Drill Doctor

[deereman75]

You know I have a little saying that I think covers this controversy pretty well:

"every thing is easy if you know how to do it"

As in sharpening a drill bit, well I have sharpened a fair number by hand, and find it a difficult time consuming thing to do, especially for smaller bits. Now I have no doubt that some guys find sharpening drill bits with a grinder an easy simple rewarding thing to do. I do not own a Drill Doctor, as the price has put me off from owning one. But I have no doubt that it is a good tool especially for the difficult smaller bits. I would be willing to bet that there are things I can do pretty easily (like programing old Nortel Meridian PBX's with Command line interface) that others find very difficult. But I also know that the fact I have been doing that for over 30 years makes a difficult task for most, an easy task for me. So to sum up what I am trying to say is just because something seems easy because you have been doing it for a lifetime, does not mean it is easy for anyone to take it up and get the same results. That's all. Merry Christmas everyone!

James K0UA

Well said.

 

[mwb]

Well when I get back from the holidays, I will talk to an old machinist friend of mine. I am sure he will be happy to teach my how to hand sharpen drill bits. Oh and this guy who is a machinist, a welder, an electrician, and an aircraft sheet metal mechanic shares Shield Arc's view that the dril doctors are useless. Seems to be a common view with retired welders/machinists.

I always sharpened drills by hand and I also frowned at the DD when it was given to me as a gift. I am VERY impressed with the DD and highly recommend it.

Have your mentor sharpen a drill bit and then try touching it up in the DD to see how well he did by hand. You will probably be very surprised at the difference. I have also taken a brand new bit and resharpened it with the DD and it (the DD) matches the factory job perfectly.

Another test: try drilling multiple holes in 1/2" steel with two 1/2" bits - one bit sharpened by hand, the other using the DD. There won't be any comparison between the accuracy of the hole, hole finish and life of the drill. This is not a knock of anyone's ability - I have done these tests to prove it to myself - the DD just keeps your relief angle and bit center truer than anyone can do by hand.

To me, the DD is comparable to using a torque wrench. It allows the inexperienced to do the job properly and keeps the experienced honest (honest as in "true, accurate, spot-on...").

 

[deereman75]

I always sharpened drills by hand and I also frowned at the DD when it was given to me as a gift. I am VERY impressed with the DD and highly recommend it.

Have your mentor sharpen a drill bit and then try touching it up in the DD to see how well he did by hand. You will probably be very surprised at the difference. I have also taken a brand new bit and resharpened it with the DD and it (the DD) matches the factory job perfectly.

Another test: try drilling multiple holes in 1/2" steel with two 1/2" bits - one bit sharpened by hand, the other using the DD. There won't be any comparison between the accuracy of the hole, hole finish and life of the drill. This is not a knock of anyone's ability - I have done these tests to prove it to myself - the DD just keeps your relief angle and bit center truer than anyone can do by hand.

To me, the DD is comparable to using a torque wrench. It allows the inexperienced to do the job properly and keeps the experienced honest (honest as in "true, accurate, spot-on...").

If I had a drill doctor I would try that, but I am too cheep to buy one just to try that. I also wont need to sharpen bits for a while, my dad just gave me a set of milwaukee thunderbolt black oxide drill bits as an early gift. It will be nice to be able to sharpen all the old dull dormer bits, and morse taper bits I have though.

 

[toxicjeeper]

I have been doing alot of research on lathe/ mills for my hobby shop lately and from what i have been reading on machine forums the "drill doctor" isnt even allowed to be brought up or the word even used in threads..:thumbsup:..

well it was just one thread i came across that had it threatened to be closed..LOL

sharpening drills is becoming a lost art as are many a skill..

 

[deereman75]

sharpening drills is becoming a lost art as are many a skill..

Exactly why I would rather learn how to hand sharpen from a master machinist, then spend $50 on a drill doctor.

