Sometimes good, sometimes not. I don't think I've ever thrown away a drill but until it was absolutely useless. OTOH, I have thrown away money on drill bit sharpeners.
Now there's a "Drill Bit Doctor" at Lowes. Anyone ever used one of them?

[007]

The Drill Doctor will make you a pro at sharpening any drill bit whether that is masonry, steel etc. I bought the large size which does up to 1/2" and it has paid for itself many times. These units are on sale from Home Depot or Craigs Lists Regards Mark

[Michidan]

I like my drill doctor. They may not be perfect when they come out, but they sure cut faster.

https://www.studebakerhardtop.com

[KGlowacky]

I bought a drill doctor 8 years ago and tried using it once and said I need to take some time to understand how it works. from what I remember you must determine the type of bit end you have by angle and mine needs two or three different cuts per bit. I never went back and figured it out. What a waste of money for me. It sits under my toolbox colecting dust. Maybe someday I will figure it out.

[Mike Van Veghten]

By hand...

Mike

[Chris Pile]

Hate the Drill Doctor - use an old cone grinder I picked up at a sale back in the 80's.

Chris Pile
Editor: The Studebaker Special

http://midwaystudebakers.tripod.com/

[52-fan]

I have sharpened bits on a bench grinder with fair success, but the best ones I've ever done were sharpened on a vertical belt sander. The only sharpening machines I tried did not work very well.


1952 Champion Starlight, 1962 Daytona, both w/overdrive.Searcy,Arkansas
"I may be lazy, but I'm not shiftless."

[Bordeaux Daytona]

I bought a brand new drill doctor at a community garage sale for 15 bucks. I even watched the video tape that came with it and still couldn't get a bit to sharpen worth a darn.
Some people like it but I wouldn't bother.

[14x7]

I like the drill doctor. It sharpens the bit,and it's easy to use. and I don't have to hand sharpen,because hand sharping is dangerous, I think.

[jclary]

In one of my past lives, I sold cutting tools. The job required attending classes at various manufacturing schools and seminars. While the engineering types were salivating over the graphs and charts, my eyes would tend to glaze over. However, I did learn that drills require certain things like proper chisel point angles, relief angles, web thickness, lubricity, and appropriate "feeds and speeds" depending on material being drilled. My approach was to concentrate on "holes" rather than drills. I would explain to the customer that if he followed the charts in the literature...he should be able to get x number of holes per sharpening. Anybody can sell a "drill" but I was selling "holes" and it worked pretty good. Most machinists didn't want to admit that they didn't understand the charts any better than I did.

If any of you have a Drill Doctor you are cussing and stumbling over...I'll be happy to relieve you of the obstacle. One small tip...when using hole saws with a "Pilot" drill...sharpen the pilot drill slightly off center and the "hole plug" will fall out of your hole saw without hanging up on the bit.

John Clary
Greer, SC

Life... is what happens as you are making plans.
SDC member since 1975

[Colgate Studebaker]

For years I sharpened my bits by hand because every type of sharpening device I bought and tried worked for ----. My kids got me a Drill Doctor a couple years ago, and I have had very good luck using it. No more hand sharpening.B.V.

[55 prez]

I have had the basic drill doctor for about five years and like it very much.

Jim Caldwell
"The view don't change if you ain't the lead dog"

[sals54]

I bought the cheap version of the Drill Doctor. It took a few times to get the hang of it, but if you just play with it for about 15 minutes, you'll get it. I agree that the instructions are funny at times, but just hang in there. I love it now. It takes me about 2 minutes to sharpen a bit. Cuts like a hot knife through butter when its done.

sals54

[gordr]

I have always done mine freehand on the bench grinder. Takes about 20 seconds for a small bit. Once in a while, I get it wrong, and have to resharpen. No biggie.

Incidentally, I have to give a plug for this: http://www.bitlady.com

She sells surplus bits from the aircraft industry, and man, do they ever cut. Most of them are piloted, too. Drill their own pilot hole. And they are inexpensive. She does a circuit of the swap meets; I bought mine at Portland.

Gord Richmond, within Weasel range of the Alberta Badlands