bigger is better...
does very well...
but not so good on small bits...
get extra diamonds...

 

Jim,

We've been using a drill doctor for years at work, I can't tell you which model it is. It is relatively simple to set up, and works pretty well. To be honest, we only really use it for bits around 1/4 and larger, but it is a lot easier than freehand sharpening them on the grinder.

 

I have either the 350x or the 500x... will check tomorrow if I remember. In any event, it works very well and I'm very satisfied with it. I've only used it once or twice so far. Think it goes up as high as 1/2". Other models will take up to 3/4' I think.

 

I have two Drill Doctors; the 750X which does up to 3/4" bits and one of the first models which is powered by a drill motor.(No longer available)

They work really well; try and guess which are the first two bits I sharpened in this box.

 

@Mike, how low can you go with the 750x? Will it reliably sharpen the smaller bits?

 

I think it goes down to 1/8. We usually replace bits much below 1/4 because the time and effort to sharpen them vs. the cost to replace them. It takes a little longer to set up the smaller bits for sharpening, but it does a decent job.

 

I have one, and LOVE IT! Mine is the kinda blue-looking one in Mike's posted photo above. It works great. I definitely recommend watching the instructional CD that comes along with it. Certainly, I use a lot of brad-point bits and have no way to resharpen them, but for conventional bits, The Drill Doctor is a great tool!

Otis Guillebeau from Auburn, Georgia

 

Jeff, the smallest bits I have sharpened are 1/8". I don't think I have tried to sharpen any smaller than that. I buy tiny bits in multi packs since they are so cheap.

 

Thanks Doug and Mike, I appreciate the input. Now I just need to make up my mind which version to go with.

 

I have the Model 750X and would not be without. Has the large-bit chuck as standard, so goes all the way from 3/32" to 3/4" I have never once used variable alignment to do a special chisel/relief angle, but I suppose it's nice to know that I could. More skilled friends say, why do you need a machine for this, sharpening by hand is like shooting fish in a barrel. But they say the same about sharpening chisels (and I would not be without my Tormek system for that). In either case, there is a lot to remember/forget about how to use the thing, so some minutes are spent re-reading the manual. On the Drill Doctor, for instance, it is easy to forget which are the alignment guides and which are the sharpening guides. Or so I find. But it is well worth the trouble.

Mark

 

What everyone above has said, once you get one you will love it.
# years ago I happened onto a box of drill bits from an estate they were all sizes thrown together, a little rusty here and there, must have been 3000 of them. It took me a couple of weeks to sort them and separate them to size. They all needed sharpening , so I bought the Drill doctor that sharpened spade bits along with regular bits. This is only abour 2/3 of them, I have a bunch more to go.
1/8" is as small as I was able to go, and it is hard on the chuck, I don't think I will do 1/8" again ,just buy them.

I sharpened them all and still the diamonds are good on the wheel.

Herb

 

I was interested in this model until I verified it would not sharpen the Bosch DareDevil spade bits because of the twist in them and the spurs.

 

I have one and was surprised how well it worked. Pretty easy to use,but watch the video that comes with it. Smallest bit I've done is 1/4 inch.

 

..."and now for something completely different"...

I'm going to advocate for freehand sharpening...been doing it since my first bench grinder in 1968...

There are plenty of YouTube videos on how-to...videos range from 4-10 minutes but only takes seconds to actually sharpen once you get the hang of it.

You can create the appropriate angle for hard vs soft metal vs wood...

In a pinch when you break that real small bit and don't have another one, you'll appreciate knowing how...

Just a thought...

 

Nick, knowing how to sharpen free hand is a good thing.(I do) I sharpen my gouges on a belt sander; chisels and plane blades on the WorkSharp for the guide and surfacing ability. Using a Drill Doctor is much like using a honing guide; you get the exact angle every time.

 

Exact angles are always a good thing...

...and then there are those times when different angles are better.

I've marked my rest plate with three different angles...110, 125 and 135...these have worked best for me.

What I like most with freehand is the ability to alter the angle of relief from the cutting face...might just be me but, as example, I like a larger relief angle for soft metals and plastics (along with less pressure). Seems to keep the heat down and minimizes the curled crown at the edge of the hole. Or maybe I just like all the curly shavings...

Just thought I'd put something different out there...but certainly, like you, I would suggest everybody learn how to freehand sharpen their tools...who knows when we'll need to go back to hand cranked drills and pin vises...

 

I've watched a number of you experienced machinist types sharpen a drill bit on the grinding wheel, even freehand. Always amazed me when I could never get the opposing faces anywhere near the same angle. Must be a certain talent like playing guitar.

In commenting to people who can do it they usually snicker and say it just takes practice. Some say that over 10+ years it just gets to be natural like riding a bike. (I can do that.) My thought is that it is also like learning a foreign language. You can learn the basics of a language quickly and be able to converse to some level; order drinks, order food, get directions... To be good at another language you have to use it regularly for an extended period of time. Learning/using it for a year and then not using for 5 years pretty much kills it.

Steve.

 

No snicker here, Steve...hope I didn't sound that way. Drill Doctors weren't as available or as cheap as they are now... It was faster than running out to the hardware store to get another bit...

As for perfect angles and repeatability...not here...I come close but only as close as "it works". I'm a lot more careful with my metal drilling bits though... Not really sure that there is a perfect angle anyway... My choice of angles, from an acceptable range, came from my experiences with my own sharpening. As imperfect as that might be, it still lets me make choices based on those experiences. It is more art than exact science.

It is not a bad idea to learn the technique to the point that it works for those times when a bit breaks and don't have another one...

...just sayin'

 

Trust me... They don't always get the same angle freehand.....�� On the larger bits it isn't as noticeable, but on smaller bits they will dance all over the place in the drill press.

Of course, I prefer those bits to the dull ones put back into the bins. Almost as useful as the taps and dies with broken teeth.

 

One of our first machine shop projects in school was a 59 degree drill gage to use when hand sharpening. I remember thinking to this day "why couldn't they use 60 degrees?" I am sure I have it in a drawer somewhere....

Of course you need a properly dressed wheel (the bigger the better) and decent eyeballs to get great results!

 

I am another one for learning to do it by hand. It is something you can take with you virtually anywhere, unlike the machine, which is effectively a crutch. Hand sharpening was one of the first things we were taught in the machine shop class in vocational school.... back in the days before CNC equipment.
I do virtually all of the drill bit sharpening in the cabinet shop where I work. I use a benchtop belt/disk sander for anything 3/16 and up, and a small diamond wheel for smaller stuff. It is so fine and smooth that I even touch-up the flats on Robertson driver bits and the countersink edges of those combo type drill bits. An 80 grit disk works well for the bigger stuff, better if you drag something across it first to knock the initial roughness off.
I have even gone so far as to fix drill bits "in the field" for install helpers or other trades using a belt sander. All you need is someone to hold it steady vertically and a few seconds later comes the stunned look.
After the basics, which will get you by for most things, you can experiment with lesser relief angles for drilling plastics, harder metals, etc.
Overall, very worthwhile skill, plus you can save the money to by more of the tiny bits that are just too hard to see..... bi-focal safety glasses anyone?

 

I sure like mine. I don't have to use it that often so I got the small one.

 

A couple of years ago I bought an old stacked roll around tool chest and it had over 3000 assorted drill bits in in it all mixed together and including about 100 spade bits. A lot were in variuos degrees of rustyness an all need sharpening
I bought a Drill Doctor, the one that sharpens twist drills and spade bits.
It took me about 10 days to sort for size and sharpen 90% of them from 1/8" to 11/16.

I love that machine, still on the original diamond wheel too.
Herb