Drill bit sharpener

[Batmanacw]

A little cheaper here...

VEVOR Drill Bits Sharpener MR-13B Φ3-Φ13(Φ15) Drill Bits Sharpener and Grinder 6 Collects Drill Grinding Machine Portable Grinding Sharpening Machine CNC Router Bit Sharpener | VEVOR US

VEVOR Drill Bits Sharpener MR-13B offers durable construction, high accuracy, and portable design, perfect for re-sharpening drill bits from 3mm to 15mm.

www.vevor.com

Only difference is mine goes up to 20mm drills.

 

[great white]

Drill doctor works for me on small bits. Big bits (ie: 1/2+) I sharpen by hand.

Dr does a decent enough job on the small bits and it's fast, does the work that my eyes can't any more. Anything bigger than a 1/2" is easy to see and easier yet with the help of a sharpie.

The Vevor looks like a decent unit though. I might have given it a try had I found out about it long enough ago....

 

[Provincial]

Even the older, cheaper Drill Doctors do decent work when you get used to how to operate them. They are intended for "touch-up" or minor resharpening. If you have a chipped or burned bit, remove the damaged area by hand grinding. Use a drill gauge to get the flutes even and shaped closely to the desired dimensions. Then use the Drill Doctor to do the final finish.

One reason Drill Doctors get bad reviews is because people try to take off too much material in one setting. Because of the design, the cutting edge shape changes as you take off more material. Take the time to reset the bit in the holder often. That solves most of the problems reported by users.

The Drill Doctor uses a fine diamond wheel powered by a small electric motor. Don't expect it to remove much material.

 

[Batmanacw]

Even the older, cheaper Drill Doctors do decent work when you get used to how to operate them. They are intended for "touch-up" or minor resharpening. If you have a chipped or burned bit, remove the damaged area by hand grinding. Use a drill gauge to get the flutes even and shaped closely to the desired dimensions. Then use the Drill Doctor to do the final finish.

One reason Drill Doctors get bad reviews is because people try to take off too much material in one setting. Because of the design, the cutting edge shape changes as you take off more material. Take the time to reset the bit in the holder often. That solves most of the problems reported by users.

The Drill Doctor uses a fine diamond wheel powered by a small electric motor. Don't expect it to remove much material.

Mine could not deal with different helix bits. They don't align on the lip, but trapped between the spring steel jaws. It could only do a decent job on certain drill bits. I gave it to my buddy after trying for years to get a decent result reliably.

Garbage.

 

[GeneT45]

$700 will buy a lot of drills.

I hand sharpened drills for many years before I bought a Drill Doctor. It took a little practice to get a proper grind but it now does a good grind. I don't bother with the split point and just grind a 118º point.

I watched both Winky videos and looked at the Vevor web site. The machine is several steps up from the Drill Doctor in design, quality, and construction IMO. At less than $300, it isn't that big a step up from the Drill Doctor 750X. Were I doing it again knowing what I know now, I would go with the Vevor.

The price of any drill sharpener will buy a lot of drill (bits) - BUT, that will be of little consolation when you're in the middle of a project and need an xxx drill... That, at least in my opinion, is why you have a drill sharpener.

I sharpen large drills (> 1/2") by hand, and can either make a 4-facet grind on my single-lip cutter grinder, or do a conventional sharpening on my Darex. I regret neither purchase...

GsT

 

[Provincial]

Mine could not deal with different helix bits. They don't align on the lip, but trapped between the spring steel jaws. It could only do a decent job on certain drill bits. I gave it to my buddy after trying for years to get a decent result reliably.

Garbage.

Drill Doctor is a low-cost sharpener. As such it doesn't have an adjustment for high- or low-helix drill bits. This is because most bits have standard helix, and it didn't make sense to add an expensive feature that would require the user to learn to incorporate another adjustment.

Saying Drill Doctors are garbage is like saying that a sets of fractional inch taps are garbage because they don't tap metric threads. Or that a spin indexer is garbage because you can't use it to cut 13-tooth gear.

If you are using drills in materials that require non-standard helix, you should know better than to expect a low-end sharpener to work well on your bits.

