Re: Drill Bit Sharpening

[Teamcasa]

"Tina"

I have a bunch of drill bits that are in need of sharpening > I'm not talented enough to sharpen them > myself and I won't buy that sharpening machine.

Sniped

First, if they are brad-point, the Drill Doctor won't work. Second, given your statements, the only other options are to pay someone or buy new ones. (You can send your old ones to me)

Really, sharpening a standard drill bit only takes a few minutes and a little practice. Now that your are going to buy new ones anyway, practice with your old ones. I'm sure that if you take a few old ones down to the local machine shop, an old fart will show you how to sharpen them up and get you started.

Dave

BTW - The Drill Doctor does work fine. I gave one to my dad and he likes it. I however, still prefer the old (faster) way myself.

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[mac davis]

A friend that grew up in a machine shop showed me a neat tr9ick for sharpening bits... it works for me and I can't sharpen a damned pocket knife.. lol

He took 2 large hex nuts and laid them on the bench next to each other, with the flat "sides" touching... the angle formed between the nuts (keep your mind out of the gutter, now) under the mating surfaces is the angle that the drill point needs to be... using the side of a grinder wheel and practicing with a few old bits, even I learned to put an edge on 'em..

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

[Edwin Pawlowski]

If you use a lot of twist drill I agree. I've not spent $50 on twist drills in my life so far and probably won't in the rest of it. Now if it did Forstner bits and brad point, I'd be interested.

[Larry Jaques]

On Wed, 16 Mar 2005 14:20:04 GMT, the inscrutable "Mortimer Schnerd, RN" spake:

Does the DD do auger, forstner, or brad point bits yet?

- Yea, though I walk through the valley of Minwax, I shall stain no Cherry.

[patrick conroy]

Me? I consider Twist Bits to be disposable. I pick up a set of Black and Decker's from Wal*Mart once every other season for $6-$10. Others swear by their Drill Doctor sharpeners.

Brad Points and Forstners? I do not consider to be disposable -- yet. But the Drill Doctor's won't sharpen those anyway yet. So far mine are still sharp enough that I haven't had to make a decision.

[Dave Hinz]

I'm pleased with mine. I inherited a large quantity of good but neglected tools a while back. When bits got dull, he bought a new one. That's fine, but the good ones don't fill all the holes in the drill index, so... It's reasonable for touching up anything more than say 1/8", and up to about 1/2". Beyond that in either direction, no good.

[Tina]

Well I guess my next purchase will be the drill dr....and a book on learning how to sharpen them on a grinder, (don't have one of those either but my neighbor does) so I'll practice on her grinder and see what happens...I stand corrected on the DR...you guys are a trip and I appreciate the help...I get tired of buying new bits only cause mine need sharpening...I don't have a money tree in my back yard! :-)

[Dave Hinz]

It's really a decent machine for what it is. Most of my drilling is in the range of sizes that it's good for, so I'm glad I have it. Mine came with a videotape which I watched before using it, and then again after I'd used it for a few weeks as a refresher.

[Tina]

sharpening...I

[curly]

I think being able to sharpen bits by hand with a grinder is a really useful skill. A drill gage doesn't cost much and makes it much easier to get the angles equal, practice with one of your larger damaged bits and compare to a good one till you can get it close. Once you understand how the drill works and practice it really isn't that hard. It's not as easy for tiny drill bits so start with a bigger one.

I've heard that it's bad to use the side of a regular grinding wheel as they can break and fly apart with a lot of force. That said, I've done it too, and haven't blown one up. But be careful, and its probably better to use the face of the wheel.

Hope this helps, Eric

[Tina]

[Limey Lurker]

(Newbie apologising in advance for any breach of good manners in this post) I find it easier to sharpen brad points than normal twist bits. If you take a good brad point to your switched OFF grinder and settle the bit onto the right-hand edge of the wheel, so that the bit points at your right hip (say, 10 degrees right and 15 degrees down) and memorise that hand-body-grinder relationship, and then take a blunt brad point and, with the grinder switched ON, touch the bit gently on the wheel each side of the point in turn ( no twisting, turning or rocking: move the bit in line with its long axis) you should find that you have a good, sharp bit! And if the bit was blunt, you wont make it any less useful.

[Tina]

Thanks Limey...I"ll give it a try......... Tina

>

[Mike Marlow]

Develop the knack for sharpening the bits on the grinder and there's no need to throw money away on a Drill DR. Find a local machine shop in your area and stop in and ask the machinist to show you how to sharpen a drill bit on a belt sander. You'll never be at a loss for a sharp bit again.

[Dan Valleskey]

First time in a long time I've disagreed with Mike-

skip the drill doc. Learn to do it free hand. Start with a bigger bit, get a gage, play with it some. It is not hard to learn. the real little bits, I just toss those (or they break).

(Hey Mike, want me to show you how to sharpen them? Hahaha....)

-Dan V.

[Australopithecus scobis]

The angle formed by two osculating hexagons is 120 degrees, whereas the usual angle of twist bits is 118 degrees. Geometry aside, thanks for sharing that cool tip. Certainly close enough for hand grinding.

[AAvK]

Tina you might want to check your local Sears, mine was carrying the cheapest drill doctor for $30, takes bits up to

1/2", or call 1st.

[Tina]

Thanks for the replys....you all have given me alot to think about...I use to have a friend that worked in a machine shop...but he passed away years ago but he did hand sharpening as I remember and used a grinder also for stuff..............I got to buy a grinder also...at lease the grinder has a dule purpose...so I don't have to keep running down to my neighbors house to borrow her grinder ;-)

[Larry Jaques]

On Thu, 17 Mar 2005 06:02:19 -0500, the inscrutable "Tina" spake:

Tina, find a 1" belt sander and you'll solve two problems at once. First, you can grind your twist drill bits more safely on the belt than the grinding wheel due to less heat being generated by the belt. Second, you can sand edges of woodworking pieces on the belt. My Delta 31-080 (_Black_ model, Keeter) sander is probably the most used of any of my powah tools. Find one for ~$85 at tool stores or $30 on sale at HF (without the disc, $60 with) or less when they're on sale.

Alternatively, build one yourself. It's not hard. 135k links:

though I walk through the valley of Minwax, I shall stain no Cherry.

[WillR]

Tina:

Larry is right - and a belt grinder/sander is great for honing blades, carving tools etc... See below:

Larry Jaques wrote:

You can see mine set up below...

is the specific Lee Valley Link. motor is a 1/3 HP 1760 RPM (single speed) furnace blower motor. $75

- $120 new depending on source. A few $$ at a flea market if you have the time -- I usually don't. Bought mine at the local Home Hardware, and one at Princess Auto.