I like a nice, sharp drill bit and have many, well, did have. Several years without buying any drill bits have finally run my supply low, so I need to restock.

Let me hear about who you buy from and what brand and material the drill is made from.

My usage is common automotive materials, aluminum, mild steel, nothing exotic.

Following, I got more bits that wont drill through butter than I can shake a stick at lol.

Stephen,

My method, if the drill will not quickly and easily work its way through the material, I pitch it!

I sharpen mine. I forget the brand name, but it works well. Take care. Tom Worthington

Tom, do you sharpen by hand or with a machine?

I bought a Drill Doctor and throw my dulls in a tray, when I get a bunch I sharpen them. It works OK, better than me hand sharpening. For bits like 1/8" I'll buy a bunch of cheapos from HF and they work good.

A trick an old body shop owner taught me.

Take two regular 3/8-16 nuts and laying them flat, super glue the sides so that you form an angle. Then use it as a guide to sharpen most of your metal bits. As long as you keep both sides of the drill bit equal the bit will drill correctly, matching the angle of the nuts gives the bit the correct point for drilling.

quote:

Originally posted by Larry Woodfin:
Tom, do you sharpen by hand or with a machine?

"Machine". When I saw Eman's post, I remembered the brand name. "Drill Doctor". Take care. Tom Worthington

I buy packages of 20 1/8 inch (.125) drill bits at a time, and use them as pilots. One package will last me five or more years. When they wear out or break I replace them, sharpening them is a waste of time. Anything larger I re-sharpen with an old bench sharpener that I have been using for many decades. It has been permanently mounted on the grinder stand for probably the past 60 years.

The grinder stand is a really old converter that I welded a three inch piece of pipe that's about 30 inches tall with a platform mounted on top. The grinder is bolted to the top of that platform, simple, cheap and very effective. The weight of that large heavy converter makes the stand very solid but still easy to move, I simply roll it on the side of the permanently attached (welded) starter gear. For some it may be crude but it's worked for decades.

I was raised on a farm where you made due as best you could. 60 years ago I doubt that you could even buy a store sold bench grinder stand, you made one. We made a lot of stuff then, still do.

Bob

I learned to sharpen a drill bit in college of all places. I have a Drill Doctor but sharpen them by hand most of the time. Used to buy my bits from Enco but they got bought by MSC who immediately raised the price on everything.

Will catch flack for this i am sure but harbor Freight sells the packs for about 10 dollars. And to my surprise they work and hold up great.

I use them for all sorts of materials. In hand drills and in large bridgeport mill that puts things to the test.

I the large bridgeport you can drill through 1/2 CRS in seconds with a 1/2 bit and they just keep going.

For the 10bucks they are not even worth sharpening...but have and they continue to work fine.

I buy a set everytime I am in there and have several sets in both garages, in enclosed trailer, RV, and in house. Funny thing is two years ago I tried them and still on the first set in the garage I do most of my work in.

If in the mill or doing something I am being fussy with I will use tap fluid which helps speed up the process and better chips.

Lastly you have to use your head with speed. Most times people go way to fast on speed...you need to vary it or have reference for size, speed, material....otherwise you burn them up. if you dont see nice chips you need to vary speed until you do. If your getting dust its just burning it up. No drill will last.

quote:

Originally posted by chasracer:
A trick an old body shop owner taught me.

Take two regular 3/8-16 nuts and laying them flat, super glue the sides so that you form an angle. Then use it as a guide to sharpen most of your metal bits. As long as you keep both sides of the drill bit equal the bit will drill correctly, matching the angle of the nuts gives the bit the correct point for drilling.

That angle will work fine. Regular drill bits are typically 118°.

The cheap Drill Doctor's can work okay if you take your time and follow the set up instructions. I had to buy one for my guys because I can rarely find someone to hire that can freehand a drill tip. Mine was over $3000 though.

You want to make sure that the cutting edge is the highest point and that the relief cut of the drill falls away lower than the cutting edge. Also look at the chisel point angle to the cutting edge before you start sharpening the drill. The chisel point is the very middle when you are looking at the drill straight on from the cutting end.



Precision brand is a good middle of the road priced drill bit. There are many different brands and I don't buy anything for my shop that isn't American made. The savings on the front end just aren't worth it on the quality loss.

So in the first video he compares split point drills to regular point drills so it isn't apples to apples. Cobalt will last longer also.

If you want a self centering drill bit and one that will typically drill faster then split points are what you need. If you want a rounder hole, (bear in mind it will take a little more pressure), then use regular point drills. Unless you are in a mill and have your part clamped well a split point drill can cause your hole to be triangle shaped. Just a heads up.

McMaster Carr , cobalt steel drill bit. They work well but over speeding them will burn them quickly

Somewhere I have a drill bit fixture that you would mount next to your bench grinder. It takes a special grinding wheel that you can grind on the side of. I'll have to dig around and find it now that it's on my mind.

I resharpen mine. Problem is I wait till there is drawer full of them and it takes most of day doing the job. WORST THING IS BEING IN HURRY. Slow and lite touch work best plus good eye for keeping point centered, or gauge. Using right grinding stone is big part too.

Thanks to all for the feedback. I appreciate it.

Larry, I also use an 1/8 drill bit with cutting oil for pilot hole. I have been sharpening drill bits for forty five years. I have a drill doctor but really dont use it. Drill bits are not hard to sharpen just a little practice. If you and I were drilling through 1/4 4130 plate and after the second hole it was starting to suck,I would pull the bit out go to the grinder,touch it up and in about a minute we would be back drilling. That being said there are bits made for light duty wood and they will suck for anthing but soft material. Study a couple of you good bits, grab a not so good and try it. Pay attention to the angle and the back cut. I had a 3/4 bit at the shop that myself used and everyone would borrow, I still have it and I bet its an inch shorter that it was original cause been sharpened so much. Probably had it for 25 years. Also Blair Cutters for thin metal (sheet metal) way better than drills.

Maybe pick up a few left-hand drill bits while you're at it; they're kindof handy for removing broken studs.