Building a better mousetrap: Drill bit sharpening jig

different point angles, different twist rates of the drill, and what the drill is intended to be used for, all come into play and require changed settings for best results.
This is where all the knobs and axes and adjustments of the commercial sharpeners come into play. I don't want all of that confusion in my design. I can teach my guy to recognize standard jobber bits (95% of what's in my bum bit bucket) and "anything else." "Anything else," I can sharpen myself.
 
There are at least dozens, if not hundreds of differently designed drill jigs available on the new and used market, from under $5 to thousands of dollars. They all work if used properly, some better and more quickly and easier than others. Drills are used in many industries and in many home shops, so there is a huge market, but it is already pretty saturated with products that do the job if the operator does his job correctly. Drills can also be ground to a proper point without any jig at all, just eyes, brain, tool rest, and bench grinder. It is done all the time, some far better than others. I grind all my drills 3/4" and above by hands and eyes to a good result, checking them with a drill gauge. Drill bit grinding tooling has been studied, better mouse trapped and improved, and new products put on the market for well over a hundred years now. The market is mature, and may well be considered saturated. Please keep us informed with what you end up with. There is always room for a better product at the right price.
Perhaps I'm putting the cart before the horse. Perhaps my first step should have been to ask around on this forum about commercially available drill sharpening solutions that fit my requirements. If what I want is already for sale, I would be more than happy to pay for it. Here's what I need (in order of importance):
1. operable out of the box by someone who knows little to nothing about drill bit geometry and has no technical intuition (but can follow simple instructions).
2. Produces repeatable and accurate results
3. Fast one-step or no-step setup change, going from large bits to small bits and back again.
4. Extremely simple interface, very few adjustments. Even if only suitable for sharpening general purpose bits; that's fine.
5. Decent quality, American made preferably
 
Just buy the damn Drill Doctor already! I had one at my shop, and nearly anyone can learn to use one quickly and accurately they have very few adjustments necessary, mostly the one for spiral angle of the drill flutes; if you are using ordinary drills, likely no adjustment is necessary. I he one that I had also did split points, which makes drilling more accurate and faster with much less feed pressure being necessary.
 
Just buy the damn Drill Doctor already! I had one at my shop, and nearly anyone can learn to use one quickly and accurately they have very few adjustments necessary, mostly the one for spiral angle of the drill flutes; if you are using ordinary drills, likely no adjustment is necessary. I he one that I had also did split points, which makes drilling more accurate and faster with much less feed pressure being necessary.

The reviews I've read are very hit-or-miss. I don't if it's QC or model-dependent, or what. People either love them or hate them. I think it comes down to whether the Dr. "speaks" to you or not. Plenty of mechanically intuitive people can't make the contraption work. I've not tried it myself but maybe I will. It costs less than the week of minimum wage I'd have to pay for my own contraption to be built, so probably worth the experiment. What model do you recommend? Also, is there any way to dress the grinding wheel or does it have to be replaced? I'm talking about probably 50lbs of bits here, of all sizes.
 
I own a Drill Doctor. It works well for me and if I can use it then pretty much anyone can. The how-to is on video so I don't see how you're going to mess it up. It uses replaceable diamond wheels to sharpen the drill with so you will need to change it when it dulls. It tends to overheat the drill when it dulls so you'll know. I changed my wheel once after about 20 years of hobby shop use.

You put a lot of thought into your design but I would just buy a DD and move on to more important things.
 
I have heard people having good luck with their Drill Doc. Not me.
 
The only thing wrong with a DD is it's too light. If it was heavier it would make a good boat anchor...................Bob
 
Long ago, way back in olden days in a time before all these contraptions and doohickeys existed, machinists simply used a grinding
wheel to sharpen their drills and it wasn't a problem. Maybe try learning a new skill and try off hand sharpening. It's really not that
difficult to do. I use a disc sander for sharpening but a grinding wheel works too.
 
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