 

[lostcause]

I have been doing alot of research on lathe/ mills for my hobby shop lately and from what i have been reading on machine forums the "drill doctor" isnt even allowed to be brought up or the word even used in threads..:thumbsup:..

well it was just one thread i came across that had it threatened to be closed..LOL

sharpening drills is becoming a lost art as are many a skill..

yeah, but that means little, because if you post a question on practical machinist about a taiwan or chinese made precision tool the thread will be instantly locked too. they tolerate zero discussion about those imports, though there are thousands sold and in use by people in the world. many even make their living using them. it's a preference of the forum, not a function of the tool.

the point of it being a dying art is a moot point too. if so, there should be absolutely zero people who would use a digital readout or power feed either. by not reading the dials you are denying yourself the mental practice of calculating the measurements in your head. having the tactile response and feedback of turning the wheels by hand should also be required by that logic. if you understand the principle of how a tool works you probably can understand how a bit cuts, and therefore figure out how to sharpen it. it is more touch than science, and if you don't do it often it will certainly be more difficult.

it's fine if you want to do it by hand, and i've sharpened many by hand, but when you get down to little ones the human hand and eye aren't as precise as a machine. if it were there would be no use for precision tools. may as well get a box of files and stones to make everything.

there's nothing wrong in doing something the way you want to, but it seems a little weak to travel to the far end of the world to justify it. there's enough people on here who have seen them in action to make it certain enough that they do in fact work well. there's also plenty of people here who can sharpen them by hand and do a fine job, so it's valid too. learning the skills behind the tools is great, but denying a tool that can aid in production is not always practical for a lot of people.

the speed argument also seems kind of weak. common sense would dictate that you sharpen several bits in one session instead of stopping work to set up a sharpener after one dull bit. there are very few people who have only one bit of a size. most i know end up having several sets in varying degrees of dullness. it's impractical to buy individual bits most of the time, so people tend to buy a whole extra set because some have broken or dulled. i recently broke off a #2 center drill in a piece i was working on. i chowdered up three other bits in the process of getting the center tip cleared. i didn't stop and resharpen each time a bit chipped, i went to a different bit. i'll sharpen them all at once after the job is finished. if you can't figure that it is faster to sharpen several at once time then that's a function of time management, not the tool.

 

[Kernopelli]

My step father showed me how to hand sharpen on a grinder but without consistent practice I didn't get consistent results. I too wanted a better way to sharpen bits quickly but wasn't convinced about the Drill Dr. or thrilled about the price. I ran across one of these and have to say it's quick and works flawlessly. DRILL BIT SHARPENING STAND GRINDER SHARPENER TOOL JIG on eBay! I mounted it on a dedicated 3/8" plate and then just clamp the plate to my work bench with welding C clamp vice grips next to the bench grinder when I need it. A few swipes across the grinder wheel and you have a factory cutting edge and angle. I have sharpened may broken bits with it as well.

 

[FredH]

I have the smaller drill doctor that will do up 1/2" while my brother has the larger model with adapter that does up to 1" , I think . Is it faster than a grinder , who knows , Who Cares ! I do know that it does a better job than I ever did with any other type procedure or tool . Also there are some that are limited in workshop space or maybe even how deep their pockets are , thus in the big picture the model like I have saves them money and SPACE !

I broke a 1/2" bit when a piece of steel flipped around and came down on the end of the bit in the drill . Clean straight across break , took maybe 5 to 6 minutes and although it is about 1" shorter now , Just like brand new .

As I have said in many threads , I don't get in p****** matches with people here , not worth my time or effort . Are there people here that are better at whatever than me , Huh , Yea !! Likewise , Vice Versa , But again , Who Cares . I only limit my posts to Things I have first hand knowledge of , rather than what I heard from a friend of a friend of somebodies Brother-in-Law . Nor do I try to persuade others to see it my way , I simply post my opinion and Move On .

Opinions are like a certain part of human anatomy , We all have one .

Fred H.

 

[Bird]

My step father showed me how to hand sharpen on a grinder but without consistent practice I didn't get consistent results. I too wanted a better way to sharpen bits quickly but wasn't convinced about the Drill Dr. or thrilled about the price. I ran across one of these and have to say it's quick and works flawlessly. DRILL BIT SHARPENING STAND GRINDER SHARPENER TOOL JIG on eBay! I mounted it on a dedicated 3/8" plate and then just clamp the plate to my work bench with welding C clamp vice grips next to the bench grinder when I need it. A few swipes across the grinder wheel and you have a factory cutting edge and angle. I have sharpened may broken bits with it as well.

That's the same sharpening tool I had before I moved back to town; did a good job.

 

[Tollster]

I got one years ago and it works well, if you don't have a drill press you will see the difference. It is somewhat time consuming, but you get bater as you do a couple, best thing is its hard to screw it up. On a slow day I did all my dull ones, strange, but that wasover a year ago and I forgot all about tilli saw your post.