sharpener

[aidank]

Im looking for a sharpener to sharpen everthing really, drill bits, both masonary and HSS, knives scissors.

anyone any recommendations

 

[RoninB4]

-That's a rather wide range of items and materials. You ought to have a budget in mind as that will define what machine to be shopping for. You can simply buy hand/bench stones on the low end of cash or spend thousands for industrial machinery capable of doing about anything. You also haven't stated your experience or abilities and that makes a big difference in what you'll be capable of using. You absolutely have to understand cutting tool geometry or nothing will work at all or work properly. A few words about your intended items to be sharpened:

Drill bits- Just about any bench grinder will do, unless you're going for drills larger than 19mm. A carborundum wheel will be ok but doesn't grind as cool as an aluminum oxide wheel. How well you dress the wheel will determine how good an edge you create. Sharpening drills free-hand isn't difficult but is made easier/better with jigs/fixtures for this.

Masonry bits- Carbide can't be sharpened with the same wheel used for steel, carbide is too hard/brittle a material. There are silicon carbide wheels, often green in color, that can grind carbide but they leave a ragged edge that's not very strong. A diamond wheel is what's used for carbide. You don't want to breathe in the dust from carbide, it's very bad for the lungs.

Knives/Scissors- I always sharpen these by hand with bench stones although there are many jigs for doing this. My stones are a mix of India, Washita, and Arkansas used with oil on the stones to prevent clogging. I use water stones for the Japanese swords but that's an entirely different subject.

Drill sharpeners for HSS only:

Drill Doctor- All of them I've used flatly **** and aren't worth the purchase. Anything similar probably not worth it either.
Darex- Works well provided they aren't worn out. Short learning curve when you first get one to achieve good results. Expensive
Black Diamond- Also work well and achieve professional results like the Darex once you learn how to use it. Expensive
Oliver- Older industrial grade machine I've used on larger drills with good results. Not as expensive but rather large floor models
Industrial cutter/grinders- Many brands that are large, expensive, 3 phase electrical, and can sharpen about anything you have.
Surface grinder- My personal favorite but overkill for the average homeowner. Not terribly expensive but dangerous to learn with.

 

[seber]

-That's a rather wide range of items and materials. You ought to have a budget in mind as that will define what machine to be shopping for. You can simply buy hand/bench stones on the low end of cash or spend thousands for industrial machinery capable of doing about anything. You also haven't stated your experience or abilities and that makes a big difference in what you'll be capable of using. You absolutely have to understand cutting tool geometry or nothing will work at all or work properly. A few words about your intended items to be sharpened:

Drill bits- Just about any bench grinder will do, unless you're going for drills larger than 19mm. A carborundum wheel will be ok but doesn't grind as cool as an aluminum oxide wheel. How well you dress the wheel will determine how good an edge you create. Sharpening drills free-hand isn't difficult but is made easier/better with jigs/fixtures for this.

Masonry bits- Carbide can't be sharpened with the same wheel used for steel, carbide is too hard/brittle a material. There are silicon carbide wheels, often green in color, that can grind carbide but they leave a ragged edge that's not very strong. A diamond wheel is what's used for carbide. You don't want to breathe in the dust from carbide, it's very bad for the lungs.

Knives/Scissors- I always sharpen these by hand with bench stones although there are many jigs for doing this. My stones are a mix of India, Washita, and Arkansas used with oil on the stones to prevent clogging. I use water stones for the Japanese swords but that's an entirely different subject.

Drill sharpeners for HSS only:

Drill Doctor- All of them I've used flatly **** and aren't worth the purchase. Anything similar probably not worth it either.
Darex- Works well provided they aren't worn out. Short learning curve when you first get one to achieve good results. Expensive
Black Diamond- Also work well and achieve professional results like the Darex once you learn how to use it. Expensive
Oliver- Older industrial grade machine I've used on larger drills with good results. Not as expensive but rather large floor models
Industrial cutter/grinders- Many brands that are large, expensive, 3 phase electrical, and can sharpen about anything you have.
Surface grinder- My personal favorite but overkill for the average homeowner. Not terribly expensive but dangerous to learn with.

I've been using a Drill Doctor for five years. I get excellent professional quality results. But it took a ridiculous amount of patience persistence to finally get good results. In fact, i finally called the factory to find out how to set it up. The big problem with the unit is the instruction sheet lacks critical information. Once I found out how to set it, the unit became very efficient. I get result that are every bit as good as I used to get with the Darex I used at work.

 

[mike93lx]

A bench grinder plus an inexpensive diamond stone covers a lot of stuff.