 

[Batmanacw]

Drill Doctor is a low-cost sharpener. As such it doesn't have an adjustment for high- or low-helix drill bits. This is because most bits have standard helix, and it didn't make sense to add an expensive feature that would require the user to learn to incorporate another adjustment.

Saying Drill Doctors are garbage is like saying that a sets of fractional inch taps are garbage because they don't tap metric threads. Or that a spin indexer is garbage because you can't use it to cut 13-tooth gear.

If you are using drills in materials that require non-standard helix, you should know better than to expect a low-end sharpener to work well on your bits.

All of these chinese sharpeners index off the lip instead of back from the edge 1/8 to 1/4. It would have been easier to do it that way.

 

[brino]

Not even close. I gave my drill doctor away. It was useless. This holds straighter, aligns more positively, and works way better.

I thought I was the only one here that doesn't like the Drill Doctor.
I got a very lightly used 750X for about half of retail, and still feel it was way overpriced.
The collet/holder uses way too much plastic; it cannot hold a bit securely.
The base has that chincy little window for drill bit rotational alignment in the collet, but there is simply too much "wiggle room".

Saying Drill Doctors are garbage is like saying that a sets of fractional inch taps are garbage because they don't tap metric threads. Or that a spin indexer is garbage because you can't use it to cut 13-tooth gear.

I disagree.
In your example the taps and spindexer can still work as advertised.
All I (and I believe the OP) want is for the Drill Dr. unit to work as advertised.
It promises quick and accurate results, but it does NOT deliver.

My experience with the Drill Doctor is that it is just way too fiddly.
I had okay results with it once, but only after I spent way too long trying to get the bit set into the holder properly.
I only use it a couple times a year, and by the time I figure out how to use it again I have wasted half a day and some percentage of a drill bit.

Perhaps if the instructions were better so that I could quickly use it when I need it AND it was better designed to more positively align the bit I would find it more it useful.

Brian

 

[great white]

I disagree.
In your example the taps and spindexer can still work as advertised.
All I (and I believe the OP) want is for the Drill Dr. unit to work as advertised.
It promises quick and accurate results, but it does NOT deliver.

My experience with the Drill Doctor is that it is just way too fiddly.
I had okay results with it once, but only after I spent way too long trying to get the bit set into the holder properly.
I only use it a couple times a year, and by the time I figure out how to use it again I have wasted half a day and some percentage of a drill bit.

Perhaps if the instructions were better so that I could quickly use it when I need it AND it was better designed to more positively align the bit I would find it more it useful.

Brian

I see your disagree and raise you a "however"....

My Drill doctor works fine and i don't find it "fiddly" at all. Yes, it's a lot of plastic, what isn't these days?

Pop the drill in the holder, line up the flutes, set the depth, tighten and then it's just spin the bit until you don't hear the diamond wheel shaving off material any longer.

Drill comes right out of the sharpener and into the drill press and always cuts nicely. Long, clean curls.

I don't doubt others don't have the same experience, but for me it works fine with minimal fuss. Far easier than sharpening by hand and the angle always comes out the same.

Now, if you want to grind a different angle, the drill dr isn't for you....I also haven't bothered to find out if it cuts any other angles though. I'd guess not seeing what a simple little device it is.

That you 'only use it a couple times a year" and "by the time I figure it out" isn't a knock on the drill dr, it's lack of experience with it. Similar to saying x lathe or x mill is crap because i only use it infrequently and takes time to figure it out isn't an equipment problem, its' an operator problem...

 

[Batmanacw]

I've played with the new drill sharpener quite a bit now. I'm still learning.

This machine works fine no matter what helix. It aligns on the lip.

It does 118⁰ bits beautifully.

It does 135⁰ easily and splits the points nicely. It does not copy the relief of a factory ground split point. They drill very well with perfect curls on both sides.

My biggest disappointment is that it doesn't make picture perfect split point reliefs. I considered sharpening drill bits for local Amish and farms. The drill bits work great but they aren't perfect.

I may well figure it out but right now it makes drill bits that cut beautifully and to very close to size.