Drill sharpener tool or not ???
I have only used a couple of inexpensive ones and never used a really good one.
For my two cents they are probably good for all and very good for the beginner if he can master the setup problems that it might have.
I served a very good 4 year tool and die apprenticeship in a large GM plant and the instructors in the apprentice shop ( my first two years) were very good and taught us to hand sharpen drills. We were kind of an orphaned outfit anyway and did not get many sharp tools to work with so we had to learn how to do it ourselves.
My experience has been that the most important things about drill sharpening by hand ( for everyday hobby use) is that both lips be the same length and the same angle. Otherwise only one side will cut and the hole will likely be oversize, and may dull much quicker.. There must also be sufficient heel clearance so the the heel does not drag and make contact instead of the cutting edge.
The actual angle itself is really not too critical for regular steel drilling, BUT, copper, brass and sheet metal are a diffrent story, better brought up in a separate discussion probably.
For beginning sharpeners, I might suggest first:
1/ hand grinding of the point something like a punch and then refining it to make it cut. Often the bench, or pedestal grinders have a v shaped groove in the tool support in front of the wheel. This can be a great help in getting the angle right. Generally 59 deg works well. I used to have a small pocket protractor with that angle on it for checking. that was a great help.
2/Get the length of the lips and the angle right and then very lightly touch the drill point cutting edges to the wheel for actual sharpening. At this point it might help to darken the surfaces with some layout blue dye or a magic marker pen, so that you can see where you are or have been grinding. E Z does it here.
This might help prevent a novice from grinding the whole thing shorter and shorter until there is only a stub left.( But if you do, remember...Short drills are handy too ).
3/ Once you get a feel for what you are doing it will be time to get some clearance on the heel so the cutting edge and not the part of the drill behind it (heel), is in contact with the piece being drilled. Looking it from the side, see the cutting edge as the toe edge and the area behind it as the heel. You want the toe to do the cutting and the heel is only needed to provide some strength to the drill and sometimes act as a guide to eliminate wobble and chatter and a guide for the chips to rise from the hole.. The heel on a properly sharpened drill will not contact the piece when drilling.
Realize here that " flat spade" drills as often used for wood have no 'heel area.
SOME THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND.
ALWAYS BE CAREFUL AND KEEP YOUR HANDS AND FINGERS CLEAR OF THE WHEEL
DON'T EVER HURRY, IT IS A SURE WAY TO GET HURT.
SMALL DRILLS SHOULD NOT BE ATTEMPTED UNTIL YOU GET A GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT. THEN I THINK A SMALL HOMEMADE HOLDER, PERHAPS WITH A SETSCREW, WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA.
Keep the wheel nicely dressed so it does not go Bump, Bump" when you touch it with your drill.
Keep the tool rest adjusted close to the wheel so your drill can't be "sucked" in by the wheel.
Watch the yard sales for dull drills to practice on.
Be safe as you can, I have seen some terrible results of unsafe practices.
