Drill Dr. - Does it work?

[E.Marquez]

I've been wanting to get a 750X. Since they have a diamond wheel, do these work well with solid carbide drills, say at 135deg?

Of note, all of the DD have a diamond impregnated wheel as far as I can tell.
•180 Grit Standard Diamond Sharpening Wheel (Models 350X, XP, 500X, 750X)
•100 Grit Coarse Diamond Sharpening Wheel (Models 350X, XP, 500X, 750X)

And yes my DD works just fine at sharpening carbide drills

 

[gbick]

I am astounded that anybody can sharpen a bit properly freehand, so that each cutting edge cuts equally. Even some brand new bits form mismatched chips. Isn't this the primary reason that drilling does not produce exact size holes? Excepting that I will probably never be able to satisfactorily hand sharpen a bit, I have been considering a Drill Dr for a while. Can it do reduced shank and taper shank bits? How about left handed bits? Are there any competing machines on the market, or does the Doctor have a manopoly on this? Thanks. Greg.

 

[E.Marquez]

I am astounded that anybody can sharpen a bit properly freehand, so that each cutting edge cuts equally. Even some brand new bits form mismatched chips. Isn't this the primary reason that drilling does not produce exact size holes? Excepting that I will probably never be able to satisfactorily hand sharpen a bit, I have been considering a Drill Dr for a while. Can it do reduced shank and taper shank bits? How about left handed bits? Are there any competing machines on the market, or does the Doctor have a manopoly on this? Thanks. Greg.

Reduced shank Yes as long as the drill is long enough so the reduced part is not in the chuck. Never seen an issue with Jobber length drills.
Left hand, the 750 has a left hand chuck, not sure on the others.
Taper? Not sure, never seen it, done it, read about it, and the type of chucks my DD has, would not grip or properly index a taper shank drill.

 

[darkzero]

And yes my DD works just fine at sharpening carbide drills

Thanks for confirming.

I am astounded that anybody can sharpen a bit properly freehand, so that each cutting edge cuts equally.

My old coworker taught me how to sharpen drill bits freehand. Can't say I was good at it but I was able to get them sharp enough to drill. But in the shop the majority of the drilling we did was for extracting broken bolts a precision was not that important.

I don't work in automotive anymore but I sure wouldn't trust my self to freehand sharpen a drill bit to use in the lathe. But I know there are still some experienced machinists who can.

 

[zoomzoomjeff]

I've been considering the 500 or the 750. Can anyone speak about the cutting angles?

What's best for metal cutting, and why would you want adjustable angles?

 

[Jim Johnstone]

I've been considering the 500 or the 750. Can anyone speak about the cutting angles?

What's best for metal cutting, and why would you want adjustable angles?

The general rule of thumb is the harder the material, the wider the angle. Softer stuff like some plastics, even aluminum can use narrow angle bits, as low as 90 degrees. 118 is standard general purpose, 135 is common for tool steels and other tougher materials.

 

[zoomzoomjeff]

Thanks! That was my suspicion--I bought some drill bits from Rigid that were made for cutting steel, and man do they work great. I knew the angle was different and IIRC it was 135*, but when I compared them to my other ones, I didn't think I could tell much of a difference in angle, or if what I was looking at was even the right "angle".

Either way, I wanted to sharpen that specific angle and keep those strictly for metal.


Another topic--I wonder if the people who say the edge doesn't last as long as are sharpening TiN coated bits. It would make sense--you're grinding off the hard coating and left with most likely common carbon steel.

 

[Jim Johnstone]

Another topic--I wonder if the people who say the edge doesn't last as long as are sharpening TiN coated bits. It would make sense--you're grinding off the hard coating and left with most likely common carbon steel.

That could be part of the issue, but in general using drill bits in a hand drill will always wear them faster. I use better drill bits at home than I use at work in the machine shop, but the ones at work last much longer, since I can set the precise RPM for the material and drill size on the milling machines, and I can use flood coolant. Using them in hand drills always wears them fast, since keeping consistent speeds, pressures, angle of attack etc. is virtually impossible.

