Ive heard a lot about the Drill Doctor what models do you have? What is the difference between the 500x and the 750x?? Any comments? good or bad?
if you have a bench grinder..... find the flatist spot on you're wheel. hold the cutting edge of the bit so it is parallel to the wheel and try to (gently and with even light pressure) move the bit following the curve of the bit. do one side at a time and dip in water between grinds. It takes some practice. dont roll the bit. its all in the wrists. This works 10x better then the drill dr or any of that hokey crap
If you know how to sharpen a drill bit with your grinder, and your vision is good, you really do not need it. It might be beneficial for very small bits. I have one but seldom use it and find that it is not that accurate on the chisel point angle. I know they make a pro model, maybe it is better but expensive.
wow this is great information. Im glad I didnt purchase one! I can sharpen them the old fashioned way but I thought this would be quite a time saver!
I have the 500 and I love it. Mine works fantastically. It doesn't do tiny bits, less than 1/4" real well. I don't know what I'm doing right, but mine works great.
Everyone should know how to sharpen drills with a bench grinder.With practice you can sharpin a drill like no machine could ever do.Machine shops have been doin it for years its the only way to go.Just mess with the angle get the proper relief equal on both sides and dont get it to hot.
I've sharpened bit's for 44 years with a bench grinder (learned in a metal shop) & bought a Drill doctor thinking it would be fast & basically a no brainer. Looked at the instruction video twice. Then went thru a few bits Most bit's I did with the top end model (7 years ago) wouldn't cut a full spiral. Touched them up on a fine bench grinder then they were great. From what I do now: break a bit 1st Drill Doctor to get it close then fine tune. If I buy a bunch of bits at a swap meet-pawn shop-garage sale. Run 20-30 thru then fine tune. I'm 62 and the eyes need help so bit's smaller than 1/8 I try Drill doctor first then if not good just buy new. All in all I'm ok with it since it does fit a niche in my needs & speeds things up. Movin/on
i'm a tool&die maker by trade, i use a bench grinder to sharpen most my drills at home... at work i use a small benchtop toolpost grinder to sharpen up to 3/8, and on the bigger drills i either use inserted drills, or i will use a sterling drill grinder.. if you ever get a chance to get one of the sterling drill grinders at an auction, get one.. i've seen them go dirt cheap at auctions, which i should have got one myself but i didnt... i think alot of people have forgot about them or simply dont know how good these machines are... heres a shot of the sterling grill grinder
I bought it for my father-in-law and it worked great for him. He doesn't have access to a grinder so whatever bit he sharpened was 1000 times better than the bits he started with... Probably not for a pro but for a retired hobbyist (70+ yrs old) it worked great.
If your bits don't come out sharp with a Drill Doctor, you are doing it wrong! I use mine all the time. It works for all bit types, sizes and materials. I broke a 1/2" bit a few weeks ago. I ground the nub flat and then put it in the DD, then I proceeded to drill through a 3/8" frame 6 times and it is still sharp. Split points, all that. I love it. But you can do it wrong and it will never work.
this is exactly my experience as well! I am formally educated in machine tool, so I know how to sharpen a drill bit just fine, but the Dr does a better job than I've ever seen anybody do on a regular snag grinder. The only times I've ever heard complaints is when people *think* they know how to use it. The split point feature is awesome as well. It eliminates drill wander when starting a hole.
They work great unless someone already tried to stall out a bench grinder with the drill bit your trying to sharpen. Its not completely automatic though, alot of it is in the person using it, if your impatient youll end up with a dull bit, take your time and it will end up sharp.
If only they made something like this that fits under the workbench...... That is a nice looking device, but it sure looks like it would take up a lot of space. If you were working with large bits, this would be nice.
I have the 500 and didn't think it worked very well until I read over the book a few times, on the setup, and now I'm real happy with the results .
My buddy mike sharpened drills at continental machine for eight years in the tool room before he went through the apprenticeship. Id put him up against any machine. He is a little off in the head though.
I've got a model 750 Drill Dr., and I'm happy with it, although I'm plenty able to sharpen bits on a bench grinder, too. The Drill Dr. does a more consistent job than I can by eye. I find when I sharpen a bit by eye, I exaggerate the angle behind the cutting edge. It makes for a fast-cutting fool, but the edge is fragile and doesn't last as long as it should before resharpening is necessary. I think a 750 will handle bits up to 3/4" in size while a model 500 will take bits up to 1/2".
I have one of the first "base" models and I think it works really well. There have been quite a few times where I have had a bit stop cutting while drilling in steel and after I put it through the Drill Doctor it works like new.
I have a cheapy model as well and I'm pretty happy with it on bits >3/16". Bits smaller than that I buy in quantity and throw the dull ones in a box to sharpen on a rainy day...Maybe one in three success rate on the small guys
My wife bought me one when they first came out. I tried it and had so-so sucess. I'm thinking I should take it out again and go over the instructions to see what I might have missed. Seems there are those who like it just fine. Frank
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