Bit Sharpener

[Mainiac Mat]

I have a Drill Doctor (650 I think). It works well enough. I've also sharpened drill bits on the bench grinder, but I appreciate having the angles spot on and equal edge length on both flutes, so I like the DD. I'm a bit OCD about sharpening things though, so I still dress the edges with an India stone when I'm done.

I'm just a hobby guy though (well... maybe hobby on steroids guy, but I'm certainly not in the trades) so once I went through my index, I put the Drill Doctor on the shelf and have only used it once or twice since.

Note... if you buy a cheap China drill index, you will likely need to sharpen the brand new bits as they often have the relief angle all wrong.

 

[mogandave]

I had a drill Dr 750 and it worked well, but there is a leaning curve, and you do have to understand what the bit needs to like when it's done.

I can sharpen bits on a bench grinder faster, but I can get better, more consistent grinds with the Drill Dr and it splits points nicely.

Don't bother trying to sharpen a worn out bit on a Drill Dr., it's just not aggressive enough. The General type grinding fixtures are good for this.

Dye the end of the bit with a marker of whatnot so you can see what you're doing.

 

[Skyking1992]

Long before I was old enough to drive, my Dad had me working in his shop every day after school. He gave me a box of drills and told me to sharpen one at a time on the grinder, go over to the drill press and drill a hole in some steel. Keep doing it till you get it right!

That's how I learned to sharpen drills. Of course, since then I've picked up the small differences between drilling in wood, steel, sheet metal, etc.

It's an easy and valuable skill that I'm proud of. Once learned, you never forget.

 

[firebirdparts]

I think it’s when you somehow hit the right point angle and clearance angle that is slightly different then the factory but is optimum for the specifics of the material you’re drilling and the speed used. But yeah, when it all comes together it drills better then new.

I'll admit here that I took a one hour Ag engineering shop class at Virginia Tech where they made us make a drill sharpening gage. I don't think you need that, but I admit I do have one. I don't remember why I took that class except just for fun. A gage helps you get that point in the middle of the drill bit. Kinda like this but with some other features here and there


Once you spend 5 minutes working on this problem of being able to drill a hole, you'll certainly decide to set a clearance angle that you like. It's obvious you have to.

 

[Drill Sergeant Arc]

I'll admit here that I took a one hour Ag engineering shop class at Virginia Tech where they made us make a drill sharpening gage. I don't think you need that, but I admit I do have one. I don't remember why I took that class except just for fun. A gage helps you get that point in the middle of the drill bit. Kinda like this but with some other features here and there


Once you spend 5 minutes working on this problem of being able to drill a hole, you'll certainly decide to set a clearance angle that you like. It's obvious you have to.

I haven’t used a gage since high school machine shop class, and I never saw my dad use the one in the machinist chest at home. It’s all been freehand around our place

 

[rd65]

Guess it depends on whether or not you are a machinist/doing precise work or just want a sharp bit for hobby type work. I use a 500X (?) at work and it does a reasonable job considering who uses/abuses the bits here. I used to be pretty good at sharpening with a grinder but age has gotten to the eyes. Using a bench grinder is great as long as your wheel is not super coarse and in decent shape - flat and true. The DD will also sharpen masonry bits - these can be used for stainless on occasion provided you slow things down.
With the DD there are tricks to getting smaller sizes to sharpen well.

 

[Kenstone1]

Here is over 2400 reviews of the 350X:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BKX9CU/?tag=atomicindus08-20

.

 

[bb29510]

.

 

[Firebrick43]

get you two nuts, hold them together on the flat, that 135 degrees, that your drill bit tip

What am I doing wrong? I don't get 135 degrees when hold my two nuts together? Sort of hurts as well.

 

[nadogail]

What am I doing wrong? I don't get 135 degrees when hold my two nuts together? Sort of hurts as well.

To make the original idea work you need two equally sized Hex Nuts. are your nuts of equal size and hex shaped?

 

[Firebrick43]

To make the original idea work you need two equally sized Hex Nuts. are your nuts of equal size and hex shaped?

Ooooo, I see now. Gee Thanks Mr obvious. I don't know what I would do without you!

 

[nadogail]

Ooooo, I see now. Gee Thanks Mr obvious. I don't know what I would do without you!

No Problem, glad to be of assistance.