 

[zoomzoomjeff]

That could be part of the issue, but in general using drill bits in a hand drill will always wear them faster. I use better drill bits at home than I use at work in the machine shop, but the ones at work last much longer, since I can set the precise RPM for the material and drill size on the milling machines, and I can use flood coolant. Using them in hand drills always wears them fast, since keeping consistent speeds, pressures, angle of attack etc. is virtually impossible.

True....."speeds & feeds" is what it's all about.

 

[E.Marquez]

Thanks! That was my suspicion--I bought some drill bits from Rigid that were made for cutting steel, and man do they work great. I knew the angle was different and IIRC it was 135*, but when I compared them to my other ones, I didn't think I could tell much of a difference in angle, or if what I was looking at was even the right "angle".

Either way, I wanted to sharpen that specific angle and keep those strictly for metal.

The DD 500 and 750 do 118 and 135, as well as split tip

 

[reddog289]

One more thing missing in my garage, The drill doc.

 

[kruegdr]

APMech has the good one right there.

I used that model throughout school with great success. I've got one of the newer versions at home now and it does a great job, but I miss the older model.

 

[John in OH]

Have had my 3/4 inch DD for about 5 years. I toss dull bits in a box until I get a fist-full then drag out the DD. I only use it 2 or 3 times a year but for a hobby shop it works great. Doubt that it would hold up in a machine shop getting everyday use, but that's not my situation. Only real downside is that I can't get it to work well on bits under about 5/32". These smaller bits I just toss and buy new.

 

[Brad54]

I've got the one in APMech's pic... It stays set out on a work counter, plugged in, with the chucks in a holder nailed to the wall above it.
When I figure out a bit is dull, it only stays dull for a second.

I've had it for a lot of years, but my shop has never been organized enough to leave it out and ready to use at a moment's notice.

What a luxury it is now!

I too have noticed that the edge doesn't last as long as a new bit, but it doesn't matter if you can quickly resharpen it.

Definitely worth the money in my opinion.

-Brad

 

[ineedtools]

Buddy just brought back a old 250 thats about 10 years old. After I got the hang of it I sharpened about 80 bits in under 2 hours. Some REALLY abused bits too were brought back to like new, I mean ones that didn't have a definable tip what so ever.

Sharping soft metal wood bits and HS Steel feels different but like I said once you have that"oh I get it" moment you can do it blind folded and have a bit that's razor sharp in 7 passes.

Is it worth $100, probably not, would I pay $50 for an old model 250 in MINT condition, yes. Would I take the chance on ANY drill doctor look alikes at harbor freight for even $20? Probably not!

 

[drmarkr]

True....."speeds & feeds" is what it's all about.

This is the most important post in this entire thread.....I don't know how many "pro's" I've seen pick up a drill and let it rip at about 10 times (literally....10 times) the RPM that should be used, and then apply half the pressure/feed that should be used.

And then turn around and ***** about a bit being cheap and low quality....

I was also taught how to sharpen by hand when I worked in a machine shop. Got pretty decent at it, but I'd never give up my DD. If you're having problems getting your relief/angles correct, it's probably because you're deforming/deflecting the bit when you give it that final bit of tightening?

 

[Jeepy]

The most important thing is 10 to 12 degree clearance on the lip and the angle of the sharpening. Look in the machinery's Hand book as it is very accurate and full of useful information. Also look at those 3 videos on youtube as a machinist professor teach you the art of sharpening drill bits.

A machinist or a millwright would tell you that Dr. Drill is a piece of junk and deserve to be thrown in the garbage can, unless you can afford a real drill sharpening tool but if so you would not be asking if Dr. Drill is good or not!

My humble experience and opinion

 

[A_Pmech]

Nobody got my Drill Doctor joke!

 

[Jagmandave]

That video was the best explanation of how to sharpen a bit by hand I've ever seen!

Thanks for posting that, Jeepy!

 

[Jeepy]

Internet is the next bible...haha as long as its used the wright way!

 

[kruegdr]

Hahah, I just looked back at your photo, APM. Sneaky!

 

[rlitman]

Just out of curiosity, what Darex model do you have?

Um, this one. No idea what model it is. . .
So many levels of adjustability, but too much for my needs.