But the real answer is a tormek, a 2x72 belt grinder, a series of stones and strops

 

[RoninB4]

I've been using a Drill Doctor for five years. I get excellent professional quality results. But it took a ridiculous amount of patience persistence to finally get good results. In fact, i finally called the factory to find out how to set it up. The big problem with the unit is the instruction sheet lacks critical information. Once I found out how to set it, the unit became very efficient. I get result that are every bit as good as I used to get with the Darex I used at work.

-I haven't used/seen every model that they make but the one purchased at work was by someone unqualified to make that call, a painter. The unit that came in was almost entirely made of molded plastic, even the reference surfaces. It flexed, took an unequal amount of material off either side, and seemed destined to wear out in short order. Everybody has a different idea of what's acceptable, most people feel that if it produces a moderately sharp edge with a shiny surface finish then it's good enough. I don't demand a drill grinder be capable of producing +/- concentricity of .0005 but this model was likely .005-.007 off concentricity and that may be ok for Harry Homeshop but not acceptable for shops I worked for. The over-use of plastic on reference surfaces that will combine with grinding dust will abrade into the useless POS even the painter had contempt for after a few sessions.

-If your unit held up for you then that's terrific, 6 of the 9 models on the company website have been "retired". I'd have trouble believing that a unit worth under $200 could be comparable to another unit that was from the same company (Darex) which sold for multiple times the cost of the cheaper model. Even if we have different standards of acceptability that's ok, you do what works for you.

 

[Zugec]

If you want one machine to do it all, you'll end up with "okay" results on everything, but not perfect, so depends what you want.

For drill bits, a Drill Doctor type sharpener is hard to beat, especially for HSS. Masonry bits are a bit trickier that's why most people just replace them, but a diamond wheel on a bench grinder will touch them up. For knives and scissors, the Work Sharp style belt sharpeners are super versatile and quick.

Honestly, a combo of a drill-bit sharpener + a small belt sharpener will cover you way better than a all in one unit.

 

[Oregon Dave]

I've been using a Drill Doctor for five years. I get excellent professional quality results. But it took a ridiculous amount of patience persistence to finally get good results. In fact, i finally called the factory to find out how to set it up. The big problem with the unit is the instruction sheet lacks critical information. Once I found out how to set it, the unit became very efficient. I get result that are every bit as good as I used to get with the Darex I used at work.

Would appreciate knowing what you found out; Thanks.

 

[MiteyF]

I use this for basically everything https://worksharptools.com/products...l7GvjXNvxmidCQGFmhjoeecS6lNEteic_k1cfg2cFz5NL

Although mine's been modified a bit. Between the Worksharp and a diamond stone and a strop, I haven't really found a need for anything else.

If you pair it with a drill sharpening guide you've got almost every base covered

General Tools Drill Bit Sharpener & Grinding Tool Attachment 825 - The Home Depot

www.homedepot.com

 

[tak1313]

I use the Work Sharp Ken Onion edition (got it because it was on sale a couple of years ago), and it does great for kitchen and other knives. I've also used it for scissors with great success. In fact I like it better than my old Chef's Choice 3 stage because although I've been able to get good edges, they never seem to last as long as they purport with their "multi-bevel" edge.

I used to do sharpening by hand, being a former chef, but those days are gone, and I'm simply too lazy - plus the Work Sharp easily gets blades ALMOST as good as hand sharpening, and DEFINITELY good enough for home kitchen use. It's not like I'm a sushi chef cutting sashimi worth $$$.

One thing you need to be cognizant about blade sharpening that I see many people ignore for some reason is angle of the blade edges - smaller the angle, the more delicate the cut, but also the more fragile the edge. Euro/American blades are usually 20 to 25 degrees (per side), whereas Asian blades are usually 12-17 degrees. The Work Sharp (at least the Ken Onion, I don't know about their regular line, but assume so), has adjustable guides for the blade to ride against, and I can sharpen all the way to the bolster (unlike the Chef's Choice.

I do have a Drill Doctor (again because it was on sale a few years ago). It did a great job when I piddled with it, but with drill bits so cheap, especially in bulk sets, it's just not worth the time/effort to even bother sharpening. I know some will differ, especially for special use or expensive bits, but FOR ME and everything I use drill bits for, it's simply not worth it to sharpen.

 

[seber]

Would appreciate knowing what you found out; Thanks.

The angle for setup is not correct as marked. You need to go backward into unmarked territory.

 

[Rusted Nut]

For quick sharpening with good results:

• Drill bits - Drill Doctor
• Knives & scissors - Ken Onion Work Sharp.

Neither of the above are the absolute precision best, but give pretty damn good results in a very short amount of time.