Sharpening drill bits by hand?

[George Israel]

How do I sharpen drill bit by hand?

[george wilson]

I'd say the 2 main components are:1. the ability to look at a drill point and correctly emulate its geometry. Not all can do this. I knew a supposedly "experienced" guy sharpen drills with the edges the reverse spiral of what they should have been. That is,the trailing edges met the work being drilled,instead of the cutting edges. Of course,they didn't cut at all.

2. Having the skill to get the angles of the cutting edges the same,and keeping the tip of the drill in the center. If you don't kep the tip in the center,the drill will drill an oversize hole. Old toolmakers,I should say skilled toolmakers,know how to use the off center sharpening to their advantage. Making the drill to produce a size hole that is not available in any standard drill.

You actually can sharpen drills with a whetstone. We used to do it when we only worked with hand tools. Hold the whetstone vertically,present the drill's cutting edge flat against the stone. Move the stone up and down while rolling the drill to also keep the relief ground as it was. Turn the drill over,and do the same to the other cutting edge. With 4X reading glasses,I have sharpened 1/64" drills many times this way. I must say,with real small drills,this is the only way I ever do it,because the stone cuts slow enough to be safe.

The way larger drills are sharpened is on the side of a grinding wheel. Look straight down on the drill as you bring the cutting edge parallel up to the wheel. Tilt the drill upwards to maintain the relief angle. Touch the drill lightly against the wheel,and roll it towards the heel of the lip. Turn the drill over and repeat. This operation is done on the right hand grinding wheel,on its right side,from the operator's viewpoint. To get a finer cutting edge,carefully hone just the cutting edge. Use magnification if needed.

Since the pressure is very low,use of the side of the grinding wheel is safe in this instance.

[Jim Koepke]

Auger bits are usually sharpened with a file.

Twist drills can be sharpened on a stone.

jim

[Paul Atkins]

This is where a video is worth a million words----anybody?

[Frank Drew]

As George Wilson said, you can do it freehand on the side of a grinding wheel if you can establish and maintain both angles of presentation; I never got very good at it.

If you try this, best to wear a full face shield or at the very least sturdy eye protection; as George notes, if you do it correctly you shouldn't be putting much pressure against the side of the grinding wheel -- that's how wheels shatter, with potentially serious consequences -- but still.....

[Bruce Page]

Give me 5 min. and I could show you. I don't think I could explain it nearly as well.
Do a search on youtube.