Drill doctor

[pudgybear]

Just got my new NORTHERN TOOL CATALOG and seen the drill doctor machines now tell me which one do i want,, all i have is the standard twist drills - nothing fancy !!!!!!!

 

[IHI]

You will get just as sharp a drill bit by taking said drill bit, putting previously sharp end on the concrete, take a hammer, beat on flat end of drill bit driving the previously sharp end into the concrete...hit it 3 times and whalla, same effect as using a drill doctor.

Everybody that bought them I know when they hit the scene has them as dust collectors or garage sale items they cant get rid of LOL. my grandfather bought one, I ordered one for the shop...at the shop I had all 5 of us give it a good solid try on the multitude of drills bits I had...not a single one of us could produce a drill bit any sharper than it was before we started on it/them.

save your money and learn to use a bench grinder, proven results everytime.

 

[jjjrmx5]

I picked up a brand new NOS DD for $60 locally.

Has worked like a champ.
Correct aligment in the sharpening chuck is critcal.

Then the rest is simple, including back splitting.

Did over 100 old and accrued drill bits just last weekend including a couple of free batches that i sharpened and sent back on my dime to fellow GJ members as well as a local buddy's body shop.

Hey, I care.

500-X is the minimum I would by as I have the 500 model. Does up to 1/2" dia bits.

If you want bigger you can buy the 750 chuck on its own and then do up to 3/4" dia. with the 500X machine.

New shapening wheels for the DD are around $20 and you can easily get 250 bits out of a stone.

Look for used on CL or on ebay.

Haters can hate on them all day long but doing 118 degree, 135 degree back split bits and masonry bits means I will spend a lot less on drill bits and free up money for other tools.
DD is a tool to fix other tools. What's not to like.

 

[Jagmandave]

Would you teach me how to use mine then?

I've had it for 10 years or more and I still have a difficult time getting it to work correctly. Every time I think I have it figured out.........I don't. I'm a pretty capable guy and I understand the theory and so on, but for the life of me I can't understand why I can't make it work.

I've watched all the vids, read and reread the instructions a thousand times, I even sent my chucks back to DD because they thought they might be mismanufactured, and they sent me new ones.....no improvement. A sharp bit is a pleasure to use, I would love for it to work as easily as they show in the vids......

 

[mbatarga]

I've got one - got it several years ago. It's rather simple to operate and gives very repeatable fantastic results. A neighbor mentioned something about his dull drill bits so I let him borrow mine. After giving it a try, he went out and bought his own.

I highly recommend the product.

 

[ajchien]

There seems to be a half dozen different models of DD. What are the diffrerences?

 

[signcrafter]

You will get just as sharp a drill bit by taking said drill bit, putting previously sharp end on the concrete, take a hammer, beat on flat end of drill bit driving the previously sharp end into the concrete...hit it 3 times and whalla, same effect as using a drill doctor.

Everybody that bought them I know when they hit the scene has them as dust collectors or garage sale items they cant get rid of LOL. my grandfather bought one, I ordered one for the shop...at the shop I had all 5 of us give it a good solid try on the multitude of drills bits I had...not a single one of us could produce a drill bit any sharper than it was before we started on it/them.

save your money and learn to use a bench grinder, proven results everytime.

There have been a few DD threads on here in the last couple weeks and everyone seems to be about 50/50 claiming they **** or claiming they work perfect! To me this says the ones that are saying the DD ***** are doing something wrong. I don't have one but would like to get one when some extra funds come up just to see if they are truly garbage or can produce a good cutting edge. Just seems to me if 50% of the guys that own them say they work perfect everytime the ones that say they don't work at all have to be doing something wrong. If I ever come across one used for a good price I will snag it up and try it out.

There seems to be a half dozen different models of DD. What are the diffrerences?

From my limited research it's mostly what size bits they can sharpen. I believe there is one that will do up to 3/4" bits. Also have an adapter that can do left handed bits.

 

[Zeke]

Mine has worked since day 1. If you don't align the flutes correctly, don't use it.

 

[jtbinvalrico]

I've had my DD 350x for years and it works great. In fact, I just today put sharp edges on my bits 1/2" down through 5/64".

It's all in the initial alignment.

 

[gorilla]

I bought the Drill Doctor many years ago when they first came on the market. It worked well a few times and then started improperly grinding the relief angle. I know of several people who had the same problem, it seems that the plastic case distorts after time and no longer will sharpen drills correctly. I think that Drill Doctor is a POS. You will be much better served buying a good grinding wheel, a wheel dresser and a drill gauge.

 

[djjsr]

..... It worked well a few times and then started improperly grinding the relief angle.

I'm having this problem right now. It looks like there is NO relief angle.

 

[bob15]

I bought the 750 when they first came out and never had any issues with it. Those that cannot get it to work correctly should watch the video, it makes all the difference in the world.

Buy the DD that will do 3/4" bits, as you never know when you might need to sharpen something larger than 1/2".

