Re: Lew's Drill Bit Post - Speaking of Drill Bits and Possible Heads-Up For Karl & Leon

[Sonny]

I have lots of drill bits that need sharpening. I've often thought to get a drill bit sharpener. This idea has, again, recently come to the fore, as per discovering two sharpeners up for auction, in Houston. I'm not sur e I want to trouble my cousins for pick-up assistance, should I decide to b id and win. Have to wait and see how the bidding goes, as to, if I bid.

Not sure if Karl or Leon would be interested in a sharpener, but thought to bring this sale to their attention, since it's more convenient for them. If Karl or Leon would have an interest, I'd pass on bidding against them.

USD

If not us, would either Karl or Leon have a machinist/hobbyist friend that might be interested in these sharpeners? Give them this auction info.

I contacted Darex about their SN 110 sharpener. Darex said that sharpener (the olive green one) is discontinued and replacement parts (except for the stones) are no longer available. The model is an M3 model, vintage 1983-2

001. The auction write-up says it was funtional, when removed from service , but ones never knows its exact condition, unless inspected & tested. Dar ex said its value is about $700, if in good working order.

The Lisle is worth about $700, also, if in good working condition, as per m y online research. I don't know if its a discontinued model or whether pa rts are still available.

I'm not sure if sharpening my bits is more feasible than buying new. I do a poor job sharpening, by hand. I don't suppose either of those sharpener s will sharpen auger or brad point bits.

Do any of you have/use a sharpener, hand sharpen or buy new, when need be? I'm trying to judge whether a sharpener would be best for me. I suppose a machinist would have more use for this kind of dedicated sharpener, than a woodworker, so it may be impractical for me.

Sonny

[Leon]

Thanks for the heads up but I already have a Drill DR. It works great! No sharpener that I know of sharpens a brad point yet but IIRC Drill Dr has one that does spades. I don't use it often, I mostly use Forstner and brad point. BUT because you typically will drill into steel with the regular bits resharpening them is quick and convenient. I don't think you will wear the Drill Dr out considering how quickly it will resharpen a bit.

IIRC Darex makes the Drill DR.

[Puckdropper]

Sonny wrote in news: [e-mail]:

I learned how to sharpen bits freehand on a grinder. It's not really freehand, it's using the parts of the grinder to act as various rests and stops. I'm only at the beginning stages of this, which means that given enough bit I can make a sharp one. It's worth it, though, when you get one that's shaped exactly how it needs to be to cut through the material.

I've heard good and bad things about the drill doctor series of sharpeners. For woodworking, they'll probably do just fine.

There's also jigs for bench grinders, but I don't have any experience to offer there.

Even if you do buy new bits, knowing how to sharpen a bit might just bail you out when you break the last one after the store's closed.

Puckdropper

[DerbyDad03]

...snip...

What about the JOOLTOOL? I have no experience or direct knowledge related to this tool, but it seems pretty neat.

That video, as well as many others, can be found here, under "Videos and Support".

(I'd post the link that takes you directly to the videos page, but then you wouldn't get to meet Anie.)

Jooltool has a master's kit for $610, but Amazon carries a stripped-down(?) kit for $399.

[Leon]

I have seen her and her tool at trade shows and have not yet been inspired to buy one. You can sharpen brad points with it but I would like to see how well the bit works after sharpening. There is a world of difference in how different brad point bits cut and how they are sharpened makes a big difference. If you don't evenly grind at precise angles you might as well be using a file. Colt brand 5 star brad point bits, in most all but the smallest, cut so well that you don't need a backer board to drill through and it is difficult to tell which side the bit exited.

My new Drill Dr. was about 1/3 the price of the entry level Jooltool and it does precisely sharpen regular twist bits with their multi curve/angle. While the Drill Dr is pricey $75~$150 considering it only sharpens two types of bits, it does do a factory quality job.

[DerbyDad03]

ed to this tool, but it seems pretty neat.

...snip...

