123hotchef
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new lol say your half way through a job and the shop is a hour away ;-)
- Thread starter Edward Teach
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123hotchef
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ha thats true, I was using some buy in bulk ones the other day they bent like bannanas when i was using them
Ubique
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Old'ish thread, but relevant to what I'd like to ask the rest of the class....
I'm thinking of one of the mid-range Drill Doctor sharpeners
drilldoctor.co.uk
Key thing is that it will sharpen 135 degree split point drill bits - which it will, the supplied 100 grit wheel has been mentioned as a bit coarse but there is a 180 grit available, now I'm planning on using this on my 'work' drill bits, which range from cheap & cheerful to expensive and miserable (for anyone that borrows & breaks them!)
I'm guessing this sort of thing is better for just sharpening rather than re-dressing drill bits with chips out of the edge etc.?
Now I was taught to sharpen drill bits on a grinding wheel, TBH, the one at work looks like it's been used for sharpening 8mm Tungstens, badly (it hasn't!), I could bring them home to take out the bad bits on my wheel and then sharpen on the Drill Doctor to compensate for what my eyes can no longer allow me to do as well as I once could... Or is there a better solution? something that will take away the damage and sharpen to an acceptable standard?
Cobalt & Co-Cobalt (and TCT, but I don't have any of those) are apparently not best sharpened on Carborundum wheels, or so I've read.
Of course, the other option is just to chuck damaged ones in the metal skip and buy new, that doesn't sit well with my Yorkshireness though.
I'm thinking of one of the mid-range Drill Doctor sharpeners
Drill Doctor 500X
The Drill Doctor 500X is perfect for the serious DIY'er, hobbyist and the professional user who needs to sharpen bits frequently. Free Delivery on any order.
drilldoctor.co.uk
I'm guessing this sort of thing is better for just sharpening rather than re-dressing drill bits with chips out of the edge etc.?
Now I was taught to sharpen drill bits on a grinding wheel, TBH, the one at work looks like it's been used for sharpening 8mm Tungstens, badly (it hasn't!), I could bring them home to take out the bad bits on my wheel and then sharpen on the Drill Doctor to compensate for what my eyes can no longer allow me to do as well as I once could... Or is there a better solution? something that will take away the damage and sharpen to an acceptable standard?
Cobalt & Co-Cobalt (and TCT, but I don't have any of those) are apparently not best sharpened on Carborundum wheels, or so I've read.
Of course, the other option is just to chuck damaged ones in the metal skip and buy new, that doesn't sit well with my Yorkshireness though.
mike os
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I usually don't... under about 10mm it's just not worth my time... I dislike the waste as I usually buy dormer but that's what it is.... I don't buy my bits anymore either
If i must I can do freehand on a grinder, drill doctor is good but I can't justify the price
If i must I can do freehand on a grinder, drill doctor is good but I can't justify the price
As a southerner living in Yorkshire (from an early age), that's how I gain most of my drill bits - fishing them out of a work skip due to people either not being bothered, or not knowing how, to sharpen them.
For a quick tickle, I'm using a cheapo Aldi sharpener! Works pretty well. For a proper job, I use my bench grinder.
Maybe request work buy a decent sharpening device, or to send someone on a course and let them to true up the wheels on the grinder they have?
Ubique
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You must be on a good rate then, what's a decent 6mm drill bit cost - roughly £5? so that's about 17 minutes worth of work to me, I reckon it'd take three minutes to sharpen. You have a point with damaged bits but if I could find a decent bit of kit to dress them, I'd be happier doing that than wasting the resources put into making them.
zx9
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They are Marmite, personally I like mine (700? I am not going out to the garage to have a look now) but then I have never been able to sharpen drill bits on a wheel and now at fifty five my eyes are not going to be getting any better.Old'ish thread, but relevant to what I'd like to ask the rest of the class....
I'm thinking of one of the mid-range Drill Doctor sharpeners
Key thing is that it will sharpen 135 degree split point drill bits - which it will, the supplied 100 grit wheel has been mentioned as a bit coarse but there is a 180 grit available, now I'm planning on using this on my 'work' drill bits, which range from cheap & cheerful to expensive and miserable (for anyone that borrows & breaks them!)Drill Doctor 500X
The Drill Doctor 500X is perfect for the serious DIY'er, hobbyist and the professional user who needs to sharpen bits frequently. Free Delivery on any order.
I'm guessing this sort of thing is better for just sharpening rather than re-dressing drill bits with chips out of the edge etc.?
Now I was taught to sharpen drill bits on a grinding wheel, TBH, the one at work looks like it's been used for sharpening 8mm Tungstens, badly (it hasn't!), I could bring them home to take out the bad bits on my wheel and then sharpen on the Drill Doctor to compensate for what my eyes can no longer allow me to do as well as I once could... Or is there a better solution? something that will take away the damage and sharpen to an acceptable standard?
Cobalt & Co-Cobalt (and TCT, but I don't have any of those) are apparently not best sharpened on Carborundum wheels, or so I've read.
Of course, the other option is just to chuck damaged ones in the metal skip and buy new, that doesn't sit well with my Yorkshireness though.
Mine will do split point which is handy for non critical work, I think the only difference to the one you are looking at is the 700 ? will do up to 12mm / 1/2"
If I'm on site,
4½ grinder with a flap disc to get an edge back or if broken.
