Drill Doctor

Joined
Oct 4, 1999
Messages
709
Has anyone used a drill doctor? I have alot of bits that have gone dull or broken and just to replace them would cost me the price of one of these things. What do you guys do?
 
i just redo the tips on my bench grinder, pretty unortodox i guess but it takes only a few minutes and costs next to nothing. just make sure the angle is parallel to what i as before i guess. no idea how sharp they are compared when it was new, i cant even remember where i got the bits :)
 
I've got one and they work good. Takes about 10 minutes to learn how to use it and then you'll be looking for drill bits to do. I used to just touch up bits on the belt sander but never could get it quite right. I followed lots of talk -mostly positive - on rec.metalcraft about them before I got one. Do a search on deja.com.
 
Rene my man
before I was a tool and die maker years(YEARS) ago I worked for a company
which was owned by White Consolidated, at about 22 I worked the night shift
and we had to learn how to do our own tool sharpening because the
tool crib was only open the first shift. the belt grinder
is the Cats A$$ for this.
Roy if you can make knives and make both sides concentric ( which you do now)
you can sharpen drill bits :D know more then a little practice buddy.
 
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Geeze, I was just trying to be a little lazy! I have not put my heart and sole into sharpening, I have a problem keeping the heel lower than the cutting edge. Doesn't it ever get easy!!!!:D:D


Originally posted by Graymaker
Rene my man
before I was a tool and die maker years(YEARS) ago I worked for a company
which was owned by White Consolidated, at about 22 I worked the night shift
and we had to learn how to do our own tool sharpening because the
tool crib was only open the first shift. the belt grinder
is the Cats A$$ for this.
Roy if you can make knives and make both sides concentric ( which you do now)
you can sharpen drill bits :D know more then a little practice buddy.
 
Rene
I just cut the leading edges first
keeping the center concentric and all angles the same
on both sides.
then starting from the back stopping just before the edge
relieving the heal

the angle of your cutting edge will determine
how fast the bit is going to cut.
use on thin steel try not to make any angles toooo steep.
for less biting and grabbing.:(
I'm sure you know most this stuff anyway
I'm just adding it for those
who don't. hope it helps any and all.
I can make little round disks from brass
with a drill bit with the right angles.
that's cool to do :cool:
 
Yes, learn to sharpen HSS drills by hand. BUT, the Drill doctor has a diamond wheel, so it will sharpen carbide drills too-even the straight flute ones. You have to play with the setup a bit, but, I have sharpened enough dull/chipped carbide drills so that mine is more than paid for.
Go for it!
 
I've had a Drill Doctor for 2 years now, and it paid for itself the first day! I'm on my second diamond wheel, but otherwise it has been a breeze to use, and a dream to own.

I can sharpen bits by hand....but why?? I can spend a couple of hours sharpening a handful of bits on the grinder, or I can spend about 15 mins. doing the same number of bits on the Drill Doctor. I would estimate that this little machine saves me $400-$500 a year in saved time alone.

From my experience, I'd recommend it to any knifemaker who would rather be making knives than sharpening tools.
 
I've had real good results with the middle of the line model. It regrinds split points up to 1/2". I check the final grind closely because it can grind off center on occasion and this makes a difference when I doing an operation like counter sinking a screw head. You can't go wrong for the price.
 
only because you asked why ...Ed
personally I'd rather spend the money on other things
maybe more bits?
it only takes me about 15 sec's to sharpen a bit.
I'm into sharpening things anyway soooo...
and it's best for the new guy to know how to anyway, if only
that some time the drill machine does happen to brake down
well you know..
just my opinion :(
 
Thanks Ed and RJ, I have been thinking about one, and they have really come down in price,this is the the pro with everything. How can you go wrong for the price.http://www.drilldoctorstore.us/drildocddpro2.html
Originally posted by Ed Caffrey
I've had a Drill Doctor for 2 years now, and it paid for itself the first day! I'm on my second diamond wheel, but otherwise it has been a breeze to use, and a dream to own.
 
I've also been thinking about getting one.

What model offers a good balance of price and performance?

John
 
Guys;

Don't buy the Drill Doctor directly from Darex. Go look at Sears, and at The Home Depot. Either place is going to be much cheaper than direct, and for the same unit as pictured in the link. (Minus the case)

I bought My Dad one of those things for less than $80 at Sears (on sale, with Craftsman club discount), and I got both chucks for that price, too.

My Dad is an avid woodworker, and he had a bin full of dull drill bits (he estimated around 150), and he sharpened every single one of them back to factory specs in a couple hours. Well worth the money, IMHO.

I sharpen by hand myself, using a drill point gage to make sure I get the lips of the drill even, so it doesn't cut oversize.
 
I worked as a tool maker for years and had to learn to hand sharpen drills along the way. No matter how good you are, a machine ground drill is always better. I have used a Drill Doctor for some time now and am quite impressed with the job that it does. I do however use resharpened drills for noncritical holes. I buy new drills to use on things like folders and only use them after inspecting the cutting edges with a glass. Your time is too valuable to waste on learning how to properly hand sharpen drills when the machine can do it for you.
 
Originally posted by John Frankl
I've also been thinking about getting one.

What model offers a good balance of price and performance?

John
Enco has them as does Amazon. I got the 750 which came in a case with extras such as a left hand bit holder, and video on how to use it. The base model, I believe requires a drill for a power source, and the quality of the cutting wheel isn't as high as the rest of the models which have their own power source. After the initial step, I believe the primary choices involve the size of drills you can sharpen. 500 is up to 1/2 inch, 750 will do 3/4 inch.
 
I routinely drill steel of all kinds, aluminum, plastic, etc. My Drill Doctor has really paid off. It may not be the same for someone that doesn't drill enough to justify the DD's rather high price, but in my case it has saved me a bundle. I use Mac Tools TiN coated bits and the DD sharpens them back to a factory profile in mere seconds.

Its a good product.
 
Rene,

Your original link is gone. Could you email it to me at <seoulbjj@hotmail.com>? I want to get one of these.

John
 
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