The next time you and Anie are hobnopping at a trade show, try this:

1 - Before you leave home, grab a beat up brad point bit. Oh, wait, you pro bably don't have a beat up brad point bit. ;-) OK, go to the borg, buy a br ad point bit and beat it up. 2 - At the trade show, go to a tool booth and borrow a cordless drill (or b ring your own) 3 - Go to a wood booth and grab some samples of various types of wood (or b ring your own) 4 - Bring everything to Anie, have her sharpen your bit (!) and then test i t.

If Anie is willing to let you do that, that will be the first indication th at she is confident in her product. If she flat out refuses, well, we know what that could indicate. Assuming she lets you do that, you'll have your a nswer as to whether or not the JOOLTOOL (or the operator) is any good at sh arpening brad point bits.

I know you like your Colt bits, but you would doing the the rest of a huge service. We all thank you for your efforts. ;-)

[John McCoy]

Sonny wrote in news: [e-mail]:

I have a Drill Doctor. I use it rarely. In my experience, it does not sharpen bits to "like-new", altho they are reasonably sharp. It does not work on very small bits, and I can hand-sharpen just as well on bits of 1/4" or bigger, so it has limited use.

The sharpeners you're looking at are in a completely different class, tho. I suspect they will sharpen to like-new condition, and will handle most any size bit.

John

[tdacon]

I have and use a Drill Doctor 500X. It works great on standard twist drills with either 118 or 135 degree point angles, either HSS or exotics such as carbide, cobalt and TIN-coated, plus masonry bits. You can do split-points, too. A handy feature is that you can adjust how aggressive the grind is, so that if all you want to do is freshen up a bit you can do it with relatively little metal being taken off, or make it more aggressive for an extremely dull bit or for one whose point angle you want to change. Sharpening is quick and easy and consistent, once you are practiced at loading the bit into the holder. Watch the video demo on the web site to see how it works.

The manufacturer claims that it sharpens bits from 3/32" to 1/2", but I use it only on bits larger than 1/8" since it's hard to keep from grinding a negative rake angle at those smaller sizes. When I dull a small bit I just throw it away and replace it.

What it won't do is brad-point bits. The way I handle that is to have two sets - one of the highest quality I can afford, which I treat very carefully, and another inexpensive set that I use in less demanding circumstances or when there's any risk of damaging a point.

Amazon has it for $99.99. The 750X is the same except that it goes up to

3/4".

I have no financial interest in the company - I just like the tool.

Tom

[Leon]

Unfortunately Anie probably does not come with the tool.... She most likely spends way more hours using her tool than any of us would.

[Leon]

I found that if I did not properly mount a bit in the holder I could actually dull the bit. Other wize mine come out sharp.

[Leon]

Snip

LOL, that is me. I just about keep my Colt 5 star bits under lock and key. I have several other sets that get used for questionable material of if there is the slightest possibility I might hit a screw.

[G. Ross]

I bought a Drill Dr. 5 or 6 years ago and sharpened a bucket full of bits and haven't used it since. I don't do a lot of drilling, but it probably paid for itself in one day.

[Martin Eastburn]

That might do ok on some. Let me mention what I did. I have one of the plastic units and it is a 3/4" size. I had a 3/4" drill that was chipped. Useless. I ground it on the unit - and cleaned up the drill so it was safe to use. Then I had ground flats on it - as the cone grind wasn't handy - as it touched metal at all times. But preforming drills is good. Splitting points is good. Has done more good than bad for me.

Mart> I have lots of drill bits that need sharpening. I've often thought to get a drill bit sharpener. This idea has, again, recently come to the fore, as per discovering two sharpeners up for auction, in Houston. I'm not sure I want to trouble my cousins for pick-up assistance, should I decide to bid and win. Have to wait and see how the bidding goes, as to, if I bid.

[Sonny]

I should learn how to better sharpen, by hand, on a grinding wheel. I'm getting more lazy, these days, looking for the easiest way out of doing work, in less time. The Drill Dr option looks promising, probably for most of my dull bits.

Sonny