Sharpening Twist Drills

[Ulu]

I have a collection of twist drills that go up to 1 inch in diameter, But I don’t have any kind of a jig to sharpen them.

 

I have always just done this on the bench grinder by hand & eyeball and I don’t always get it quite right.

 

I was looking to buy a jig I could attach to one of my bench grinders To make it a dedicated sharpening station.

 

Unfortunately the ones I found for sale online look pretty cheesy. I was hoping maybe somebody could recommend a professional model of some kind.

 

I really don’t know how this is done in a professional machine shop. I learned to do it by eyeball in college, with a little gauge, which disappeared about 40 years ago.

 

I started looking at things like the Drill Doctor but the tacky consumer plastic-ness of it all really turns me off.

 

Before I go crazy and try to build my own device maybe one of you guys could give me a clue?

Edited January 3, 2021 by Ulu

[kencombs]

Drill Doctor works.  Yeah, I get the 'plastic-ness', don't like it either but it works.  I've got the 3/4" version.  Never sharpen anything under 1/4 though, just not worth it.  The diamond wheel inside the DD seems to last forever.  Not like having to dress a normal stone.

[Plymouthy Adams]

I also own and use the Drill Doctor.....it was a gift from my wife.....she is good to buy stuff for the shop....keeps me off the street and out of trouble....

[Frank Elder]

53 minutes ago, Plymouthy Adams said:

I also own and use the Drill Doctor.....it was a gift from my wife.....she is good to buy stuff for the shop....keeps me off the street and out of trouble....

Sitting in your garage plotting to take over the world........Are you thinking what I'm thinking Pinky?......lol.

[P15-D24]

Another Drill Doctor user. Little bit science and art and learning to use it but I've had good results. 

I would avoid the cheapest, low end models. 

[Merle Coggins]

8 hours ago, Frank Elder said:

Sitting in your garage plotting to take over the world........Are you thinking what I'm thinking Pinky?......lol.

 

“I think so Brain, but where are we going to find a duck and a hose at this hour?”

 

+1 on the Drill Dr. I have the smaller model, but it works well. I don’t use it often, and have to re-teach myself how to use it each time, but I like it.  

Edited January 3, 2021 by Merle Coggins

[JBNeal]

Last week, I went thru the Dad's pile of drill bits that had accumulated in the barn workbench drawer, all from 10 bit sets purchased over the years.  I chucked every bit and drilled into some scrap steel, watching the chips and smoke coming from the bore, separating good from dull bits.  The old Craftsman and Black & Decker bits, made in USA, have held up well and still cut very good...chinese bits from either brand were nowhere near as good and have been quick to dull or break, evidenced by the number of bits under 3/16" that were missing from each set.

 

Post Christmas tool sales are usually when new bit sets are picked up as it's been cheaper to get an entire set than to replace individual replacements.  Factor in the cost of the drill doctor and the frequency that bits are used, and the way I figured it, it was cheaper to score drill bit sets on sale than to sharpen existing stock.  Underlying this decision is the country of origin of bits...chinese bits rule the market now, and are not of very high quality, but cost is low.  Dad asked me about buying a drill bit sharpener, I told him to avoid the cheapo HF variety, then showed him the 5 sets of usable drill bits I had organized, and he agreed that what we had was good enough for now...the fistful of dull, rusty bits I culled out went into the scrap metal bucket, almost all were chinese.

 

If I was in a position to snag a complete fractional and numbered bit set of high quality, I'd splurge for a good quality sharpener to maintain those bits.  But as long as I have access to economy bits for little projects, it's hard to justify the expense of a decent sharpener when replacement bits are so cheap.

[Sniper]

Viking drill bits are still made in the USA, not real cheap though.

 

[keithb7]

30 or so years ago this was a project they made me build in trade school. 
 

A guide to sharpen bits and maintain the correct angle. I’ve had this floating around and transferring to the next bigger tool, my entire adult life. 
 

 

[Ulu]

That looks very much like the one I had in machine shop class.

 

I have several small sets of modern inexpensive bits but I have many old bits from the 60s and 70s which are high-quality American made stuff.

 

They are still good but every one of them has been chipped and dulled and re-sharpened by hand on my grinder more than once.

 

I will sharpen any size drillbit and I have jet drills which I have sharpened on the whetstone.

 

It’s not because I’m too cheap to go buy another drill bit, but some things I do just for practice or because it’s a challenge. Also, I don’t always have the time to run to the store.

 

So, Based on all of this, maybe I will buy a Drill Doctor if they have a model that goes up to 1 inch.

 

[JBNeal]

additional information - sharpening twist drill bits with belt sander

 

additional information - sharpening twist drill bits with bench grinder

[JBNeal]

additional information - vintage sharpening gauge