Drill sharpening

[Ho55]

What do people find is the best method of drill sharpening?
I can do an approximate job by hand, but far from perfect.
I've tried the cheap drill sharpeners, like these, not good.

I was looking at the 'picador' type guide for grinder, but have no experience of it. does it work?

Or what else does?
p.s. My workshop boss can do a perfect job by hand, but i dont have 40 years to practice

 

[gordon stephenson]

I believe that Brightspark has a set of instructions for using the "Picador" Just a little practice required for good results.

 

[Perry Owens]

I have a Drill Doctor 350X. It works fine for what I need but will not do split points - in fact it removes the split, and capacity is only 3/32 - 1/2in. I think the bigger models will do split points.

 

[RonA]

Failing that, those 'picador' ones are good and surprisingly easy - and I believe will even split points etc. if you set them up to do it (and have an appropriate wheel).

Ditto, I have one similar, a chinese copy but it does a good job. Only problem is really small drills.
RonA

 

[decca]

I have the draper copy of the second one and it's fine. Works well on most sizes but as said smaller bits are easier by hand.

 

[RonA]

I have the draper copy of the second one and it's fine. Works well on most sizes but as said smaller bits are easier by hand.

Just an aside, nothing to do with topic. Noted your address Crawcrook. Intending to go to Wylam in a week or two, am I right in assuming you can cross the river at Crawcrook to Wylam?
RonA

 

[decca]

Just an aside, nothing to do with topic. Noted your address Crawcrook. Intending to go to Wylam in a week or two, am I right in assuming you can cross the river at Crawcrook to Wylam?
RonA

Yes you can get down to wylam from Crawcrook over the bridge.

 

[Pete.]

That picador is a cheap and nasty copy of a design that was already so-so. I had one which I found to be fiddly to use until eventually that thin bit on the top snapped off. If they built it a little better I'd give it a thumbs-up but as it is I wouldn't buy one or recommend it.

 

[DennisCA]

I just do it by hand against my belt grinder, I never thought it was that hard after a few youtube videos to show me how, I feel I got it licked, can always get better but I get usable results pretty quickly and have even reground drill bits entirely, reshaped one bit to drill a flat bottomed countersink.

 

[Ho55]

Ok, it turns out we have 2 of those in a cupboard at work. The older one looks well made, but the newer copy has loads of play, and is not at the right angle (see link below).
I managed to find an older spiralux model on ebay https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SPIRALUX...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649 which looks to be good.
I guess these quality differences in copies could account for the variable experiences here.

I also found this which makes very interesting reading. This guy has taken the time to find the problems and correct them.
http://www.modelengineeringwebsite.com/Drill_grinding_jig_1.html

 

[MattF]

I'd just keep practicing your manual technique. It's not hard to do by hand. The main thing to remember is to measure both cutting edges after grinding, to make sure they're the same length, else you'll be drilling oversize.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Yes you can get down to wylam from Crawcrook over the bridge.

I thought his question was a thinly veiled angling for an invite for a brew......

Jacket > door

 

[decca]

I thought his question was a thinly veiled angling for an invite for a brew......

Jacket > door

If RonA wants to pop in for a brew he's more than welcome. Im in the DIY shop opposite the Fox and Hounds. Just ask for Brian and I'll put the kettle on.

 

[RonA]

If RonA wants to pop in for a brew he's more than welcome. Im in the DIY shop opposite the Fox and Hounds. Just ask for Brian and I'll put the kettle on.

thanks for the kind offer but don’t think I’ll have time to drop in. Aiming to drop by the folk club which meets on the third thursday in the Fox & hounds.
RonA

 

[Thrashsmith]

I picked up a neat trick from a YouTube video by Gary Huston where he tack welds two M12 nuts together on the flat faces - the angle that they V out is the angle to grind drill bits to. Obviously just a rough guide but it's served me well.

 

[Ho55]

Ok i set it up at the weekend by fabricating an offset shelf under my grinder with 6mm plate. Its reasonably rigid and set to be exactly perpendicular.
The guide produces excellent results. I found you can ignore the little guide tooth that is supposed to engage in the flute. I just set the bit cutting faces vertical by eye. The protrusion to approx 1/2 D, and 59deg for general drills.
The result is near perfect, or at least way way better than my hand-sharpening. I've done all my bits from 4 - 12mm.
I struggle to see how anyone could do it better by hand, no matter how skilled, its very repeatable and perfectly even on both sides.

I suspect the negative press on these is due to:
- Not setting it up correctly
- Using it on the circumference of the wheel
- A bad copy guide (the newer one we had at work had so much play on the pivot as to be unusable)

 

[MattF]

Photo's? How long does it take to sharpen a bit using the fixture?

 

[Ho55]

View media item 9818Oh say 1 min per drill without rushing it.

 

[Wallace]

Did you true up the grinding wheel?

 

[Kent]

Eye and experience. Got a huge box of drills littoral hundreds dropped at my bench as a 17 year old apprentice and told - sharpen all these.

Lordy Lord I learned and never forgot (these days I need my readers even for the bigger ones and plenty light though ).
Anyone who calls themselves a skilled man needs to be capable of sharpening a drill, I find many cannot today and it's depressing!