Drill Bit Sharpening Jig Plans

[Elmo]

Does anyone know where I can find plans or a book for building a drill sharpening jig? I did some searching on this site but didn't find anything. I must not be using the right terms.
Elmo

 

[Dan_S]

Are you talking about for use with a bench grinder?

 

[Elmo]

Yes that is what I am looking for. Btw I was stationed ar Chanute AFB in 1969 for tech school. Electronic tech for Hound Dog missles.
Elmo

 

[Dan_S]

Check out John's page, he has a lot of info on the subject.
http://www.gadgetbuilder.com/DrillSharp.html

 

[middle.road]

Check out John's page, he has a lot of info on the subject.
http://www.gadgetbuilder.com/DrillSharp.html

Wow, that is one serious write-up about drill sharpening.
Thanks for sharing it.

 

[Andre]

Although it's not homemade, those cheap pot metal jigs work pretty well with a little bit of practice.

 

[kd4gij]

I like my drill doctor. It works pretty good and isn't to pricy.

 

[brino]

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

 

[Dan_S]

Hemingway has a kit available.
http://www.hemingwaykits.com/acatalog/The_Potts_Drill_Grinding_Jig.html

 

[Elmo]

Thanks for the link, that jig looks interesting. I probably will get one to try.
Grizzely sells one that looks to be the same.
Elmo

 

[Deleted member 20190]

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.

 

[Deleted member 17524]

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

 

[samthedog]

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 have had no luck with the Drill Doctor at all. I bought the 750x and have carefully followed the instructions with little success. The tolerances between the chuck and the body are too lose. Even with very careful use the results were hit and miss.

A useful looking grinder is the SRD type:
http://m.ebay.com/itm/SRD-TDR-DRILL-GRINDER-SHARPENER-DG-80M-/201453614895?nav=SEARCH

I can't see that the chuck would be hard to make and the cup wheels are readily available in CBN so they will have a decent service life. People who use these seem to be very happy with their performance, especially for smaller bits which other sharpening systems struggle with.

Paul.

 

[planeflyer21]

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

I would agree with that. Took our instructor at the college about 20 minutes to teach 11 of us out of a dozen students. We were given 1/2"x4"long bits and told "Watch, just like this."

The one exception got his sharp but the bit was about 2 1/2" long afterwards.

 

[kwoodhands]

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

I started with the side grind type ,poor results.Not blaming the tool,maybe it was me. I then bought the 350 Drill Doctor which is the least expensive one.Been using it about 8 years,replaced the stone once.I screwed up a couple of drills while getting the hang of it when I first bought it.Sometimes I have to hand grind a bit more relief after initial grinding with the Drill Doctor.There is another type of jig that uses the front of the wheel,haven't used it but a friend has and switched to the Drill Doctor after trying mine.

mike

 

[Hidyn]

Check out John's page, he has a lot of info on the subject.
http://www.gadgetbuilder.com/DrillSharp.html

Thank you very much for posting this, this will keep me busy for a while!

 

[P T Schram]

I foolishly walked into my second or third semester Machine Tool Technology class in 1990 or 1991 and told the instructor that my main reason for attending that semester was to learn to grind drill bits and lathe bits.

Wrong thing to say. I spent the rest of the semester sharpening everyone's drill and lathe bits. I learned how to do it!

Now that said, if I'm "on", I'm "ON". If not, I end up with a lot of screw-machine length bits. I have one of the side-of-the-wheel jigs, a Drill Doctor (of which I sell many from the tool truck as I know how to sharpen drill bita. I tuck a Drill Doctor under my arm and a pocketful of dull drill bits and teach guys to sharpen bits), and recently scored a Darex industrial production drill bit sharpener (when I met the fourth generation CEO of Darex and told him I had one, he was astounded that any individual would have one in their home shop).

My go-to sharpener is the side-of-the-wheel jig, then the big time Darex. The Drill Doctor is a good tool but I've moved beyond it now.

 

[Billh50]

I know the older Drill Doctor did not work well for me. But then it could have been me also. A friend did give me a newer model that I haven't tried yet. The older model seemed to have a very flimsy chuck to hold the drill. The fingers in the check seemed to go sideways if you tightened the chuck enough so the drill wiuld not slip back.

 

[Deleted member 31249]

I have read many opinions on drill sharpening. The most and best info I ever read was from John at gadget builder.com. That being said and this is MY OPINION, after forty years of machining I find it is impossible to hand grind a drill and get it right. Many can do it and come close, but you can never hold the two sides exactly the same. I have used many drill grinders over the years. I throw the cheap cast one that uses the side of the wheel away. It will work but is total hit and miss. I have a really nice big commercial drill grinder but it takes an hour to set up and then you have to change settings for every size. A great machine but intended for grinding batches of drills the same size. I never do that so it just sits. Last year I built the grinder on gadgetbuilder.com and love it. It is easy to setup and use and works great. It makes as close to a perfect drill bit as I have seen yet. I grind all new drill bits I get on it before I use them. I also feel four facet ground bits work a whole lot better than the conical grind.
THIS IS MY OPINION on drill grinding.

 

[Billh50]

I have the plans for that one. Just don't have the proper machines to make the thing. With my drill press miller it would take me too long a time to make. From all that I have read about that sharpener it does a perfect job every time.

 

[Dan_S]

I grind all new drill bits I get on it before I use them. I also feel four facet ground bits work a whole lot better than the conical grind.
THIS IS MY OPINION on drill grinding.

Mark,

If you get the chance try out these bits, they are 135 degree 4 facet split point bits, you can get them from enco individually. They cut through everything like a hot knife through butter.
http://shop.triumphtwistdrill.com/Product/viewitem/?Style=T1HD

 

[Deleted member 31249]

Mark,

If you get the chance try out these bits, they are 135 degree 4 facet split point bits, you can get them from enco individually. They cut through everything like a hot knife through butter.
http://shop.triumphtwistdrill.com/Product/viewitem/?Style=T1HD
View attachment 114679

Those look great. This is how grind my bits. Even new ones I find are off as much as .005" off center. I regrind them to 4 facets, right on center and they drill with a lot less effort, really close to on size and no walking.
Even inexpensive bits work good when properly ground.

I will order these when I get replacements.