Thread: Drill bits

Buying new bits every time they get blunt is going to get pretty expensive. Conversely, drill bit sharpeners are fairly cheap and will save you money in the long run.

I sharpen them freehand on a bench grinder. It takes only a small pass or two to restore the cutting edge. If sharpened properly it will cut better than a new one. I drill into metal a fair bit and they can blunt quickly. Guess it depends on what you'll be drilling into. In softwoods like pine, the bit should last a long time.

I believe sharpening drill bits is a great skill to have and can save you money, especially the larger sizes.
I was taught to sharpen drill bits with a bench grinder and no jigs or aids. I was given a box of bits by my teacher and spent hours at the grinder getting all the angles right for him to come over and flatten the point to a square and told to start again.
But you keep at it and soon enough you will get it right.

I guess its a personal thing, its very easy to stop in at the Hardware shop and buy new bits but if you want to try a new skill, try sharpening yourself (with or without a sharpening jig).

Cheers, Steven.

Save your money Celeste, if you already have a bench grinder.

I found a simple jig for sharpening drill bits in a Mike Darlow woodturning book (can't remember which one) that is quick & easy & works a treat. Sharpened a few bits, & managed an 1/8th bit in it, which is amazing for me.

Made 2 up, & gave them to my dad & the dad-in-law. Shoulda kept one for myself

Have been meaning to put up details of this for a while but I was short of a "tuit" & fundamentally a procrastinator.

Will make another one up & do a WIP on it, well worthwhile.



Cheers.....................Sean

Either because I am hamfisted or I drill a lot of metal, I end up breaking a lot of bits smaller than about 3/16 and just replace them. Above that size I usually sharpen them freehand on a bench grinder. However, The workshop at work just investd in a really nice drill sharpener (diamond - so it sharpens carbide tips as well!) so I may slack off and just take them in for the occasional touch up. It's still handy to be able to do them freehand if you need one sharpened right away.

Absolutely.... the best thing you can do is learn to sharpen free hand on the grinder. it isnt hard.
there have been some similar threads recently, with quite some detailed directions.

Start with big old uggly drills and work down in size.

one clue is to have a very large new drill so you can see all the angles and how it should look and feel.

sharpening drills is all about feel.

there are a lot of blokes who have never persisted and learned how to sharpen drills...... most of these guys are in awe of those of us who can.

Now a chick that can sharpen drills.......I recon you could sell tickets for people to see that.

cheers

Oh
buy a box of old blunt drills at a flee market to learn on.




then price out how much they would have cost to buy.

cheers

cheers

HI all

I drill into brick walls and then melamine / pine, can you sharpen a masonry bit?

Man, with all the stuff I am doing on the renos I am running out of space for all my tools etc I am tiling / cabinet making / bric work / plaster / allittle plumbing / landscaper / painter etc etc. and I do not have a permant work bench / shed at the mo, all done on site. So something more portable will be better.

So any theories/recommendations on the drill sharpeners?

Celeste

It works well. Not only can you sharpen dull used bits, you can sharpen new bits as well. Like plane blades, bits don't come as sharp as they might. The DD does sharpen masonry bits.

Originally Posted by scooter

.........


I found a simple jig for sharpening drill bits in a Mike Darlow woodturning book (can't remember which one) that is quick & easy & works a treat. Sharpened a few bits, & managed an 1/8th bit in it, which is amazing for me.

Made 2 up, & gave them to my dad & the dad-in-law. Shoulda kept one for myself

Have been meaning to put up details of this for a while but I was short of a "tuit" & fundamentally a procrastinator.

Will make another one up & do a WIP on it, well worthwhile.

Cheers.....................Sean

G'day Sean,

Please do - and if you could make it soon - that would be even better.

Regards,
Bob

I try to resharpen most of mine, freehand on the grinder, but the smaller ones are a pain, prolly not worth the effort. Sometimes a manage a good job, other times the faces aren't exactly the same and resulting hole will end up a bit oval as the tip wanders.

Originally Posted by BobL

I end up breaking a lot of bits smaller than about 3/16 and just replace them.

For those common sized small ones like 1/8" and 3/16" its possible to buy double ended ones, in packets of 5. They are used by sheetmetal workers for pop rivets, so the detpth of cut is limited, but you get 2 sharp ends to blunten or snap!

Cheers

Originally Posted by celeste

HI all

I drill into brick walls and then melamine / pine, can you sharpen a masonry bit?

Celeste

Not with the same drill bit I hope! Masonry bits can be sharpened, but you need a green grinding wheel. These are generally not available at Hardware stores, but they can be obtained at specialist stores, really only justifiable if you have many masonry bits to sharpen.

Celeste,
Don't buy a cheap sharpener as the wheels wear a groove with the smaller bits. The better ones allow you to use the whole wheel surface.

Having said this I think you could buy a grinder for a little more and have the versatility to sharpen other tools.

Just a question. Is there any information for using a bench grinder for any other functions. Making jigs etc.

yes you can sharpen masonry bits, you are suposed to use a green wheel but i've always sharpend them on my standard grey wheel.
I use the opportunity to dress the wheel at the same time.
Large masonry bits do a good job of dressing grinder wheels.
I wouldnt put a masonry wheel near my good white wheel though.

masonry bits will not take the sort of edgeyou expect from a normal drill.

as for sharpening smaller bits.
3/16" isn't a problem.... I do quite a bit of riveting in aluminium and a sharp bit is esential for speed and clean holes.... I have been known to go thru 4 in a day..... I batch sharpen them.

Hmmm yeh 1/8" is OK as long as my eye is in.... I wouldn't bother with much smaller though.

sharpening drills in batches is a good idea if you don't do it every day, start with the big ones by the time you get down to 1/8" you'll have your eye in.

I havn't found any decent ( even decent chineese) normal twist drills that weren't sharp out of the box..... brad points on the other hand quite often aren't right from new.

it is well worth learning to sharpen free hand for a variety of reasons
the jigs ( except the realy expensive machines) realy don't give you the best geometry or the ability to vary the geometry for different materials and tasks.

the two most important things about sharpening drills are.
a properly dressed grinding wheel
and
an understanding of the drill geometry and how that shape happens.

I have some good references on paper... there must be some on line.

cheers

Hi all

I did have a bench grinder - I had everything at one stage, my late hubby was a all round carpenter, with a whole workshop full of toys. Anyway when he died I sold most of the stuff I didn't know how to use or thought I wouldn't use or was to scared to use (eg big roofing nail guns - scary)

And now you guessed it I need them all - Oh well that's life.

I think its at new hubbys work shop, need to have a look.

Oh, I have been meaning to take a sqizzy at the workshop in Willetton, I don't suppose I could do it there?

Celeste

I wouldn't worry about a jig/sharpener they are pretty useless and don't seem to get the angles quite right, just another thing to carry around.