I'm learning to hand-sharpen Drill bits

MikeWi

MikeWi

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I have my HF 8" grinder working acceptably now, and Have the first white stone I've ever used mounted on it. What a difference it makes! Sharpening/shaping lathe bits is a pleasure now. I decided to try out sharpening a cheesy hardware store 7/8 drill bit. I decided to try using a 140 degree included angle instead of the typical 118 according to an article I found. I only used a protractor for the 70 degree sides, and eyeballed the rest.

I have some gummy hardware store steel that I keep around for testing/playing around so I don't waste the good stuff. Drills of this size typically spin the taper loose from the tail stock without a tommy bar, but this time I didn't need it even cutting dry. Granted, it's sharper than it's ever been before, but I have to think that the reduced force required for that shorter nose profile is helping too. Now I have to do all of the silver & deming pits in my HF kit. They drill, but the edges are pretty dull.

Doing this by hand goes against all of my OCD needless-precision instincts. I want jigs and such to ensure perfect results and repeatability, but dang, this ain't bad at all. :)
 
When I was taking machine shop at the J.C., we were required to be able to sharpen a drill by hand in less than two minutes. Harry said if it took longer than that we should just throw it away and get a new one. I still have the knack, even though my eyes are going. Seems easy.
 
One easy way to improve technique is to use square, (or round) wood dowels, instead of steel. It’s quick, No heat build up to burn your finger. And grind the tip flat and start over as many times as you want, until there is nothing left to hang onto. This works great, particularly for the compound cutting edges the author describes mid way through the article.

Glenn
 
I worked over 25 yrs in shop and we always sharpened by hand.We also did a lot of thin sheet metal work and I learned from one of the old timers how to turn a regular drill into a "tin drill", sharpening by hand on a narrow surface grinder wheel
 
Good for you! Practice can make perfect! Next is doing the split point!
 
Now you should learn how to split the point. That makes a BIG difference in how easy it is to drill.
 
True, but I'm mostly interested in sharpening these large drill bits. Split point isn't needed for those as I'll always be drilling a pilot for them.
 
Take a piece of wood dowel rod -say, 1" dia, 4" long. Drill a hole lengthwise big enough to shove the tool blank in there. Walk it over to the bandsaw and put a lengthwise split about 2" down. Put a hose clamp on the end and clamp your tool blank in there. Now you can handle and grind the bit all you want.


Ray
 
Mike
I always drill without a pilot hole if I can. So I split all my drills .
 
With a split point you do not need a pilot hole as long as the work is perpendicular to the drill and the surface is reasonably smooth. Saves time, more accurate holes.
 
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