 

[Jim Johnstone]

I have one an original 750 and it works fine for me. I find the trick is to keep cranking on it until there is no more grinding at all. The manual says do something like 6 turns but the way it grinds it hits the lip first, and the heel second. So if you turn it a few time it will grind the lip and make it feel sharp but the heel wont be ground down so there will be no relief on the bit.

 

[Jim C.]

I've had a 350X for a few years now and I like it. I watched the included video and followed the instructions. It's pretty simple to operate and I think it does a great job on sharpening run of the mill twist drill bits, which are mostly the type of bits that I use. I would certainly recommend a DD for general homeowner/DIYer use.

Jim C.

 

[andywander]

My 750 worked great for a while-now it seems to sharpen the bits, but the angles are wrong.

What I can;t figure out is how the flute-positioning is supposed to actually work for all drills. I mean, the spring clamps are a fixed distance from the tip of the bit. Do all drill bits have the same twist rate? that's the only way I could figure it would be correct for all drills.

 

[pepi]

I've had my DD 350x for years and it works great. In fact, I just today put sharp edges on my bits 1/2" down through 5/64".

It's all in the initial alignment.

Exactly right, the trick using the DD is getting the bit placed. When you insert the bit in the chuck tighten it enough to hold the bit. And also allow the bit to be moved in and out and rotated using your fingers .

Then put the chuck in place. Allow the grippers to find, the flutes, you may need to spin it a bit, let the grippers pull the bit to the stop. With the grippers on the flutes and the bit drawn to the stop, tighten the chuck.

I use this tool all the time, it will sharpen bits well enough that the material comes out in a cork screw from.

 

[arvidj]

Exactly right, the trick using the DD is getting the bit placed. When you insert the bit in the chuck tighten it enough to hold the bit. And also allow the bit to be moved in and out and rotated using your fingers .

Then put the chuck in place. Allow the grippers to find, the flutes, you may need to spin it a bit, let the grippers pull the bit to the stop. With the grippers on the flutes and the bit drawn to the stop, tighten the chuck.

I use this tool all the time, it will sharpen bits well enough that the material comes out in a cork screw from.

I have both the 750 and the 750x and the procedure pepi recommends is, IMHO, the key to repeatable success.

After you put the bit in the holder you put both of them into Alignment Port. You can see in the top of the alignment port so feel free to look in there, see what the depth stop and the spring fingers are try to do, and make sure they 'do their thing'.

When you put the bit in the holder you gently tightened it so the holder would provide guidance to the bit. The holder should not have a death grip on the bit. Put the holder and bit into the alignment port. Make sure the holder is properly seated in the port and then look in the port to make sure the bit is firmly against the depth stop. If it is not, adjust accordingly.

Now look and the spring fingers. You will see that they are attempting to grab on to the flutes of the bit. If the bit were super loose in the holder the fingers would actually push the flutes enough to rotate the bit in the holder as they close in on the bit. Assuming the bit is snug in the holder the springs may not be able to rotate the bit. This is where you come in. Rotate the bit and watch the fingers. It will be obvious when the fingers and the rotation of the bit in the holder have found their 'happy place' ... i.e. the springs have closed as far as they can in the flutes and are not under any stress. Think of it as "the bit is in the place where the fingers would have spun it if there had not been any friction".

Check the depth and rotation a again to make sure nothing has changed and then tighten the holder.

Sharpen the bit.

Once you've done it a couple of times it will take about 15 seconds to set up a bit ... considerably less time that it took to write about it.

In short, look in the alignment port, see what the depth stop and spring fingers are trying to do to the bit in relation to the holder, give it a little helping hand, enjoy.

 

[Shadowdog500]

My neighbor bought one last year, and after we sharpened my old HSS bits with it I think it worked pretty darn good. The sharpened bits had even swarf out of both sides of the bits on my lathe.

Chris

 

[Gregg33]

I have a 350x. I use it frequently. It works good for me. My boss has one, said his previous employee sharpened bits and it made them worse. I was skeptical. So I took a look at it. Turned out the stone wasn't put on properly. I fixed that, since then we regularly sharpen our bits with it and it works well. I find they are fairly easy to use and I don't claim to be the handiest person.

 

[evintho]

I've had my 500 model for a few years and have sharpened hundreds of bits. It's probably time for a new grinding stone! The haters that say the DD's ****, obviously haven't figured out how to properly use it. As stated, once you figure it out it takes about 15 seconds to sharpen a bit. It ain't rocket science!

 

[John Timmins]

I have the 500. The instruction book is poorly written. It got worse when I watched the video
the trick is to put the drill in the holder loosely then stick it on the machine. Loosen the "pincher" so that you can rotate the bit as needed so that when you release the pincher, it is pinching the bit on the edges of the flutes. then tighten the holder.

maybe if i'd been the guy writing the video it would be clearer. anyway I would look for YouTube videos. I'm sure there are some.

 

[jjjrmx5]

I have the 500. The instruction book is poorly written. It got worse when I watched the video
the trick is to put the drill in the holder loosely then stick it on the machine. Loosen the "pincher" so that you can rotate the bit as needed so that when you release the pincher, it is pinching the bit on the edges of the flutes. then tighten the holder.

maybe if i'd been the guy writing the video it would be clearer. anyway I would look for YouTube videos. I'm sure there are some.

