Drill Bit Sharpening Jig Plans

[Terrywerm]

If you are interested in building one from scratch, Harold Hall describes a sharpening setup in his book "Tool and Cutter Sharpening" which is part of the Workshop Practice Series. The book includes plans for the components and is available for about $20 online, maybe less if you search a little. I have not built or tried his setup, but I have looked at the book in some detail and it looks like a nice system, just about perfect for a hobby machinist such as ourselves.

 

[Bill Gruby]

There is one in this in, "Milling For Home Machinists' also by Harold Hall. I have an extra copy if you would like it Elmo?

"Billy G"

 

[Elmo]

Ye

There is one in this in, "Milling For Home Machinists' also by Harold Hall. I have an extra copy if you would like it Elmo?

"Billy G"

Yes I would like to have it. Let me know.
Elmo

 

[joshua43214]

I just spent a half an hour looking for an article I had read recently about drill bit sharpening. I did not find it!

Anyway, from my (known faulty) memory, they compared a Drill Doctor against the older "side of the grinding wheel" type like this:
http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=32965&cat=1,43072,43086

The reviewer started out believing the Drill Doctor would do a better job, but then by the end of the review was leaning toward the grinding guide.

I have never used either one of those so cannot add my voice.

I too would be interested in seeing plans.......but there is no way I could make one for less than the link above......and I am sure they could be had cheaper...that was just a vendor that I knew carried it.

-brino

You could not find it because it is a video, unless he has a blog page as well.

Worth the time to watch, he gives it a fair shake and gets an unexpected result.

In short, the Drill Doctor is not especially good. I know I can free hand grind drills much better than a Drill Doctor and I suck and grinding drills.
My only issue with grinding jigs is they use the side of the wheel. I would invest in one of those mini bench grinders with a cup wheel from Horror Fright to go with it. Just attach it all to a board and stow it under the bench when not in use. You might have to get new wheels, but the Chinese diamond wheels are surprisingly good and cost almost nothing - I would go that route for cheap wheels rather than Chinese silicon carbide. A Norton wheel will prolly cost as much as the grinder...

Best thing is really to just learn to freehand it. I can get mine razor sharp and all, they just do not make a perfectly even chip on both flutes.
Search for That lazy Machinist on YouTube, he does a an excellent tutorial on drill grinding.

-Josh

 

[brino]

You could not find it because it is a video, unless he has a blog page as well.

Thanks Josh!
That was indeed what I remember. I go thru so many magazines and websites on all this fun stuff I guess it starts to get confused.....but jeez I thought it was in print......I'm must be losing it......

My small bench grinder is used exclusively for drill bit sharpening. It has a simple v-groove in the rest to help maintain the proper point angle and works for a good range of drill-bit sizes. I typically use the outer circumference of the wheel for the cutting lip, but add the secondary facets on the side of the wheel.

One question, why don't you like using the side of the wheel? Is it because you cannot really dress it flat then use it without eventually wearing the wheel into a funny shape?

Thanks!
-brino

EDIT: forgot one thing...to get the two lips the same length I use my calipers (grind, check, grind, check). I don't care about the actual lengths, just that they are equal. Then when doing the secondary facets, again get them equal.

 

[Doubleeboy]

The video maker seemed to be a newbie at using a Drill Doctor. After using one for years, I find its strength is the little bits like 5/32" to 5/16". Anything larger than 5/16" is pretty easy to free hand with grinder with a bit of practice. The Drill Doctor excels at the smaller bits in my opinion.

cheers
michael

 

[Bill C.]

You could not find it because it is a video, unless he has a blog page as well.

Worth the time to watch, he gives it a fair shake and gets an unexpected result.

In short, the Drill Doctor is not especially good. I know I can free hand grind drills much better than a Drill Doctor and I suck and grinding drills.
My only issue with grinding jigs is they use the side of the wheel. I would invest in one of those mini bench grinders with a cup wheel from Horror Fright to go with it. Just attach it all to a board and stow it under the bench when not in use. You might have to get new wheels, but the Chinese diamond wheels are surprisingly good and cost almost nothing - I would go that route for cheap wheels rather than Chinese silicon carbide. A Norton wheel will prolly cost as much as the grinder...

Best thing is really to just learn to freehand it. I can get mine razor sharp and all, they just do not make a perfectly even chip on both flutes.
Search for That lazy Machinist on YouTube, he does a an excellent tutorial on drill grinding.

-Josh

I agree with you about the wheel. That is the wrong type of wheel. Need a thick cup or face wheel. Those wheels are designed for that type of grinding.

 

[joshua43214]

One question, why don't you like using the side of the wheel? Is it because you cannot really dress it flat then use it without eventually wearing the wheel into a funny shape?

Regular wheels are not intended to be used on the side. They have a bad habit of exploding when this is done. Trust me, an exploding grinding wheel has a really big pucker factor. You kind of stand there for a moment waiting, hoping you are not in shock and there is no pain. Then you have to go sit for a while, and reconsider your life choices.

Like most folks, I grind on the side of the wheel on occasion, but if I was going to set up a jig for it, I would use a cup wheel instead. Either way, I use an 8" grinder, and I rarely find the concave cut to be a problem with tool grinding. Drills are one of the cutters that will have the most problems with a hollow grind though, it will cause the drill to grab the work and pull it up the drill when you exit the cut, or pull the backlash out of the quill when starting the cut - this will be especially bad on soft material. Reducing the lead angle a bit will cause the tip to rub a bit behind the cutting edge and help reduce the tendency of the drill from wanting to screw itself into the material. You might try this if you experience grabbing on exit, or a small chatter when pecking - the chatter can be really bad because it contributes a great deal to the bit wandering.

Like I said, I kinda suck at grinding drills. They are always nice and sharp and look really good, but they rarely make a chips of even size from each cutting face. A well ground drill will make chips of even width and thickness.

-Josh

 

[royesses]

The video maker seemed to be a newbie at using a Drill Doctor. After using one for years, I find its strength is the little bits like 5/32" to 5/16". Anything larger than 5/16" is pretty easy to free hand with grinder with a bit of practice. The Drill Doctor excels at the smaller bits in my opinion.

cheers
michael

I agree. The drill doctor like any consumer grade tool requires some learning to get the most out of. Setting the bit in the chuck is very critical and also how you turn the chuck requires a sort of rhythm. I've had the DD500SP tradesman(the tall green one) since 2003 and find it does an excellent job. If I don't get two equal swarfs it means I screwed up. I have used it to sharpen drill bits from 5/64" to 1/2'. Practice is the key. Before I used to hand grind all my bits, but as I got older my eyes and hand coordination became less acute. The DD fixes my oldtimers disease. I still hand grind the larger drill bits, but I may pick up another general tools grinding jig and try it out again. Just my opinion.
Roy

 

[Smithdoor]

I just use a 6" grinder and hand grind all my drill bits
I do have a new drill doctor still in the box with the VCR tape. My father In law gave to me.
I have found some shops will not hire any that can not hand sharpen drill bits.
It is not hard to teach any to hand sharpen drill bits take about 10 min

Dave