Drill Bit Sharpener

[Edwin Santos]

Do those Drill Doctors sharpen brad point bits? Or are they just for standard twist bits?

Good question because brad point bits are very good for woodworking. Unfortunately the DD is not designed to sharpen them.
I have one of the DD models, cannot recall which one at this moment. It works very well for standard bits. I use a Jessem Doweling jig quite a bit, and it is very convenient to sharpen the twist drill bits and get back to work in short order.

Your question reminds me - If you have a traditional bench grinder, there is a video FWW put out starring Michael Fortune where he demonstrates how to re-shape a conventional inexpensive twist drill into a brad point. He makes it look pretty easy, and I've been meaning to give it a try.

[Edwin Santos]

Does anyone just use a grinder? Fast and easy. Plus, I like being able to easily grind a custom angle.

I hear that's the way it was done for a long time, but apparently nobody under the age of 95 knows how to do it anymore. Thanks Drill Doctor.

[Tom M King]

For cutting wood, it's not that critical. All you really need is sharp edges, and some clearance behind that edge. When drilling into metal, the minutia becomes more important. Now some holes in metal don't matter that much.

In another thread recently, someone posted a video of a person sharpening a bit by hand, and then wallowing out a hole drilled in metal. Some holes require a better prepared end on the bit.

I use a Dremel, with little grinding wheel sometimes to sharpen some woodworking bits, and sometimes small files. If I'm drilling out a broken Grade 8 bolt in an engine block, as in the bolts that hole the front end loader on a tractor, I don't want to use a bit sharpened by hand, and eye. A metal drilling bit, if not properly sharpened for the job at hand, will, at best, dull quickly, wallow out the hole, or at worst, break off down in the metal.

[Al Launier]

Similar to Bruce Page I was a Class I Machinist and a Tool & Die Maker for quite a number of years. Early on in our trade craft one thing we all did was learn to sharpen ours drills This is still a very handy skill to have as it strays over to other needs requiring similar skills. Once you learn this skill set you'll not need an expensive drill grinder, or even want one for that matter.

[Frederick Skelly]

Another satisfied customer here. I have the DD500. It works well for me.

[Mike Kreinhop]

I have the DD 750 and it works great for me. I bought mine in the States and brought it to Germany with me, so I had to change out the motor and switch to work on 230V 50Hz without an external transformer. The manual is not the best, but once I learned how to set it up and use it properly, my HSS and cobalt twist drills are always sharp. I learned to hand sharpen on a grinder, but I can't match the consistency and quality of the DD.

[Rod Sheridan]

I Have a Viel sander/grinder and I use this sharpening attachment for it.

https://www.vieltools.com/produit/af...orets-s-12-550

regards, Rod.

[Ole Anderson]

I follow the Abom79 YouTube channel and while he is expert at hand grinding big drill bits and other cutting tools, it seems he reaches for a brand new first quality bit whenever he gets in a tough situation, drilling out bolts for one. Typically uses left hand twist drills. He is a machinist.

I have a DD by the way and it has served me well. Wish It was available when I was doing production aluminum in my shop years ago. I now have a cigar box full of TIN coated bits.
in the 1/4" to 1/2" size.

[Bob Vaughan]

Good cutting brad point bits are pretty much a DIY situation. Bench Grinder, magnifying glass, and toolroom abrasive wheel (A60-OBNA2 6" x .035 is my favorite). A little practice and you'll get it. Be patient and experiment. I've been doing my own since the early 1980s after I found that what was on the market was crap for drilling crisp clean holes in wood. It takes me two to three minutes to regrind a metal cutting tip 3/8" bit to a wood cutting brad point.

Try.

A60-OBNA2.jpg



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[Bruce Wrenn]

Own a DD 750 with left hand bit adapter. Also own both Craftsman and general versions of sharpener Stephen referred to. One day, I will take a second bench grinder and mount it vertically, and attach Craftsman to it. I sharpen larger bits free hand, as my 1980 cheapie ($19.99) Lowes special has groove for holding bits at correct angle built into right tool rest.Bits smaller than 1/4" are cheaper to replace than to sharpen. My time is more valuable.

[Jeff Heath]

I 2nd what Bob is saying about the Norton abrasive discs. I've got 2 different sizes on a 6" grinder dedicated to small detail grinding, like this, and also moulding plane knives. Works like a charm, and they don't shatter like the cheapo chinesium ones.