You are spot on.

Alignment is based upon trapping the bit in the narrow parts of the flutes in the spring jaws. (once you spin a drill bit you get it. Obvious highs and lows but ill described in the DD literature.)

Then snug chuck up when bit is alligned with two hands (one to hold bit jaws in place and one to tighten chuck) and final tighten when out of holder.

Proceede to sharpen.
The cam process bases itself on that narrow flute allignment so the cam allows the bit high points to sharpen.

Did a couple tonite.

For whoever asked about doing and working with splitting bits, the splitting has nothing to do with initial bit allignment. The jaws that catch the narrow flutes are far behind the split.

If you have a 500 or 750, you have the ability to adjust + or - to allow for variances in point angles to get to 118 or 135 degrees as a final cut or use it to work with really f*&^ed up bits to get them back to workable.

Again, it's finesse, knowing the machine and fussing with the variables.

No different than any other micro based tool.

 

[Packard V8]

JMHO, but the DD is magic on smaller bits; those up to 3/8". If one regularly sharpens 3/8"-1/2", the wheel life is short and the working times are longer. I don't have the 1/2"-3/4" setup, but I've got an industrial machine for those.

BTW, who's got the best price on replacement wheels?

jack vines

 

[jjjrmx5]

JMHO, but the DD is magic on smaller bits; those up to 3/8". If one regularly sharpens 3/8"-1/2", the wheel life is short and the working times are longer. I don't have the 1/2"-3/4" setup, but I've got an industrial machine for those.

BTW, who's got the best price on replacement wheels?

jack vines

Yep, totally agree.
1/8" up to 3/8" bits are the sweet spot for those machines in my eyes.
Bigger than 3/8" just takes a little more time and patience.

I don;t see a wear problem on my wheel tho.

Best prices on wheels are either drilldoctor.com itself or Amazon.
$19.99 usually for either the 180 grit or 100 grit wheels.

100 grit wheels work a LOT beter on the larger bits than the finer wheel.

It's still cheaper than buying new bits all day long, especially if only drilling into wood, plastics or aluminum where wear is minimal.

Ferrous metals and hardened steel take their toll on any bits and is a lot about techinque and lube.

BTDT.

 

[5mall5nail5]

You will get just as sharp a drill bit by taking said drill bit, putting previously sharp end on the concrete, take a hammer, beat on flat end of drill bit driving the previously sharp end into the concrete...hit it 3 times and whalla, same effect as using a drill doctor.

Everybody that bought them I know when they hit the scene has them as dust collectors or garage sale items they cant get rid of LOL. my grandfather bought one, I ordered one for the shop...at the shop I had all 5 of us give it a good solid try on the multitude of drills bits I had...not a single one of us could produce a drill bit any sharper than it was before we started on it/them.

save your money and learn to use a bench grinder, proven results everytime.

Most ignorant thing I've read in a long time.

 

[Nascar4401]

Watch the video for sure!
Mine works great on bits 3/8" and bigger .......smaller than that I buy knew at work, it's not worth the time$

 

[5mall5nail5]

There seems to be a half dozen different models of DD. What are the diffrerences?

There's 3. They're easily identified by visiting their website and seeing the features of each.


People just want to hate on the Drill Doctor, I don't get it.

 

[cheechi]

350, 500, & 750 are the 'old' models, though I think right now the 'new' XPK is a 500 with optional 750 parts you can order, and the RPK is the 350 with optional 500 parts. Something like that. The XPK looks just like my 750x but without as much stuff in the box.

Anyway, I've used it on smallish bits (1/4 probably smallest I've done) and on my 750 I know I've done a 5/8 with good success. I actually have used it to change the angle on some **** bits to get some use out of them before tossing them. I had probably 10 lbs of **** drill bits at one point, cleaned and sharpened some, gave away some, etc.

The HF Titanium bits you can get a coupon for them down to like 8.99 or so. They work great with the DD. They are pretty good out of the box, I think I had to touch up 2 or 3 of them so far before they would drill wood. Once you get everything 'snug' but definitely not tight, you need probably 20 turns (really half turns) before you don't hear it grinding much on each turn anymore. There will be a little bit touching if you put the bit in the holder right, so it will never fully stop touching, but (for a grinding application this sounds silly) you have to let it gently sharpen the bit.

 

[Lhorn]

Gald this came up. Put me on the side of those that say, "it just didn't work, period." It wasn't for lack of reading the instructions or watching the video. My chuck simply did not hold the bit correctly. The bit was always twisted about 10-20 degrees so that the alignment finger did not properly align to the flute. I called the company this morning, sent them email photos of the obviously defective chuck and they are sending me a new chuck free of charge.

Mine is about 3+ years old so I was afraid that even though it's obviously defective, they might not make it right. Not the case. I'll give a big thumbs up to customer service. Easy to talk with a knowledgeable person, no delays, and they're sending me a replacement part for free.