Do "Drill Doctors" drill bit sharpeners work?

[DocHeb]

Do \"Drill Doctors\" drill bit sharpeners work?

I received a "Drill Doctor" drill bit sharpener (model #750) for Christmas. Before I open it up and try using it, I wondered if you'all could tell me if it works or not. I'd hate to have it not work, and have another thing sitting on a shelf.

 

[frank_f15]

Re: Do \"Drill Doctors\" drill bit sharpeners work?

can't help u there ! but i would like to knwo the ans , to that question myself. i can't sharpen a drill bit by hand worth a darn.when i was working it was not a problem, as i would have the tool rm sharpen them for me or just get a new one from tool crib. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

[40Kchicks]

Re: Do \"Drill Doctors\" drill bit sharpeners work?

DocHeb

I have a good fried who is in the engineering department for the company that makes these drill doctors. While we were visiting them last year he was showing me some of the different models they make. There are several steps to the tool but the results seemed really good. Now that I am getting more into metal fabrication I think it might be something worth having. The drill doctor seems to give a more precise uniform edge than hand spinning the bit against a bench grinder. If you have the need and time give it a try.
Eric

 

[cup149]

Re: Do \"Drill Doctors\" drill bit sharpeners work?

I have one and it works well. The alignment tabs for setting the bit in the collet don't seem to work well for bits about 3/16 and under. For those I set them in place by eye, otherwise the heel is cut higher than the cutting edge. It is really fast to put a fresh edge on a dull bit. If you have a broken or large chip in the cutting edge, it is best to use a bench grinder to remove most of the material, then put the final edge on with the DR. The model I have can also split the points. Go to drilldr.com, where you can see a demo video of how it works. It takes some practice to get it just right. Not as good as the $10,000 dollar bit sharpener we used to have at work, but better than a dull bit or doing it all by hand.

 

[Bird]

Re: Do \"Drill Doctors\" drill bit sharpeners work?

I've not used one, Chris, but my brother used to sell them off the tool truck and never had any complaints, never had any returned, so they must have worked pretty well.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

Re: Do \"Drill Doctors\" drill bit sharpeners work?

I bought their biggest unit and have decided that for me, the old hand hold bit over grinder, sander, whatever, is better.

I'm sure it works fine. But I haven't found it worth the money I spent.

 

[Boondox]

Re: Do \"Drill Doctors\" drill bit sharpeners work?

They work just fine, and if I got one as a gift I'd be pleased as punch. But basically use five different sized bits...and I can replace those five bits several times for the cost of the Drill Doctor. So for me, it's not cost effective unless somebody else bought it.

Pete

 

[YanmarFever]

Re: Do \"Drill Doctors\" drill bit sharpeners work?

Doc
I bought one 4 yrs. ago, I have sharpenrd over 300 drill bits with it. I bought the 3/4" model and it has saved me a lot of $$. I use to pay .50 to a dollar a piece to have them done
now I do them myself & watch it pay for it self.
It does not do a better job than the thousand dollar units
but it gets them sharp enough for what I do.
I am very pleased with mine and would buy another one in a heart beat. Be sure to get an extra sharpening wheel if you are going to use it a lot.
Tractor Ernie

 

[_RaT_]

Re: Do \"Drill Doctors\" drill bit sharpeners work?

I have found my 750 works very well up to about a 1/2" drill bit. After that it just takes to long. I have sharpened a 5/8" and 3/4", it just takes a long time and wears the diamond wheel down a bit. The sizes from about 1/8" to 1/2" sharpen very well, fast and the polish as well as back cut is great. Keep it, you will sharpen every bit you have. I like how well it cleans up titanium bits.

 

[bgott]

Re: Do \"Drill Doctors\" drill bit sharpeners work?

Do you think it might work better on the bigger bits if you did a freehand clean up on the grinder and then used the drill doctor for the detail work? A larger bit would be easier to see while grinding freehand.