Exactly what I said, except for using a belt sander. Using a belt sander to sharpen drill bits seems odd. A belt can not be as accurate as a stone wheeled grinder. I've worked in and around many machine shops and never met a good machinist that sharpens bits on a belt.
Dave
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Hand sharpening a drill bit takes a lot of skill and is also a bit of an art. The drill doctor (at least my 500 model did) comes with clear written instructions, and a video. The printed instructions were so clear, I didn't even take the video out of the shrink wrap.
Incidently, the same company that designed the drill Dr. also sells professional all metal versions, about $1000 and $3000, with various attachments. We use the lower end one where I work.
Some can do it well, and they may also sharpen chisels without a guide. IMO, "learning" how to do it is only half the issue. For bits smaller than 1/4, it gets more difficult, and there the Drill Doctor does a nice job. It's also much faster (at least for me) when you have many to sharpen.
I've never been able to sharpen a chisel well without some kind of guide, although I can cut dovetails with a saw pretty much by eye. I still remember one machine shop where one old guy did all the sharpening, by eye and faster and better than anybody else. He tried teaching me, but I never made it.
I built a sliding guide with different angles and it's the fastest way I've found for chisels and planes. I take nicks out on the ginder, then use the belt to restore the bevel and sharpen. Then just final honing on high grit flat paper.
And by setting the angle ala Leonard Lee's book, it's the absolute best and fastest way to sharpen kitchen knives, leaving a nice tooth. That's the one tool I've bought that SWMBO really appreciates. GerryG
On Thu, 17 Mar 2005 10:09:53 -0500, the inscrutable WillR spake:
No, no, no! GRINDING, not honing. And if you don't yet know the difference, get Leonard Lee's book "The Complete Guide To Sharpening" I suppose you could use a leather belt on one and actually hone something, but that's purely overkill.
but it can be done if you hold it against the belt where it's not backed up by a guide. I use 120 grit belts most often.
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I can get smaller than 1/4 but not an awful lot smaller. Nothing below an
1/8th, for sure. But - those bits are so cheap, you just buy new ones. They aren't even worth the time on a Drill DR, let alone the cost of a Drill DR.
On Thu, 17 Mar 2005 07:52:47 -0800, the inscrutable "Teamcasa" spake:
I haven't been in a machine shop for some time now, but when I visited them weekly (in a past life as a wrench), none had belt sanders, at least not that I can remember. Maybe that's why you never met one, either.
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It'd be my bad guys. Should not have said belt sander. Should have said Stationary Belt Sander. Don't know about the machine shops you've been in but like I said the guy who showed me how to sharpen drill bits showed me on a Stationary Belt Sander. Come to think of it, I've seen them in other machine shops as well. Maybe Larry just never noticed them in the shops he was in.
think that should be a good economical purchase, everything else with a major name brand is made in China anyway. Good going.
But now, in order to sharpen bits easily you need a drill bit sharpening jig that will work with the smaller faster wheel. It is like this one in the link though I don't think I would get the Sears one,
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/ tools / search: 00925292000 (for the idea of what they look like)
General makes one that might be better and you could search:
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mounted, it holds the bit tip against the flat side of the wheel while you turn it manualy, though you might need a finer grit wheel.
It's good to WOMEN into mechanics and woodworking, I always appreciate that... hope you keep to it!
> Jig mounted, it holds the bit tip against the flat side of the wheel while
bits but got it all wrong...I think the holder will help me out a bunch...thanks! Next in line will be a lighted magnifiyer that I can put anywhere...my eyes are as sharp as they use to be when I was younger....thanks for all the help! Tina
Tina - most likely you can master the simple technique of sharpening a bit with a little instruction and save yourself the cash for stuff like jigs, etc. that you really don't need.
Try this... Take a nice new bit - maybe a 1/4 or somewhat larger. Something that is big enough to see well but it need not be a monster bit.
Hold it in front of your grinding wheel - with the grinder shut off. Hold it so that the drill bit is in this sort of orientation... / In other words, it will point right and the back side should be lower than the point. Lay the point of the bit onto the grinder wheel and look at the contact point. You'll see that there is a definite contact surface that starts at the land of the bit. Make the bit lay flat on that contact area. Now, by simply raising your rear hand, observe how the bit remains in full contact with the grinder, but you are moving the contact surface toward the very point of the drill. Do this a few times, and observe that all you are doing is raising the rear of the bit. Develop a little muscle memory in this process. That action will sharpen one side of the bit. To sharpen the other side, reverse and repeat. Most people try to emulate a pencil sharpener, and that simply will not work. You are not trying to make a pencil point, you are sharpening two cutting edges on the end of the bit.
It's a lot easier to do than it is to explain. Again - before you buy anything, do yourself the favor of going to a machine shop and ask the machinist to show you how to do it. You'll be surprised at how easy it is to do.
Drill bit sharpening is a skill that is easily learned.
At the grinder begin at the trailing edge of the bevel cut holding the bit at the same angle to the grinding wheel as the bit was original ground at.
Rotate the bit gently and drop the non sharpened end of the bit gently as you rotate the bit. When you see sparks just beginning to appear at the cutting edge, stop grinding.
Examine the cutting edge for a uniform sharpness. Repeat the above steps if necessary to get a clean cutting edge. At the trailing edge you must be certain that this area is lower that the leading or cutting edge. It is higher than the cutting edge it will hold the bit up and off of the material to be drilled and not allow the cutting edge to do it's work.. If this is the case, gently grind it again but drop the tail of the bit more than you did the first time. When you are satisfied, then do these steps to the other flute of the bit (other cutting edge). If it looks like a mess, not to worry, just hold the bit 90 degrees to the wheel, grind off thee mess and start over.
Grind gently and keep water handy to immerse the bit in. Do not grind the but to aggressively, you might take the temper from the bit, if you do, then it will not hold an edge.
It is a bit difficult to describe something I have been doing for 60 years and is second nature to me , but I did the best I can. If you have any questions feel free to email me directly.
It is really just a matter of practice. I'd practice with a 1/4" bit initially, they are small enough to give you the idea and large enough that you can see what your are doing, and everyone has a dozen 1/4" bits!
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