Are drill doctors worth it, for carbide bits?

R

Rancho5

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Feb 10, 2015
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I don't have a bench grinder so I'm wondering if the Drill Doctor, the one for carbide bits, is worth it. Seems I'd spend less money on bits if I could just sharpen them. Opinions appreciated.
 
I used a drill Dr. One time. It made the bit more dull than it was before I tried to sharpen it. If you want a drill sharpener that will bring it back to new get a Darex. they are quite expensive though.
 
Just looked them up. Wow. Maybe I'll sell my truck and buy one. VERY nice drill sharpeners. I could, if I saved, afford their chuck accessory though :)
 
I routinely sharpen various cutters at work by hand including drill bits in HSS and Cobalt because we don't have a Drill Doctor.

At home I use and LOVE my Drill Doctor. Less squinting through a jeweler's visor and more sharpening gets done in less time with more precision. READ THE INSTRUCTIONS and FOLLOW THEM and there is no problem.

I used a drill Dr. One time.
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There is a learning curve to most good things. It might look like an electric pencil sharpener but there is more to it than that.



Two things :

You can sharpen most of your bits with some diamond paddles like the blue and black ones in my tool roll in the photo. It is worth learning how to do this before using power sharpeners because it teaches you what is involved in achieving not only a sharp bit but one that is sharp in the right way to cut a hole. Not necessarily the same thing.

the Drill Doctor is going to be at its best if you have a quantity of bits to sharpen.
and

CARBIDE DUST IS POISONOUS SO POWER GRINDING IT CAN BE HAZARDOUS. Take the proper steps to protect your health.

PS : the silver drill sharpening jig in the photo is to be used with a bench grinder. Save your self the trouble of buying one. If you want to experience what it is like to use it just go bang your head against a brick wall for a while . . . it's kind of like that . . . only less fun and more expensive.
 
I found one at a estate sale for $10. I love the thing. It works great and has saved me a bunch of money from not having to buy new bits.
 
I have two, and use them all the time. When a drill bit gets dulled, I drop it in a shoe box labeled "Sharpen" I sharpen bits on a slow day. The Drill Doctor does a great job. I don't sharpen carbide bits on it, though. If your carbide bits won't drill, you are damaging them .. not dulling them. I take those to a diamond wheel and touch them up by hand.
 
I use one and I like it.
It's useless below a certain size

But you still have to know what you area looking for.
Buy a new good drill bit like 3/8" or 1/2"
Keep it as a visual reference

And a drill point angle guide
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He explains things well here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0SQkzScQk0
 
I have one of the fancier drill doctors but I haven't gotten the hang of using it. Which is a shame because using a nice sharp bit is enjoyable.
 
Yes read the directions closely.. Plus I think there are s few Utube videos to watch.
Once you learn to use it correctly, it's fast and accurate.
 
wanted one for a long time, found a friend who was kind enough to bring one here, tried to like it but, nope, had no consistent results after trying a lot of times...


Pablo
 
I have a friend who has one and it is accurate for him but I have not got the hang of using it yet but I will get one for my own shop when I can.
 
I have used a Drill Doctor for many years. It was easy to learn, and makes dull drills like new.
 
The Drill Dr. is made by Darex, folks who know a thing or two about sharpening drills. But it's also made to sell for a tenth of the price any of the rest of their equipment sells for.... For regular HS or cobalt twist drills the Dr. does a good job, carbide masonry bits come out different but usable, never tried sharpening a solid carbide bit in one. The secret to using the Drill Dr is to remember that it is made of plastic. Don't force anything and always use consistent pressure. If you follow the directions to set the bit in the chuck carefully and learn to use the minimum pressure necessary to turn the chuck in the ports, you'll get good results.

We have a Darex M5 in my lab at work and even though it's a much more robust tool made of metal, it's easy to grind a drill bit unevenly if you are forcing the drill bit into the wheel rather than letting the jigs do the work and just pressing only enough to keep all the cams in contact.

Before I got a Drill Dr. I used one of those silver General drill bit sharpening jigs in Wowbagger's picture. Even bought the special side grinding wheel from Sears to use it with. You can get good results with one of those jigs, once you understand the geometry of the cutting tip you are trying to create. but the set-up time to align it for each size and length of drill bit...very long compared to set-up of the Drill Dr.
 
My Drill Doctor is a complete POS. I would not recommend it to anyone.
Just letting you know so that you are aware that they are hit or miss. A bench grinder, a handful of drills and a couple hours practice sharpening is a better idea.
 
Patrice Lemée;15784638 said:
My Drill Doctor is a complete POS. I would not recommend it to anyone.
Just letting you know so that you are aware that they are hit or miss. A bench grinder, a handful of drills and a couple hours practice sharpening is a better idea.
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If it's in good shape and can do carbides, I could take it off your hands if you'd like :)
 
Rancho5 said:
If it's in good shape and can do carbides, I could take it off your hands if you'd like :)
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I would not want to impose that on anyone.
Plus I am devising a way to destroy it that will bring me satisfaction for all the time and money I lost with this thing. ;)
 
Patrice Lemée;15784738 said:
I would not want to impose that on anyone.
Plus I am devising a way to destroy it that will bring me satisfaction for all the time and money I lost with this thing. ;)
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Rats. I've been kind of looking for a deal on a used one.
 
Back in the day when most high schools had metal shop, the first skill we learned on the bench grinder was sharpening drill bits. That was followed by making lathe bits.
 
I had a Drill Doc and could get good results. Sold it at a yard sale though. Didn't pencil out. Good HSS bits are inexpensive. I get many holes out of one. It would/did cost me more in time to resharpen than to replace. I use #30s and Fs almost exclusively I buy em 10 at a time. Around $20 for ten. For me sharpening doesn't pencil out.
 
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