Drill Doctor

[Tom Hintz]

Though I usually buy machines before thinking about it I resisted the Drill Doctor, until a good friend of mine got one himself and sort of double-dared me to do the same. He is trustworthy so I got one and much like he predicted I had a Holy Cow moment.
I expect that I am not the only one with a bunch of dull drill bits in a drawer. Since getting this nifty machine I now have all very sharp drills.
I did a full review of it with a video so you can actually see it work at the link below. The down side is that now I have to find a machine my buddy does not have to try and return the favor.

http://www.newmetalworker.com/Reviews/drldoc750rvu.html

 

[Wingnut65]

+1. Got one several years ago and love it. Not complicated and gives great results.

 

[ebfabman]

I got one several years ago and agree, they work well.

 

[Slowboat]

Do they work on coated drill bits?

 

[tncatadjuster]

I use my dad's about once a year to clean up any dull bits. Works great.

 

[dirttracker18]

Do they work on coated drill bits?

Yep, no more coating of course but for the most part a lot of the cheaper coated bits don't do anything anyway.

As for the quality bits, coating gone but you have a sharp bit again

Got my Drill Doctor so long ago I don't even remember when. It was when they first came out. I took a chance and am still using it to this day.

Does that sharpener ever wear out? Does anyone know if you can buy a replacement?

 

[Buckgnarly]

Does that sharpener ever wear out? Does anyone know if you can buy a replacement?

Yes, you can buy a new wheel for it.

I was amazed at how well it worked, could not go without it now!

 

[Tom Hintz]

Yep, no more coating of course but for the most part a lot of the cheaper coated bits don't do anything anyway.

As for the quality bits, coating gone but you have a sharp bit again

Got my Drill Doctor so long ago I don't even remember when. It was when they first came out. I took a chance and am still using it to this day.

Does that sharpener ever wear out? Does anyone know if you can buy a replacement?

In the video at the bottom of that review I show the diamond wheel because it is easy to access and replace. It seems that they thought of just about everything on this thing. This same company makes very high-end industrial sharpeners so they are able to borrow some of that technology and understanding and apply it to this consumer level sharpener. We win this time!

 

[John in OH]

Also a +1 for the Drill Doctor! I've had mine for about 5 years and it does a great job keeping my bits sharp.

I have the model that sharpens bits up to 3/4" ... I don't have too much success sharpening bits that are under 3/16" in size, but it works well on any bit over 3/16". Since the small bits are relatively inexpensive, that's no big deal. It probably would not hold up to day-in, day-out use such as in a machine shop, but for the typical home garage and workshop it is a fine tool.

 

[kartracer23]

I got one a few years ago, but it wouldn't work with quick change / hex shaft bits so I returned it. Does anyone know if the newer ones will?

 

[tdkkart]

The drill doctor is too simple I think.

If you bring up the drill doctor on a forum such as this with people of probably low to mid-range metalworking skills 99% of the members will say the thing is awesome. Almost every responder has had good to great success with the machine.

However, go to one of the metalworking/machinist forums and ask the same question and you find that 75% of the respondents can't get the damned thing to work. These are guys that can sharpen a drill bit, left handed, in the dark, with a bench grinder, and a hand stone, yet they can't make a simple automatic machine work.

I've owned a Drill Doctor since they were first introduced, I can't hand sharpen a drill bit to save my ***, but I've had great luck with the drill doctor.

 

[DavidTK]

+1 to the Drill Doctor. I can't get my bits as sharp as when new, but it's pretty close.

 

[motoguy]

The drill doctor is too simple I think.

If you bring up the drill doctor on a forum such as this with people of probably low to mid-range metalworking skills 99% of the members will say the thing is awesome. Almost every responder has had good to great success with the machine.

However, go to one of the metalworking/machinist forums and ask the same question and you find that 75% of the respondents can't get the damned thing to work. These are guys that can sharpen a drill bit, left handed, in the dark, with a bench grinder, and a hand stone, yet they can't make a simple automatic machine work.

I've owned a Drill Doctor since they were first introduced, I can't hand sharpen a drill bit to save my ***, but I've had great luck with the drill doctor.

Ironically, I learned of the Drill Doctor through the Machinist / CNC courses I was taking at the local Technical College. The instructor is an old-school retired machinist, and he raved about the Drill Doctor.