If I'm at the shop on a bench grinder and relief the back edge.
I was doing a job on Friday where had to drill through a rsj, right on the edge of the webbing with a prefab concrete panel butted up to it.
Snapped the 5mm pilot drill, reground and carried on, snapped again, regeound and got through.
Then put a 8mm through and tapped to m10.
Without knowing how to sharpen a drill bit I could have been fighting a battle.
But it's one of the best things I learnt in my apprenticeship, and thankful for it as the guys at work, and mates which don't reshaped give me all there drill bits for "home use".
(Bonus when they are all dormer or similar)
4½ grinder with a flap disc to get an edge back or if broken.
If I'm at the shop on a bench grinder and relief the back edge.
I was doing a job on Friday where had to drill through a rsj, right on the edge of the webbing with a prefab concrete panel butted up to it.
Snapped the 5mm pilot drill, reground and carried on, snapped again, regeound and got through.
Then put a 8mm through and tapped to m10.
Without knowing how to sharpen a drill bit I could have been fighting a battle.
But it's one of the best things I learnt in my apprenticeship, and thankful for it as the guys at work, and mates which don't reshaped give me all there drill bits for "home use".
(Bonus when they are all dormer or similar)
Ubique
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I'd agree with that, knowing how to put a 'job' edge on anything is the best thing I was ever taught, and has also got me out of a corner in the past. I think now that I have a decent pillar drill up & running, I'm seeing that drill bits are the next thing that needs refining, plus the drill bits I have at work are regularly abused when I'm not looking, short of everyone buying their own, and even if they did, they's soon be over to borrow my sharp ones once they'd killed their own! So although I might be making a rod for my own back, I can always put a hasp & staple on the drill boxes though 
mike os
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6mm dormer ... couple of quid each 2.50 maybe... its not so much as what I'm paid as what my time is charged out at..... thats a couple of minutes tops... including getting to the grinder, goggles, quench water, and getting back to the job.
Ubique
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I understand your point of view, where do you stop though? would you buy a new chisel or centre punch if it's blunt? Granted, I would get a new bandsaw blade when that became less effective and have had circular saw blades sharpened in the past, I'm quite good at sharpening knives, various, - everything from kitchen to bushcraft Scandi grind and I can get a twist drill going again, but for those (i.e. me) who don't like to throw stuff away and my use of 'readers' is increasing by the month, are they (Drill Doctor or any other drill sharpener) any good, putting aside the time cost in using them?.
mike os
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Bigger stuff gets sent out.... so has to cost more than a sharpen. To be fair most of my fab/machining is done for me, it's the adjustment, unforeseen or mistakes I usually have to sort... then I really do not have time
Unfortunately I rarely get time for non productive stuff,
Ubique
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My eyes have been excellent up to the last two years, night vision and distance is still as good as ever, it's just close up that I need some +1.5D readers for, which I find annoying as I'm forever changing the distance I look at things (I suppose we all are but you don't really think about it until you start needing glasses for one or the other). Back on topic, I've talked to a couple of Americans I know, one has a Drill Doctor and reckons it's a good bit of kit and will restore edges with chips out of them without killing the diamond wheel in short order, although the US price is well below the price here...
Ubique
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I found a Drill Doctor 500 on Amazon Warehouse for £129, it turned up today with a damaged box as promised (hence the price drop), I've practiced with some cheap bits from work, very happy with the results - I think I'll still be buying new 3mm and below drill bits but for everything over that, barring breakages, it'll be ideal.
I'm already considering the pricing structure for sharpening colleagues drillbits....
I have some Starrett holesaw arbors with (very) blunt pilot drills from the turn of the century, silly money to replace and the current chinesium ones don't appeal, a couple of minutes later they were back to 'as new' edges, yes, I could have probably done the same with a grinding wheel but the Drill Doctor takes all the trial and error out of the job. Not everyone will agree however, I consider it money well spent.
I'm already considering the pricing structure for sharpening colleagues drillbits....
I have some Starrett holesaw arbors with (very) blunt pilot drills from the turn of the century, silly money to replace and the current chinesium ones don't appeal, a couple of minutes later they were back to 'as new' edges, yes, I could have probably done the same with a grinding wheel but the Drill Doctor takes all the trial and error out of the job. Not everyone will agree however, I consider it money well spent.
julianthegypsy
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This reminds me, I need to get a couple of 5mm bits, mine are getting very short, especially after one snapped yesterday and had to be reground from scratch. I have no idea what size it is now, but it cuts through 5mm plate in no time flat. I do it by hand on the bench grinder on the rare occasions I need to, and it takes a couple of minutes tops. I've been known to clamp an angle grinder in a vice on its back with a flap disc in it if I haven't got a bench grinder, or stand on the grinder if I haven't got a vice. I never realized how useful learning drill sharpening would be when I was in college, but paid attention because in those days you were scunnered if you couldn't as drills were expensive and expected to last!
Ubique
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I've done similar in the past, I too was taught how to hand sharpen drill bits at school & college - they didn't teach me how to manage with very less than perfect close-up eyesight though. it's also one of those things, like riding a bike - you know the principles involved but unless you're doing it regularly, you lose the muscle memory and it takes a while to get back into.
