Recc needed for a drill bit sharpener.

[Spriddler]

I have maybe 100 or more drill bits of assorted sizes in various boxes but in spite of trying each of them I never seem to be able to find a sharp one so I nip out and buy a new one.
I do wonder why I keep the blunt ones (as I do for some klepto reason with duff sparkling plugs). How many blunt drills of the same size does a chap need for goodness sake?
I did buy a drill bit sharpener some years ago but since I doubted that re-sharpening drill bits at home was feasible I bought a cheap one. Like all cheap stuff it wasn't any good.
I've been trying to drill 4mm holes in angle iron this morning and all I've managed to do is work-harden the previously blunted tips of 9 different bits. Yes I do use oil and the appropriate drill speed and force. Having just paid £18 for three 'quality' bits I've decided to spend a day sharpening my existing bits but only if there's a good sharpening tool available.
I'll wager that I'm not alone in having boxes of blunt drill bits and duff sparkling plugs.

 

[Vipar]

Pardon our interruption...

I have used one of theses for years

 

[funflair]

Just a grinding wheel for me but watch you fingers and never ever wear gloves.

 

[WESTY66]

I just take em to work and let the fitter sharpen them

 

[funflair]

I just take em to work and let the fitter sharpen them

That's OK but I was"the fitter"

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Figaro]

Lidl were advertising a sharpening tool recently.
No idea if it's any good but their tools are usually ok

 

[Lenny HB]

I've got a Lidl one, it's not very good.

 

[Spriddler]

I just take em to work and let the fitter sharpen them

I could buy all new ones for half the cost of the diesel to bring mine up to you.

 

[WESTY66]

I could buy all new ones for half the cost of the diesel to bring mine up to you.

You could take em to Lenny HB and let him practice on his Lidl one

 

[Vipar]

Lenny is probably trying to sharpen the end that goes in the drill chuck

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Bandos]

Only ever worth buying Cobalt tipped drills Worth every penny

 

[Spriddler]

You could take em to Lenny HB and let him practice on his Lidl one

I expect he's trying to run the sharpener off his solar panels to avoid paying for electricity.

 

[Bailey58]

Pardon our interruption...

I have used one of theses for years

I have one of those in my filing cabinet alongside those helping hand things you get with soldering irons. Never could work out what it was!

 

[namwaldog]

I have tried a couple of grinding jigs without success and so did a bit of research via YouTube etc on correct angles etc.

I have had a double header grinding wheel for about 25yrs and only just realised during my research that the toolrest on the rhs wheel has a peculiar 'kink' in it.

Further stirring of the grey matter revealed that this 'kink' is at exactly the correct angle required to sharpen drill bits! What a coincidence .

I'm no expert, but I haven't bought a drill bit since.

Now I've seen this close up image, I shall have to dress my grinding wheel !!

PS I use this, from Aldi or Lidl, to cool the drill bit when drilling metal...

 

[Martin How]

I have Lidl one from a few years back. Its ok for larger drill.6mm and above, but no good on anything smaller. I used it to rescue a lot of damaged Morse Taper drills for the lathe that I was given.

A couple of tips, use TIN coated drills for hard metal, they will drill into 8.8 steel bolts OK. Don't use your best metal drills for general purpose wood/hacking around/DIY stuff and don't drill rust.

The Dormer split point drills are the best ones I have ever had. They drill true to size and the split point both helps centre them and makes drilling easier. For cutting oil on steel I use EP80 gear oil, and WD40 in Aluminium.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Spriddler]

Thanks all.
I'll give it a go first by making a drill sharpening rest for my bench grinder - I've nothing to lose as I can't make them any more unusable.

 

[68c]

We were forbidden to sharpen drills at work. Even the slightest off centre error will mean the drill makes oversize holes.

 

[daveandsan]

We had to sharpen drills free hand to cut their actual diameter plus 0.05mm, I had one of the best teach me.

 

[Maggie and Raddie]

Its an art to sharpening drills by hand. I was taught about 50 years ago now. I am an Ex Toolmaker. But once learnt you never forget. A lot of people think they can do it as it looks a lot easier than it really is.

 

[jockaneezer]

I use the "drop your hand and twist your wrist" method for my bigger drills, but for stuff up to 1/2", I now just do the "4 facet" sharpening that a lot of modern drills come with now, check out this excellent, short video.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[the1andonly]

I'll wager that I'm not alone in having boxes of blunt drill bits and duff sparkling plugs.

having not had a bike on road for 20yrs and diesel cars since 2002 (apart from 1 V6) i chucked out all my spark plugs collected since 78, about 5yrs ago, however, my collection has restarted since we bought a toad UP!, so now at 3 and 3 not yet fitted. not really a collection.
Blunt drills, no comment.