 

[Wolley]

What am I doing wrong? I don't get 135 degrees when hold my two nuts together? Sort of hurts as well.

The 2 nut trick gets you to 120 degrees, close enough for common 118 degree point drills. Don't hold your nuts for too long though that's when it gets uncomfortable.

 

[mogandave]

What am I doing wrong? I don't get 135 degrees when hold my two nuts together? Sort of hurts as well.

You're not standing close enough to the kiln.

 

[RaisedByWolves]

I'll admit here that I took a one hour Ag engineering shop class at Virginia Tech where they made us make a drill sharpening gage. I don't think you need that, but I admit I do have one. I don't remember why I took that class except just for fun. A gage helps you get that point in the middle of the drill bit. Kinda like this but with some other features here and there


Once you spend 5 minutes working on this problem of being able to drill a hole, you'll certainly decide to set a clearance angle that you like. It's obvious you have to.

People who don’t know how to use one or have never tried don’t know what their missing.

Once you learn how to use one you’ll never look at drill sharpening the same way.

And a bench grinder is no where near as good for this as a belt sander. Not as fine a finish and a belt sander will guarantee a flat flute every time.

None of this even touches on drilling square, penta or hexagonal holes.

 

[RoninB4]

And a bench grinder is no where near as good for this as a belt sander. Not as fine a finish and a belt sander will guarantee a flat flute every time.

-A tool and die guy advocating a belt sander over a grinder for drill sharpening? Sacrilegious blasphemy! You shall be excommunicated and spend eternity working on undocumented EC orders while QC reject all your 1st piece submissions.

 

[Bucko]

The Drill Doctor is great. It works, it's easy, it does the job. I have lots of drill bits in the shop so I throw the dull ones in a bin and on a rainy day, sharpen 10-20 and then put it away until next time. A grinder is arguably faster and better but the skill required is higher, you can screw a drill bit up pretty easily and over heat it as well.

Same here, I had been holding onto old bits for 30 years expecting to one day get a Drill Dr., but kept putting it off. I finally got tired of having all the random bit boxes and loose bits around and also bought two of the Vevor drill bit cabinets. I kept one of my 115pc bit cases that have the fractional, letter, and numbered bit slots for the go-to box and all the rest go in the Vevor cabinets. Any dull bits go a container for bulk resharpening.

 

[4 FN 27]

-A tool and die guy advocating a belt sander over a grinder for drill sharpening? Sacrilegious blasphemy! You shall be excommunicated and spend eternity working on undocumented EC orders while QC reject all your 1st piece submissions.

Time to trade that Surface Grinder in for a Timesaver.

I'll be the first to admit I **** at grinding bits!!! After years of searching high and low for the right Black Diamond Drill Grinder I tripped on a Darex Drill Grinder right here on GJ. For me a wise investment to create round precision holes.

And just like having a hoist...you can make a lot of new friends with a Drill Grinder.

 

[Snip]

4 FN 27, thet is one sweet looking machine.

I also am in the "Can't hand sharpen a bit for s##t" camp. About a year ago I was lucky enough to find a used but in great shape Lisle 91000 bit sharpener for a buck and a half (IIRC). Some of the better money I have spent on shop tools. After watching one of Abom79's youtube videos this thing makes me look like I know what I am doing. Sad to know they are long past out of production.

 

[billian]

don't you guys use a reamer for that kind of accuracy?

 

[RaisedByWolves]

don't you guys use a reamer for that kind of accuracy?

If your flutes aren’t of equal length you run the risk of not having enough hole left for the reamer to bring it to size and or even go straight.

Rule of thumb is to drill your hole to be reamed 1/64th” (depending on size this may go to 1/32”) so you’re not pulling so much material that it clogs the flutes and restricts cutting fluid flow. You could even bind the reamer and fudge the hole or break the reamer.

If your flute length is off .010-.015 from one side to the other it will cut bigger than the reamer, so sharpening can be critical at times.

 

[RaisedByWolves]

Forgot to add, that Darex gives me a chubby.

…

 

[RoninB4]

Time to trade that Surface Grinder in for a Timesaver.

-What further heresy is this!?!? Timesaver is fine for, but limited to, wood/sheet metal parts. I will presume your suggestion is made with tongue firmly planted in cheek.