 

[GarageEnvy]

My father in law loves sharpening things. Anything really. Mower blades, knives, bits. He's a sharpening fool. We got him one a few years ago. Every so often he grabs all my bits and sharpens them. It's even better than owning one myself.

 

[LEVE]

I've wanted one for the longest time. Three years ago I found a Drill Doctor 300 at Sears on clearance for $39.

It's not the same as the original Full-blown Drill doctor; but it's OK for my usages. I'm very satisfied with it. It's saved my cedar end more than once when a bit breaks or dulls during a time sensitive project. Since I'm an hour away from the nearest hardware store that could be the end of the project's progress that day if I couldn't sharpen it.

 

[LWW]

I agree. It's brought life back to a drawer full of dull bits. They're not as good as new, but certainly about 75-80% as good as new. And that can be repeated until the thing is a useless little stub! Mine was a gift from my Mother In Law!

 

[IndyGarage]

Yep, no more coating of course but for the most part a lot of the cheaper coated bits don't do anything anyway.

As for the quality bits, coating gone but you have a sharp bit again

Got my Drill Doctor so long ago I don't even remember when. It was when they first came out. I took a chance and am still using it to this day.

Does that sharpener ever wear out? Does anyone know if you can buy a replacement?

If you are talking about Titanium nitride coated bits, the coating is ground off the end of the bit, but the coating remains on the topside of the cutting edge - which is where you need the harder material.

25 years ago a vapor deposition TiN coating was very expensive. Now you see it on everyday tools. I'm not sure whether the quality is the same or not.

 

[nosnownogo]

i wore out the cam contact points and the contact face of the chuck (500 plus drills)
on a drill doctor dd500x . Now the drills don't have the proper profile .

 

[ecotec]

i have been wanting a drill doctor for ages. i have heard good and bad.

i am pretty good about keeping drilling and tapping oil (regular and aluminum) handy. i have had that drilled into me (pun intended).

 

[darkk]

Soooo....if I'm reading this post correctly. No one here knows how to sharpen a drill bit correctly the old way? By hand on a fine wheel.
and yes, I can do 1/8" double ended bits without any trouble too.

 

[Falcon67]

Soooo....if I'm reading this post correctly. No one here knows how to sharpen a drill bit correctly the old way? By hand on a fine wheel.
and yes, I can do 1/8" double ended bits without any trouble too.

Yes, few have that skill - sorry.

I've seen the same reviews - hobbyists generally rave about it, machinists generally grump about it. I've got a ton of bits to sharpen, but I can buy a LOT of coated bits from Enco for what a decent Drill Doctor costs. I've passed on the purchase so far.

 

[MartyO]

I have been hunting one of these. I am too lazy to sharpen my own.....

 

[nate379]

I've had one for years. While it's better than nothing, it's nothing to write home about either.
I use it if I have a bit that is going to **** but it's not anything close to being factory sharpened.

I had some pictures I put up on here a while back to compare a new bit to a Drill Dr. bit and it was clear the angles and point weren't close in comparison.

I had a couple 1/8" and 3/16" bits I did not long ago, I couldn't even drill through aluminum with them after I had sharpened them.

No it's not operator error. My brother who is a machinist had one at one of the shops he worked at and he said the same as well.

 

[Addrock]

+1 on the sharpen by hand!
You want a challenge, I once had to reduce a 6 flute reamer by .001, it sounds a lot easier than it is!

 

[Tom Hintz]

Soooo....if I'm reading this post correctly. No one here knows how to sharpen a drill bit correctly the old way? By hand on a fine wheel.
and yes, I can do 1/8" double ended bits without any trouble too.

My father was a master machinist and could sharpen any drill he saw by hand and they always cut great. But he has passed and I ain't him so I got a Drill Doctor!

 

[tigmusky]

I got one a few years back. All It did is make my dull bits duller. I sad this to a buddy. He took my idex and said I'll sharpen. They work better in reverse now lol. Like said above enco sells bits pretty cheap.
And I can't sharpen by hand. I'm just F***ed
Daye

 

[Yojinbo]

Thanks for the video. I was on the fence on the DD. Its one of those situations where the hype scares me a bit; I distrust marketing.

But I just took the plunge and ordered one.

