Drill bit sharpening

[JRobyn]

I am guilty of being lazy and not first doing a search on here for previous posts.... but,

has anyone had good experience with any commercial drill bit sharpening services?

I have just a few larger ones, 1/2" to 7/8" that I don't trust myself to do a really good job on.

 

[Wagtail]

What a coincidence... This Thursday I'll be going to my State Field Days (AGFEST) and one of the products I am planning on checking out is this kit:

Vintek Drill Bit Sharpener | Amaze Products | Product Demonstration - YouTube

I don't know the cost yet, but it looks "Wagtail-Proof" (which is one step higher than 'Idiot-proof').

 

[mapper]

I received a Drill Doctor for Christmas this year, does a really nice job. The bits I sharpened came out a lot sharper than when they were new. It also enables you to split the tip making the bit self centering and requiring less power.
Never had any bits professionally sharpened, they turned out way better than some that had been sharpened by hand or with a grinder.

 

[Furu]

Ever since member Shield Arc showed me how to sharpen drill bits by hand I swear by the method he uses. The larger the bit the easier it is IMO. Amazing results compared to when they were new even.

 

[r porter]

Furu
can you share?

 

[prichard]

I had an old machinist teach me to hand sharpen years ago. 1/4 - 1/2" aren't bad. Over 1/2" are easy. Under 1/4" are tricky. No way I could explain but I think I could still do it.

My eyesight being what it is I'll stick to the little sharpener unless I need some thing large.

I don't remember the brand of the sharpener, my father in law have it to me a few years back.

 

[Furu]

Furu
can you share?

As prichard said there is no way I could explain how to do it in writing. It is one of those things that you have to see someone do and then try to duplicate while having them looking over your shoulder giving you feedback and critiques.

I did find a youtube video of a guy that talked about it and demoed how to do it and found it interesting but there is no way that it could even come close to having "one on one" instruction from a truly knowledgeable expert/instructor.

Sharpening Twist Drills by Hand - Part 1 of 2: Introduction.mp4 - YouTube

Sharpening Twist Drills by Hand - Part 2 of 2: Sharpening.mp4 - YouTube

 

[crazyal]

I use to do them by hand but now have a drill doctor. The DD will do up to 3/4" in size. Anything bigger than that I do by hand. The problem I have is that I don't have a grinder mounted on a stand or bench. So I'm either using a vice to hold the grinder or using a 4 1/2" hand grinder. Of course that's the real problem, I don't sharpen them unless I need them and then I don't want to spend a lot of time not working on the project at hand.

 

[ultrarunner]

Which model Drill Doctor?

 

[LD1]

As prichard said there is no way I could explain how to do it in writing. It is one of those things that you have to see someone do and then try to duplicate while having them looking over your shoulder giving you feedback and critiques.

I did find a youtube video of a guy that talked about it and demoed how to do it and found it interesting but there is no way that it could even come close to having "one on one" instruction from a truly knowledgeable expert/instructor.

Sharpening Twist Drills by Hand - Part 1 of 2: Introduction.mp4 - YouTube

Sharpening Twist Drills by Hand - Part 2 of 2: Sharpening.mp4 - YouTube

Excellent videos. Worth watching if anyone is sharpening by hand or wanting to sharpen by hand.

He makes some good points in the later half of the first video about pilot holes and chisel point bits. His advise is spot on. You hear it alot here that if someone wants a rather large hole, say 3/4-1" or so....lots of members usually advise to start small and step up in bit size in small increments. Which is not good advise, very hard on the bits, and hard to control as it makes the bit real "grabby"

As to the sharpening....I prefer a belt sander as opposed to a grinder wheel. But same method pretty much. Only thing I do a tad different is when giving the heal a little relief, Instead of just lowering the shank as you are grinding, I also give it a little twist.