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Drill bit sharpener? What are y'all usin'?

dave_dj1

dave_dj1

Red Skull Member
Joined
May 23, 2020
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1290
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1,084
Loc
Jackson NY
Title says it all
I am sick of dull bits (my fault for trying to drill rusty steel) LOL
The only reference I found searching was for a drill Dr. any other brands/types?
 
I have a Drill Dr and an older Kuhlmann tool and cutter grinder. The kuhlmann is much better. The kuhlmanns are kinda pricy but you can find similar machines for a few hundred bucks.
 
I have a cheap bench grinder with a couple of good wheels mounted to the wall of my shop. It gets used for drill bits, lathe tools, putting edges back on chisels. Not for general grinding. With a little practice you can get pretty good at putting a new edge on. The smaller ones are harder, but for those I just buy in bulk - for example you can get 1/8" cobalt drills for about $2 each normally, less in bulk, for $2 I'm not bothering to sharpen them again.

One day I'm probably going to make a drill holder jig thingy for the grinder. There are times I need a really perfect centered tip.
 
Been using a Darex SP-2500 that I picked up for free during a plant closure. Works amazing but not cheap even on the used market. The drill doctor in the past wasnt to bad either.
 
Free hand. But I'm a professional. I only go down to 3/32, my eyes aren't what they used to be.
 
free hand using an 1/8"x4.5" cut off wheel(use the flat surface) on my angle grinder, works better on 3/8" or bigger bits, occasionally i can get them to cut better than when they were new :grinpimp:
 
rockyota83 said:
free hand using an 1/8"x4.5" cut off wheel(use the flat surface) on my angle grinder, works better on 3/8" or bigger bits, occasionally i can get them to cut better than when they were new :grinpimp:
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Same here. But I have been wanting a drill doctor for the smaller bits
 
Drill Dr. works great for personal use. I've never been able to pick up free-handing so I stick with the Dr. I do have a jig that came with my cutter-grinder....whenever I get around to restoring it.
 
I got a drill doctor I use. I can do it free hand if I want but being able to mindlessly stick it in a chuck and turn it around a few times makes it much less of a chore.
 
I came across an early drill Dr. at work one time. When i asked the maintenance guy about it he said it never worked right. Being i used a fair amount of drill bits at the time i gave it a shot. Turns out they were just using it wrong. It worked great. After i left that company i wanted one for home so i bought the current one at the time. It honestly only works OK. It is very picky and often does not back cut enough for the leading edge to bite into the material. At this point i use it to get both edges even, then put a little more rake on it with a belt sander.

On the plus side, this one has a removable cover on the bottom to get access to the grinding wheel. It makes a really nice tungsten grinder. Flip the thing over and chuck a tungsten in a cordless drill. I use it way more for that than i ever do sharpening drill bits.
 
shaggy10000 said:
I came across an early drill Dr. at work one time. When i asked the maintenance guy about it he said it never worked right. Being i used a fair amount of drill bits at the time i gave it a shot. Turns out they were just using it wrong. It worked great. After i left that company i wanted one for home so i bought the current one at the time. It honestly only works OK. It is very picky and often does not back cut enough for the leading edge to bite into the material. At this point i use it to get both edges even, then put a little more rake on it with a belt sander.

On the plus side, this one has a removable cover on the bottom to get access to the grinding wheel. It makes a really nice tungsten grinder. Flip the thing over and chuck a tungsten in a cordless drill. I use it way more for that than i ever do sharpening drill bits.
Click to expand...

Drill doctors work okay, but my bitch with them is that they just seem like such an unbelievable piece of chinese shit in their basic construction.. At least the current ones do, they've got a decent enough rep to where I'd think they may have been better at one time.
 
Saloon65 said:
Drill doctors work okay, but my bitch with them is that they just seem like such an unbelievable piece of chinese shit in their basic construction.. At least the current ones do, they've got a decent enough rep to where I'd think they may have been better at one time.
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Look at the Darex branded ones, it's the industrial version of a Drill Dr. I believe both made by the company.
 
I bought a Drill Dr and that fucker will turn whatever you put in it more dull than when you started. Learn to free hand, buy 1/8 or 3/16 in bulk to pilot drill, chuck them when they're dull and your larger drills will last much longer
 
I have a Drill Dr. some bits it works great and some it makes worse, No rhyme or reason that I can figure out. I suspect it has to do with the twist rate. The bit indexes off of the flutes which seems strange to me it should index off of the cutting edge.



It does not take saving many 1/2"+ bits before the thing pays for itself though. It also can add a split point to any bit which is another plus. I agree with just buying sub 1/4" bits in bulk and only sharpening larger bits
 
Freehand on a bench grinder here. Need a good, relatively high grit stone. Drill angle gauge helps.

Only takes a minute or two to sharpen a 1/2" drill if it broke clean off in a hole. Few seconds to touch up pretty much any size.
 
Another vote for drill doctor.

I bought one of those 512 bit Ryobi packs for like $20 way back inthe day..

Those fuckers are all about an inch long now, still being used. It must be almost 15 years, haven't bought a drill since.

The bits don't hold an edge long, but I just use them once, and drop them in a yogurt container. Then when I'm bored I set up the assembly line and sharpen them all together.
 
Wheelerfreak said:
$1700 bucks!:eek: I'll watch some videos and buy new bits.

https://www.grainger.com/product/DA...ucid=N:N:PS:Paid:GGL:CSM-2296:9JMEDM:20500731
Click to expand...

Here is a cheaper option: https://www.shars.com/products/mach...l-end-mill-cutter-drill-bit-grinder-sharpener

But you can buy a lot of drill bits for that money. However if you need to sharpen end mills that run 30-50 each or need custom lathe tool profiles it can be worth it.

If you want to go blind reading way too much info on drill sharpening and jigs: https://www.gadgetbuilder.com/DrillSharp.html The page make myspace look good.
 
I have a drill Docter which does good on small bits like 5/16” down. It’ll do larger bits but most of those I do by hand. It is a technique and takes practice to learn to do it right. Balance out both sides even and getting in the right angle for relief. The relief angle is on a rounded angle and needs the correct angle grind. Too sharpe an angle or not enough and it’s a useless metal with a time it’s in it. I’ve done them so much through the years it’s like 2nd nature sharpening drill bits.
 
1/2" and under, I use a sharpener from Cuttermaster. Kind of a like a stouter version of a Drill Dr.

Larger than 1/2", by hand on a diamond wheel. I keep a "sharpen me" drawer full of dull drills that every so often I'll setup and sharpen them all and put them back in my drawers of drills.
 
My drill doctor is from 2004 probably and it works good, have sharpened many bits that worked great afterwards

Yes, it does pay for itself very quick on anything over 1/2", but I havent used the newer ones so no clue on quality.
 
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