Drill Doctor shop model - $50 (Sacramento, CA)

Consensus is they do, within their range like any other tool. They have stones inside that can wear out.

I don't have one but researched the question a while back, maybe someone who has one will chime in. Or, just go with a dull bit....

John
 
It takes practice and patience and trying again. But yes, the do work.
 
I think I can grind bits by hand relatively ok, not perfect. So for users of Drill Doctor, how’s the resulting shape? Proper angles, web looks ok, etc? Do I need one? Want one?
 
Proper angles, some models have three different angles you can use. Also some will (very nicely) split the point.

They are sensitive and I find they must be sued very gently, otherwise ithings go bad.
 
Personally I would stay away from this one. They are ok when new, but do have a tendency to wear over time. I have the Drill Doctor 750. Now referred to as the "750 Classic". It did a half way decent job for about 10 years and about 1,000 drills. Then the plastic started to wear and deform just enough that it wouldn't put the proper profile on the drill.

I tried buying a few replacement parts like collets and grinding wheels, but I believe the wear was where the cams on the collets interact with the body of the machine. It now sits on the shelf with the only useful function being the point splitter. I do use it for that function since my Black Diamond drill grinder doesn't have that function. Also keep in mind these models are no longer supported by the manufacturer. About the only pieces still available are grinding wheels, and a few collets. The prices for the grinding wheels aren't that bad, but a new collet will cost nearly as much as they're asking for the machine.

I would suggest looking for something a bit newer, and a bit more sturdy. I happened on a Black Diamond drill grinder from a local shop a few years ago. It's like new and didn't cost much more than a new Drill Doctor. I've already used the "new" machine to sharpen nearly as many drill as the old one. I'm sure the new one will sharpen thousands if not tens of thousands more before it needs any new parts. The nice thing is that parts are available 46 years after the machine was built


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I bought the D250 model 20 years ago. I have probably sharpened 500 HSS and cobalt bits on it so far. It is limited to sharpening standard point 118 deg bits up to 1/2" - and does a great job. I still use it today.

I hand grind bits 1/2" and above. Compared to the Drill Doctor, my hand grinds are no where near as good.

If my D250 dies or if the wheel goes bad, I wouldn't hesitate to replace it with their current model (D350X for $50). But I might also consider looking into their upscale models that will grind varying angles and split, as well as standard points.

HTH, Bill
 
I had an older model and used it quite often. Worked well enough to upgrade a few years later to a newer version vs simply replacing the wheel. I suppose I could suffice grinding by hand, but these seem to get the angles right and can do split point bits. I'm pleased with mine and since I have tons of bits it make sense for me to sharpen vs replacing. I'm impatient and rather than dealing with a dull drill in the middle of a project I occasionaly just go through them and sharpen a bunch at once so they are ready when needed.
 
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