 

[Bad Hammer]

I'm not a machinist, nor a metallurgical guru, but I bought the model DD750X quite a while back and so far the Drill Doctor gremlins have not prevented me from restoring every bit I have fed into it to an excellent state of readiness.
I see the thing as being nearly fool-proof.
I just toss dull bits into a can and whenever I have a fist full I fire up the Drill Dr. and in short order they're all ready to go.
Even the broken ones, although I do prep them with the bench grinder first.

 

[csargents1546]

I got to use one for the first time today, trying to drill out an exhaust stud on a 7.3 powerstroke, someone else tried to sharpen the bit on the bench grinder( worn wheels and no rest). Was closer to 150 degree tip. In just a couple of passes was able to straighten it out. Drilled throught the stud in less than a minute vs the five minutes I tried to get the unsharpened bit to work. I have got to get me one of these!!!

 

[willysrule]

the professional grade one does work great if you can't or don't have a clue how to properly sharpen one by hand...

If you can sharpen them by hand don't let too many people find out...there are only a few of us at work that are good at it and we constantly have to sharpen them for people...

If someone has a decent mechanical aptitude and can understand how a drill cuts I can teach them to sharpen a drill with a drill gauge (like below), a grinder with a decent wheel and a little bit of patience. It's does take practice to get good at it but once you have it figured out it's like riding a bike..

 

[gorilla]

I bought a Drill Doctor when they first came out, it worked OK for a while then it wouldn't put the proper relief on drill bits. If I tightened the screws on the hosing it would sort of work. I think that the plastic case distorts after time. A friend of mine had the same experience. I would not recommend buying one.

 

[koditten]

I had the same problem. It seems the first generation were manufactured incorrectly. I was able to get mine replaced free of charge by calling the factory. I was told that the plastic that was used in the first generations would absorb moisture and slightly swell. This would cause the drill bits to appear as if they were sharpened backwards. The back side of the cutting edge would be higher than the cutting edge, hence a drill that wouldn't drill ****.

With the new unit (still 8 years old) I am able to put an edge on a drill that is sharper than factory. I love mine.

One trick I did learn is to twist the drill counter clockwise. I learned that you will remove material on the backside of the cutting edge first, making it lower than the cutting edge.

The second thing I did was remove the plastic covering over the sharpening wheel. This lets you see what you are really doing when it comes to sharpening these bits. After all you should be wearing eye protection anyways.

I won't ever be without my Drill Doctor.

 

[1320stang]

Shouldn't this be in tools?

 

[Bender78]

I got one last year at a yard sale for $15, and the guy even threw in a box containing about 5 pounds of assorted drill bits.....already sharpened!

 

[jam0o0]

i love my drill dr. it's only a few years old now and it still works like new. i got the one that sharpens the large drill bits as well. it's saved my a$$ since i bought a set of large bits from HF that were sharpened by hand from the factory... not a single one of them would drill a hole. now all the ones that fit in the drill dr drill perfect holes. i work with steel a lot. and i would be buying new bits every weekend if it wasn't for the drill dr. and learn how to use it's split point abilities. it makes bits work better than new.

 

[Tom Hintz]

Every review that I do will draw notes from those who love whatever it was and some who hate whatever it was. As long as we have different people in the world that is to be expected and I appreciate all of the input.
The Drill Doctor has been different in that the big majority of the viewers seem to like it a lot. Also, it appears that there is little middle ground. Most of the viewers love it but the much smaller group that do not like it, don't like it a bunch! I guess that is why we have a selection of tools to consider before buying. If everybody liked the same thing all of this would get boring real fast.

 

[richashley]

I just recently got one of the 750 models. So far my experience has been excellent.

 

[bazzateer]

Thanks guys, I'm now trawling eBay.UK for one of these!

 

[diggerrick]

Is it really faster and easier than doing it by hand?

The video I saw looked kinda cumbersome - too many steps.

Maybe they've simplified it in the last couple years?

 

[oldwino]

I picked up a model 300 a few years ago on clearance ($20-25.00) and it works pretty well on bits larger than 1/8". sharpening does seem to be in-consistent (maybe case distortion as mentioned above). As I don't have a lot of use for a bench grinder and it's a ***** trying to sharpen by hand on an angle grinder it is a handy tool to have around. I have rescued hundreds of $$ worth of bits with mine.