Drill Doctor

[Jonathan Patrick]

I am considering buying one of the Drill Doctor sharpeners. Any opinions on their value and dependability. I have a lot of old bits that need to be resharpened.

Thanks
Jonathan

[John Coloccia]

When I was doing lots of metal work, my Drill Doctor was indispensible. I love mine. I've stopped using it mostly since I started doing more wood working since I'm using fancier bits now (brad point, forstner, etc). I also don't go through bits as often, so it doesn't hurt as much to replace them. When you're going through a dozen bits a day, tossing out bits starts getting very expensive. If you're using standard bits, I have to say that it does a FANTASTIC job.

One thing: I have their fancy smancy model (700 series, I think). I can split points, adjust the angle, etc. I haven't tried their lower end machines so I don't know that they behave the same or have the same features. I think they may also make an industrial model, but I haven't looked in a while so maybe I'm wrong there.

[keith micinski]

I have the lower end model and it works great.

[Chip Lindley]

If you have a *handful* of old bits to sharpen, the Drill Doctor will pay for itself FAST! A little practice on technique is needed, but will Pay off too!

[george wilson]

You do have to be careful that the Drill Doctor doesn't sharpen the drill off center. It can do good work,but be careful with it.

I sharpen my drills freehand more reliably than the Drill Doctor.

[Jeremy Brant]

I have the bigger one as well. It works great. If you sharpen large bits with it I'd advise getting the coarse wheel to speed things up. Actually though, I too find it easier to do the large bits on the bench grinder with a fine wheel. The smaller bits sharpen better on the drill doctor since it's too easy to overgrind on the bench grinder and they end up more even with the drill doctor.

[Paul Ryan]

I dont know how to do it free hand so I use a drill doctor. I have the midrange modle. It does up to 1/2 bits but does not do split points. It is a really nice tool. I rarely use it now since I rarely drill metal anymore. But it works very well and has a very short learning curve. I showed my buddy how to use it in about 1 min yesterday. He spent the next hour sharpening his bits. It works on high speed steel, titanuim coated, and cobalt bits.

[Ryan Baker]

I have the smaller one. It is fantastic. Fast and easy to use, no learning curve, does a perfect job and gets you back to work in seconds. I've never had a problem with it grinding off center.

[John McClanahan]

I have the low end model that I got at an auction. It made me a believer.

John

[Josh Bowman]

If it can be called the cheap model, I have it. They are a little expensive and worth much more! I keep mine right at my drill press. If the bit even starts to not make curls of metal, I pop it out and into the DD, it a minute....no joke it's back in the drill press and working. Hope this helps.:D

[Jeff Monson]

We have a mid-range model drill doctor at our shop and it is used frequently, it does a nice job and is easy to learn, you do have to learn the setup properly or it will grind off center very easily.

I learned freehand sharpening in college, its a nice skill to know but I'd say the drill doctor is more consistent.

[Eric Gustafson]

One thing: I have their fancy smancy model (700 series, I think). I can split points, adjust the angle, etc.

I have the fancy smancy model too. I gotta ask - what is a split bit good for?

[glenn bradley]

I have almost bought one so many times but, I just use split point bits so seldom anymore . . . I figured out I could buy a dozen each of the few sizes I use for a lot less than I would spend for the DD. They sure seem neat though and if I used those types of bits I would get one.

[Jay Jeffery]

what is a split bit good for?

A normal drill bit has a web on the tip, so the actual tip isn't sharp. The web doesn't cut as easily as the rest of the bit and it will cause the bit to wander. The web is often the first thing to go dull when cutting metals.

The nicer models of the drill doctor will let you split the web. As you can probably guess, that means the bits wander less and start easier. It takes more time, but it may be worth it if you want your drill to start where you put it.

As nice as it is to have a split web, the convenience and speed of hand sharpening leave me with no desire to buy a drill doctor. I've got one of those belt sander/disk sander combos. The disc sander side always has a fine grit on it which works better than a bench grinder for for sharpening drill bits.

If you mostly cut steel and you sharpen as soon as it gets a little bit dull, a drill doctor doesn't take too long to sharpen a bit. If you end up with chips in the cutting edge, or wear to the outer edges of the bit (aluminum tends to chew the outer edges pretty bad), or for any other reason need to remove more than a little bit of material, it takes a long time.

[John Coloccia]

Yeah, the split point just makes it easier to keep on target. Wood is easy to center punch. Aluminum can be very difficult, especially if it's not supported well. One poorly placed punch, or a touch too much gusto, will stretch the aluminum and leave you a poor fitting piece, puckering, etc. Very advantageous to have something that will index and cut on a very small mark with very light pressure. I don't use split point at all when working wood. A good solid punch mark is fine, or even better is a brad point.

I disagree about the sharpening time, though. I could sharpen a broken bit in just a minute or two, including setup time. I know because I've broken a LOT of bits in steel. Like anything else, once you get good at it, it goes very very quickly. But........like I said before, I simply don't use it anymore now that I'm mainly doing woodworking. I just don't wear them out fast enough to make it worth it, and the ones I DO want to sharpen, I have no idea how.