Drill Dr. Does it work???

[john davey]

I inherited a few tool boxes from my grandfather and they have been sitting for years. Almost 40 years to be exact. He was a machinist and I went through them the other day and there were a large amount of drill bits in there. Mostly twist bits for metal. I know he had a rather impressive set of bits s I am assuming these are spares or what not that were lying around his shop the day he retired and just go thrown in the box. So do these drill dr things work? IF so are 50 plus year old bits worth sharpening? I assume like other stuff they are better made but is the metal better or worse than new metals? I know nothing about metal so I dunno there. Also it seems there are several models. Is there a reason for this other than types of bits and sizes? Meaning do they all work the same and just do more bits or is the cheapest model also a dog? Thanks, John

[John Coloccia]

I have one, and it works, but unless you're doing a lot of metal work and constantly dulling/breaking bits, it's a pretty big waste of time. Even when I was doing a lot of metal work, it was often not worth using. A regular twist drill is about $2.00, and that's for a GOOD one, not borg junk.

Where it really comes in handy is when you're drilling a lot of holes and the bit keeps dulling or breaking. It keeps you from having to stop, place an order and wait.

The different models have different features....sharpening angle, split points, etc. I have a 750X and it's the model I would buy again if I had to.

[Cary Falk]

I have the cheapest model. It basically does twist bits up to 1/2". It works as advertised. I used to just throw bits out when they got dull. It's a pain to be working on something and the bit gets dull. You then have to stop everything and go to the store. I mainly use twist bits on around the house stuff and a little bit of metal work. If I need a bit for a woodworking project it is usually a brad point or a forstner. I sharpened all of a friends 29 piece set from dull to super sharp in less than an hour. His dad used to sharpen bits by hand when he was youngerand even he was impressed. I don't use it often but when I do it is well worth the $50 I paid for it.

[Mike Cutler]

I had one and it did work, but it left kind of a rough cutting edge. I actually sent it to a 'Creeker a few years back for postage.
If you don't currently own one, I wouldn't buy one. A bench grinder works much better. Use a soft rest and you can control the bit angle much easier, which is basically what the Drill Doctor is doing for you.

[John McClanahan]

I too have the cheap model. It works rather well and I'm glad I have it. One night I was following links and ended up at a metalworking forum where Drill Doctor discussions were prohibited. I guess it is like Saw Stop is here.

John

[glenn bradley]

Picked one up on sale at Lowe's and have used it on a at least a couple dozen drills over the years. I mostly use brad-point bits so there is no help there. For the rare time I drill metals with my 'less than industrial grade' standard bits, the Drill Doctor puts them right back in shape. You would have to buy a lot of drills to pay for one (sort of like buying a new car to save gas money) so, if you dull or break your bits frequently, it'll pay for itself quick

[Ed Labadie]

I've had one for a while, it was the top of the line one when purchased. I've never had a problem sharpening drill bits on the grinder, until the 'ol eyeballs started to fade away.....smaller bits became impossible for me.

It does a good job, IMO, on dull or slightly chipped bits. Its NOT the tool for sharpening broken bits, you will be there forever trying to do that. Setting up the drill in the holder only allows a slight ammount of metal to be ground off, on a broken bit one has to setup, grind, reset, grind, reset, grind....you get the idea.

Ed

[Tom Ewell]

Bought one several years ago, went through my collection on long bits for deck bolts, once processed the bits ate through material like crazy.
Worth it to me 'cause almost nothing is worse than standing on a ladder trying to force a dull 1/2 x 12" bit through 8" worth of lumber.

[Larry Moore]

I keep my Drill Doctor near the drill press and use it regularly. I have known a couple of people who could do a better job of sharpening bits on a grinder than I can on the DD but I am not one of them so I benefit from having it around. I have found it to be useful for saving broken bits under 5/16" but never tried it for that purpose on anything larger, though I have saved couple of badly chipped bits in half inch range.

Some of the older bits that I have are considerably better quality than anything I can buy locally since moving here after retirement. Luckily for the many years that I just replaced broken or dull bits I did not throw away the old ones. A couple of evenings in the garage with a Drill Doctor and a Cadweld box full of old drill bits the DD more than paid its keep.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

I have one someplace in the woodshop...., never use it. The guys in the metal shop have one, they do occasionally, but it is way more convenient to send the bits out, and the drill doc won't do very big, so kind of useless for the bigger more expensive bits that actually make sense to sharpen.

[Kelby Van Patten]

I'm very happy with mine. I bought a cheapo Harbor Freight drill index many years ago, and the bits dull fairly quickly when drilling hard woods. The Drill Doctor keeps them nice and sharp.

[Bruce Page]

Yes, they work – if you’re not in a hurry. I received one as a gift and tested it out on several different bit sizes. I learned how to sharpen by hand when I was a machinist apprentice and can sharpen 15 - 20 bits in the time it takes to pull the DD out and set it up. If you don’t know how to sharpen by hand and have a need, it is a worthwhile investment.

[john davey]

Ok, thanks for all of the replies. So it seems the thing works but in reality is it worth it for me to sharpen up my grandfathers old bits which I honestly would use but not that much. I have a set of brad points and forstner bits for my woodworking tasks. On sharpening by hand I think I would like to try this but do not have anyone in the area to show me. Is there a web page showing how it is done. I turn as well and have a nice grinder setup to sharpen that stuff so I guess I could do this. the smaller sizes may be a problem though???

[Chris Tsutsui]

I have the 750X and it makes the bits much sharper. It's quick and easy once you get the hang of it.

I have both the high grit and the low grit grinding wheel. The low grit is for large drill bits.

My work drills a lot of holes in stainless steel, copper, and phenolic for cathodic protection junction boxes.

Right now there's a large pile of dull drill bits that I have my warehouse guy keep because one day he's going to spend like a half hour sharpening all of them. Drill bits last much longer with the right RPM and feed rate.

[Steve Q Brown]

Ok, thanks for all of the replies. So it seems the thing works but in reality is it worth it for me to sharpen up my grandfathers old bits which I honestly would use but not that much. I have a set of brad points and forstner bits for my woodworking tasks. On sharpening by hand I think I would like to try this but do not have anyone in the area to show me. Is there a web page showing how it is done. I turn as well and have a nice grinder setup to sharpen that stuff so I guess I could do this. the smaller sizes may be a problem though???

If you have a decent grinder setup already, it would be beneficial to learn to sharpen by hand. Most of the salient points have been addressed by others, but I'll add my 2 cents for a method: look at a the profile of a new bit and attempt to match it- it's pretty simple really, though difficult to explain.. one rotates the drill bit about an axis tangential to the centerline of the bit, the 'ideal' angle being specific to the size drill bit and the material being drilled. Just go slow and keep from overheating the bit, you can always take off more material, but its difficult to add material back.
I have a Drill doctor and use it for metal cutting bits in the 1/4"-1/2" range... smaller bits are cheap enough to buy new (and have a better edge) and larger bits don't fit (and are easy enough to sharpen by hand on the grinder). I bought it for basically the same reason you're looking at, I got a bunch of old bits from my neighbor in 'aged' condition. To my benefit, the local home center had a 20% off sale the same weekend, and I had some $$ to burn. I'm typically not a tool junkie and if I didn't have it, I wouldn't miss it.... But, when I need to drill a hole I know I've got bits at the ready.