For those not familiar with this: A Timesaver will in no way duplicate a surface grinder for achieving dimensional targets or geometric shapes. A Timesaver is for deburring and/or making thin, flat parts shiny. All other assertions from the owner of a Darex XT-3000 should be ignored.

Timesaver does make lapping compounds that are superior for lapping in die sets.


(Really nice drill sharpening rig you got there, I'm a "bit" envious)

 

[4 FN 27]

I will presume your suggestion is made with tongue firmly planted in cheek.

Nothing but!!!

For those not familiar with this: A Timesaver will in no way duplicate a surface grinder for achieving dimensional targets or geometric shapes. A Timesaver is for deburring and/or making thin, flat parts shiny. All other assertions from the owner of a Darex XT-3000 should be ignored.

And with enough passes, a flat part not so flat.

Timesaver does make lapping compounds that are superior for lapping in die sets.

Yes. Just look at any Bearing in a Timesaver.

(Really nice drill sharpening rig you got there, I'm a "bit" envious)

(Thank you.)

I might add, the comment

And a bench grinder is no where near as good for this as a belt sander. Not as fine a finish and a belt sander will guarantee a flat flute every time.

Reminds of a day when an ol'timer watched as our one of our 4500W Lasers cut 1/4 thk 4130 like butter, he looks at me and says "Are these machines as accurate as my guys stack cutting parts on our Bandsaw?".

Both fulfill a purpose and depends on the skillset of the operator...me I live in the X-Y-Z world and the ol'timer lived in a world of no 2 pieces may be exactly alike but they are truly handcrafted works of art.

 

[RoninB4]

And with enough passes, a flat part not so flat.



Yes. Just look at any Bearing in a Timesaver.

-Replies that made me chuckle, thanks.

 

[metlmunchr]

I've got one of these. Bought it for a hundred bucks from a guy who didn't realize it was 3 phase when he bought it at a machine shop auction. Takes a bit to learn how to use it, but once you do, it does a real nice job. It uses a porous wheel where coolant is fed thru the spindle and out thru the wheel which works way better and far less messy than a stream of coolant directed at the wheel/drill. Downside is it weighs over 1000#, so it ain't exactly portable.

 

[RoninB4]

I've got one of these. Bought it for a hundred bucks from a guy who didn't realize it was 3 phase when he bought it at a machine shop auction. Takes a bit to learn how to use it, but once you do, it does a real nice job. It uses a porous wheel where coolant is fed thru the spindle and out thru the wheel which works way better and far less messy than a stream of coolant directed at the wheel/drill. Downside is it weighs over 1000#, so it ain't exactly portable

-Real nice machine, ridiculously low price. I got a Chinese/Japanese knock off for free from work but hasn't nearly the adjustable capability/features yours does. From reading your posts on PM I'm not surprised this is in your shop. Nice piece.

 

[zendriver]

If I have the time, I send my dull bits back to the factory, where old guys resharpen them to factory perfection, using a bench grinder.

Otherwise, I’ll use the DD even if that means rereading the manual for the 3 steps to setup for a nice usable resharpened bit.

Yes I learned how to resparpen on a grinder, was never really impressed (especially after using a high end sharpener) and now impossible with my eyes.

 

[RoninB4]

Yes I learned how to resparpen on a grinder, was never really impressed (especially after using a high end sharpener) and now impossible with my eyes.

Get a good magnifying headset (Optivisor is standard level) for doing things like that. I used them my entire career even when my eyes were still good. I now need one for almost all shop work.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0015IQC0S/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[RaisedByWolves]

Those old school magnifiers **** compared to the newer offerings.

I have a set of these for home and for work, light years ahead.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07T4KPYN2/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[RoninB4]

Those old school magnifiers **** compared to the newer offerings.

A plastic magnifying lens in that price range is just about guaranteed to have less light gathering ability than a glass lens, probably has some noticeable image distortion too. Plastic is also a lot more fragile (scratching, spark embedding, etc.) than a glass one. Glad you like yours so you do you, I'll do me. I'll return the favor by saying the new ones for $19 **** (nice choice of words for a review/suggestion). I've tried several different types like the one you advocated and not found any of them to be "light years ahead". Not for $19. JMO

 

[RaisedByWolves]

A plastic magnifying lens in that price range is just about guaranteed to have less light gathering ability than a glass lens, probably has some noticeable image distortion too. Plastic is also a lot more fragile (scratching, spark embedding, etc.) than a glass one. Glad you like yours so you do you, I'll do me. I'll return the favor by saying the new ones for $19 **** (nice choice of words for a review/suggestion). I've tried several different types like the one you advocated and not found any of them to be "light years ahead". Not for $19. JMO

Choice of words? Cost over performance? Sorry you feel offended, but they are much better than the old ones and this from someone who owns both. The new style feels little more than a pair of glasses on your head vs a heavy sweaty headband, that alone is a big plus.

