Drill Doctor

[retrieverman]

I’ve got a bunch of old drill bits that need resharpening, and I’m wondering if Drill Doctors really work or are a gimmick.

 

[dlbleak]

We played around with one at work. I think it’s all in the setup cause I think we made most of them worse! That being said, I like the concept. Good bits are expensive.

 

[swampratt]

I had one and it took a long time to get the bits sharp compared to using a bench grinder.
But the bench grinder as with anything you need the angle that works best .

I was drilling some holes last week and the bit I was using was rolled over and dull.
I had my angle grinder right there with a diamond cutting wheel in it.

I sharpened that bit super quick and perfect angle with it.
That was the fastest I ever sharpened a bit.

 

[tynyphil]

I have one and am pretty pleased with it. I have found It will put a sharp edge on for the project at hand. Bits don't seem to keep the sharp edge as when new but what the heck.....at least I get a little more life out of a bit. It only takes a couple of minutes to sharpen.

 

[Aku]

Got one I use a lot. Works just fine.

 

[BillM]

I’ve got a bunch of old drill bits that need resharpening, and I’m wondering if Drill Doctors really work or are a gimmick.

I bought one, tried it, packed it back up, and returned it, close to a decade ago. Later, took a manual machining course at Franciss Tuttle, and got instruction and practice in hand-grinding drill bits. Works well for larger bits. If you're careful! Kind of hard to do on tiny bits, though. Look for a "four facet sharpening jig." That should fix you up.

 

[turkeyrun]

IF the angle of DDr and bit are the same.

Same as sharpening anything else.

Mostly a gimmick, because angle is crucial.

 

[BillM]

IF the angle of DDr and bit are the same.

Same as sharpening anything else.

Mostly a gimmick, because angle is crucial.

You can supposedly set the angle on the higher end Drill Doctor. Most common angle is 118°, IIRC, some (usually more expensive bits) at 135°. In all the drill bits I've bought or scavenged over the years, I don't believe I've ever gotten one of the 135° bits. OTH, if you work with a lot of different metals, you may well want to grind to different angles. Working in brass, or sheetmetals other angles can save time and effort on finish work.

I'm not a model maker, but they have a lot of tips and tricks for that sort of work. Hope to get there myself, one day.

 

[Camo]

Once you figure out how to use them properly they work great. I ruined several bits figuring it out.

 

[Beau]

I watched this a month or so ago. Good info in the video and shows a much better alternative to drilldr.