Drill Bit Sharpener - Drill Doctor

As I’ve mentioned in the previous article, sharpening drill bits is a very important ability to have. Whether you have a fancy cordless drill or a high tech drill press, you job won’t get done if the bits are dull. So if you are going to spend on tools, do yourself a favour, and get drill bit sharpener.

Drill Doctor is the most popular brand of sharpeners. It is fairly easy to use. It does take a little manual dexterity to fit the bit in properly, but not nearly as much as if you were using a bench grinder.

Now what many newbies don’t realize is that when sharpening drill bits, you’re only sharpening the tip of the bit. Not the whole thing. The side flutes are not there for cutting, but for passing the waste material out. When you think sharp edges, you’re thinking end mills, which are a totally different tool, used in milling machines. So don’t make it more complicated than it has to be. Recite yourself this mantra “I’m just sharpening the tip of the bit.”

Which is essentially the principle of how a drill bit sharpener such as Drill Doctor works. You stick the bit inside, so that the tip is appropriate distance from a rotating wheel that does the grinding. Inside the Drill Doctor there is a grinding wheel with artificial diamond coating.

The sharpening is done in two steps. First the bits are properly aligned in the holder chuck (clamp). To do that, you must first level it properly by inserting the holder on the side of the Drill Doctor that will help you to get it to the exact position depending on the size of you drill bit. When you get the level properly, the drill bit is then tightened (fixated) for good in the chuck. And then the holder itself is inserted into the sharpening slot.

Then turn the machine on, and as you push the holder inside, slowly rotate it until the characteristic “metal cutting noise” disappears or goes down considerably.

Naturally, when you’re done, inspect the drill bit to make sure it’s as sharp as you want it to be.

Pretty easy. And it sharpens High-Speed Steel bits, carbide bits, cobalt drill bits, Tin-coated and masonry drill bits (confirm for individual models, though... just to be on the safe side.)