People I know who have one AND who use a lot of standard twist bits say the DD is great. Personally, my good drill bits are all brad points and carbide Forstners, plus some bullet point bits for any metal work. It would be of no use on any of those.

John

I just bought one at HD. Its around $20 (The Drill DR was about $30?). It definetly takes some skill. To sharpen for wood is easy. To sharpen for metal is more difficult. The one I got also does chisels.
I think it was worth it.

ttx_rooney,

Drill Doctor has several models.

MM

I've used the DD model which costs around $80 and had good results with it. I don't think it does as good a job as the factory, but it definately works well.

What are bullet point drill bits?

How do any of the knock-off Drill Doctors
compare to the real thing.

Pooh Bear

Bullet point bits drill a small pilot hole and then the larger size is much easier to finish the hole to it's intended dimention.

They combine a pilot drill and large drill bit into one piece. I would say they are ideal for anything 3/16" or larger in diameter.

I wouldn't waste any money on knockoffs.

Like at the link below?

I have seen bits like that but the point seemed longer to me.
We used them in lathes in machine shop in high school.
Were those different bits or the same type.

I was looking at prices of the knock off Drill Doctors
in Harbor Freight the other day. Looked tempting.
But I want something that will last.

Pooh Bear

Here is a link that might be useful: Bullet Point Drill Bits on Ebay

You might have used spur point bits in school for woodworking. The bullet point doesn't need to be long to do its job. It would probably break off if too long. The price of the set seems a bit low for quality, but it may do well for you.

If the expensive Drill doctor doesn't sharpen as well as a factory job, how happy will you be when the worthless knockoff doesn't work?

Oh, I wasn't looking for a set.
I just posted that link as an example
to make sure I understood what they were.

No, the ones we used in machine shop in HS
were double ended and had longer pilot bits on each end.
We used them in metal lathes. What are those bits called.

Pooh Bear

Go search usenet for a guy named T Nut and his description of sharpening manually. It's archived on a few of the machinest web sites also.

There is a gadget out there for anyone unwilling to learn a new skill, the drill doctor is such a gadget.

An hour of fooling around and most anyone can learn to sharpen twist drills pretty accurately.
2 hex nuts side by side make a nice guage at 120 degrees (instead of 118) for keeping things centered.
Everything behind the cutting edge has to be lower.
Inking up the end with a marker makes it easier to see where you are grinding.
Go and ruin 3$ worth of junk bits and learn how to sharpen them.

.... and you still still start a fire by rubbing 2 sticks together.... I'm sure that is a skill that takes a while to learn as well, but me, I rather just use a tool like a match to start a fire.

The point being, while there are always ways to do things the "old fashioned way", using a time saving tool like the DD can't be overlooked. I put off getting a DD for years and now that I have one it's hard to imagine all the bits I gone through over the years that I wish I had kept and the time I spent drilling and drilling and drilling metal with a duller-than-need-be bit.

JMHO...

I learned many years ago how to sharpen large drill bits by hand and eye on a grinder, but it's tough sledding. They'll work well for enlarging a pilot hole, but if the point isn't exact, they'll skid on un-pilotted steel. It's even harder for bits smaller than 1/8", but then, they can be pushed through almost anything.

You can get very good results freehand with some practice, a good wheel, and good lighting. Find yourself an old machinist to show you how. The only place it gets tough is on the very small ones, under about 3/32", as it is tough to see the facets well enough.

Drill Doctors work OK, especially if you like split points, which at least some DD will do. I wouldn't waste my money on the low end DD, as they use standard grinding wheels, that lose their shape. Get the one with the diamond wheel, and you will be happily sharpening for a long time, with very good results.

I was going to get a Drill Doctor and told my machinist brother my intention. He showed me the manual way to sharpen bits and I can now sharpen bits quicker than I probably could with the Drill Doctor. (I never have actually used a Drill Doctor.) Anyway, it's done in a couple of minutes, max.
Norm

I'll go with that 'learn to sharpen'. I've been a mechanical 'white collar' mechanic for years before solid state came in, and was always surprised that many mechanics never learned how to sharpen drill bits or how to punch out tapered pins. Both skills border on art rather than science.
Jonas

There's such a thing as too many junk accessories around the shop and a clear workbench is something to be desired.

I learned how to sharpen drill bits by hand 25 years ago.
I don't like doing it and don't do it very often.
Most of my work is done in wood. Drill bits stay sharp longer.
Had to drill out a bolt last week. Had to sharpen the bit twice.
I can do it by hand, I just would like an easier way.

I looked at one of the knock off Drill Doctors last week.
Forget it. Junk. Didn't even go up to 1/2 inch bits.
I'll wait and get a real Drill Doctor.
In the mean time I'll get a new grinding wheel for my bench grinder.

Pooh Bear

Hope this is not hijacking the thread but does anyone know what a Drill Doctor model 100 is? Must be really old because I do not find it in a Google search.

Pooh Bear,

Those double ended drills with a pilot point used in a metal cutting lathe sound like "center drills." They are used to cut a small tapered hole in the end of the item being turned to hold the point of a "center" to steady the workpiece. The chuck holds one side of the work and a tailstock with a "center" holds the other side. The tapered point of a "center" usually rides on a bearing.

Yep, that is generally what we used them for too.
But also they were great for starting precisely located holes.

Pooh Bear

Now look at what you people have done. As a result of this topic, I bought a DD 300. Now I have about 50 bits that seem to be as sharp as new ones including old ones that had been set aside because they wouldn't drill through anything. I haven't tried my "new" (sharpened) masonry bits yet so I guess I'll go out today and test them on my neighbors' stucco houses. And --- no learning curve for sharpening, just follow the few simple instructions. No doubt, even a caveman could do it.

"No doubt, even a caveman could do it"

THAT'S NOT FUNNY!

LOL!

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:318123}}

this is useful for metal lathe information http://www.findamachine.com/showcase/Metal+Lathes

Here is a link that might be useful: metal lathes

1st thing we learned in shop class. 2 hex nuts and bowl of water. Still doing it 30 yrs later. Sharpening a chainsaw with a file and no guide too. Haven't had much luck starting the grill with two sticks though.

Dave

IMO the key to drill bits is not to go so fast. It over heats them and they get dull. I drill in stainless all the time. This will kill even the hardest drill bits in a few seconds if you go to fast. IMO the key is watching the slivering as your drilling. when it stops slivering it's not cutting slow down. Once you smoke it it's dull.

As far as sharpen them the ends of the bits most are on a radius, The drill doctor has a wheel in it to cut the right angle and radius for the bit to cut hard metal, IMO that's why most of us can't sharpen them by hand. DD is kind of like a pencil sharper lets anybody do it. But, I'm sure there is a learning curve as well. I would thing less is best when removing metal from the end of a bit.

As far as Chain saws it's best to sharpen after every use. Most think their chain saw are junk cause the don't cut. Usually it's from not sharpen or lack of techique and not the saws fault.