As to image distortion, were not exploring deep space or grading diamonds here. Light gathering.....they're lighted, the light is adjustable in both brightness and direction. And if you think you still need to spend $$$ for quality optics, same cost, ground optical quality glass.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08ZK69FHN/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Wasn't trying to convince you personally to change or come away from your Enlightened opinion, just putting info out there for those who might not know of these.

Cheers!

 

[RoninB4]

Sorry you feel offended, but they are much better than the old ones and this from someone who owns both.

Wasn't trying to convince you personally to change or come away from your Enlightened opinion, just putting info out there for those who might not know of these.

Cheers!

-I don't feel offended because your opinion doesn't matter enough to me to feel offended. Like I posted, if you're happy with what you use that's fine.

Light gathering power of the lens itself (light grasp) has nothing to do with whether the headset is lighted, you missed the point.

I appreciate you informing others of choices, but after decades of use in multiple industries saying an Optivisor "*****" and your choice is "light years ahead" is a tad bombastic. I don't regard myself as "Enlightened" or the last word on anything, you probably aren't either. Lighten up Francis, it's just an internet board. No need to start a problem over something this trivial.

Just FYI, the headset you posted a link to likely also has plastic lenses. Both glass and plastic are/were offered, you have to specify which you're willing to use. I have several of the new and old type with glass and plastic lenses.

 

[RaisedByWolves]

-I don't feel offended because your opinion doesn't matter enough to me to feel offended. Like I posted, if you're happy with what you use that's fine.

Light gathering power of the lens itself (light grasp) has nothing to do with whether the headset is lighted, you missed the point.

I appreciate you informing others of choices, but after decades of use in multiple industries saying an Optivisor "*****" and your choice is "light years ahead" is a tad bombastic. I don't regard myself as "Enlightened" or the last word on anything, you probably aren't either. Lighten up Francis, it's just an internet board. No need to start a problem over something this trivial.

Just FYI, the headset you posted a link to likely also has plastic lenses. Both glass and plastic are/were offered, you have to specify which you're willing to use. I have several of the new and old type with glass and plastic lenses.

Look, two Toolmakers in a ******* match.

Light as can be on this fine day off.

As I said, cheers!

 

[Zeus36]

I wish I had seen this video first when I started using this sharpener.

How to use it.

Video How to use

I recommend the DD, but, there are other alternatives if you can read and follow instructions. I probably did 100+ drills for my 2 sons, BIL and myself

Below is the reference video I used to set my drill guide up. I use a diamond plate on a mini lathe instead of the side of a grinding wheel:

 

[isb cornbinder]

I bought a used STERLING drill bit grinder and restored it. This is a very good machine. Parts are available and very reasonably priced.
I was not impressed with the DD.

 

[RoninB4]

Look, two Toolmakers in a ******* match.

-Yeah, never seen that in a shop before have we?

-Will give you some respect for not blowing more air into the balloon so I'm raising a paper cup (from the vending machine) of coffee your way. Cheers.

 

[Zeus36]

 

[600SL]

My first 750 did a reasonable job. Not great but reasonable, but the split point feature is worthless. It eventually died so I replaced it with the same model and it wont sharpen for $@#t. I believe the problem is with tolerance issues of plastic parts that should be machined steel. So you can luck out and get a good one or get one that just plain will not work. In any case old age has made my hand sharpening skills not what they used to be. So I find myself using the drill doctor and then doing a touch up on the grinder.

So basically its good for getting the point on center and at the correct angle. After that the relief angle needs to be addressed by hand.

 

[600SL]

I used one of those many years ago and they worked very well for bits larger than 1/4". I had mine mounted to use the edge of the wheel, so I could leave the guard in place. If I ever get a belt sander I might try it again. Also in hind sight I had my base permanently mounted in one place, which would really only work perfectly for on helix angle of bit. In any case it worked much better than the drill doctor.