Drill Doctor or Not?

Jerry, I have both and, while I have extolled the virtues of the Worksharp many times, I have not have the same level of success with the Drill Doctor. I have found that I cannot sharpen bits below 7/64” because they are too short. When you mount the bit in the holder you have to manually turn it to get it aligned and I simply cannot reach the bit to turn it. And despite following the procedures in the booklet and video I simply have not gotten the edge on the bits I expected. And I have not been able to sharpen masonry bits at all. For me it seems to work best with bits between 1/8” and 1/4” inches, which is a very narrow range. I hope others have had better luck with their DD but for now I simply would rather get a new bit. The frustration and aggravation with using bits that aren’t sharp is not worth the hassle to me.

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

I too have the DD and have had similar problems. It seems to be very picky and I don’t get consistent results even when following the directions. I have not given up on it yet because sometimes I do get good results. I’m hoping it’s me and not the tool. I will continue to practice. I would also like to know if others are having a problem.

-- Bob K. East Northport, NY

Great comments Scott and Bob! Just what I was looking for. I’ve read alot of mixed reviews at other websites, ie: Amazon and eBay. I look to see more comments here. As a mentioned I am just not sold on the DD. Gut feeling seems to proving out with the first 2 responses.

-- Jerry, Set in the foothills of the Smokey's

Thanks! I have been considering it too. I think you saved me some time and money.

-- Berta in NC

I have been using the Drill Doctor commercially when I was a contractor, and although the demos seem easy, and problems free, I’ve had poor results with the machine, and ended up getting a drill sharpener that I found at COSTCO for 1/4 of the price that does a great job in 1/2 the time the DD does.

the theory and mechanics behind the DD are terrific! but the actual results and performance are far from it.

Here is the one that I got

-- When in doubt - There is no doubt - Go the safer route.

DD is a tool that I had problems learning how to use also. I normally do not have a problem learning how to do something. However, the learning curve on this thing was really frustrating.The first couple of times I used it, the bits came out just awful. I put it on the shelf for about two years and finally got it out and made another attempt. After a while, I finally got the hang of it and now the results are pretty good. It took me a lot of practice. After I learned what to do, I sharpened about 75 bits over 2 days and they are all sharp. Not a dull bit in the house. Now, I can sharpen a bit in about 45 Seconds. This is not as easy as it looks on television, But after you get the hang of what to do, It works great. One thing that I did that helped me was to grind a bit that was very dull, down square on tip with the bench grinder and start over from scratch with the DD. Using equal amount of turns in the DD and not try to force or hurry the process. It is all about your wrist movement and using the same amount of pressure.You have to re-set the depth a few times to do this though. I have not used it on masonry bits so that could still be a problem.

-- Gene, a Christian in Virginia

hmm, I’ve been using the DD for a little over a year now, just on standard metal cutting twist bits, and I’ve had pretty good luck with it.

I’ve used it on bits from maybe 3/16 through 1/2 and found it to be little trouble to get an excellent edge. I did mess up the first once or twice until I figured out how the bit wants to be aligned when it’s clamped, after that pretty smooth sailing.

I find it quick enough to get a sharp edge that when I was drilling a stack of 1/4 inch diamond plate I stopped at about every plate and re-sharpened the bit. Drilling with a sharp bit is so much nicer than leaning on a bit that’s just spinning and burning.

I have not tried it on any bits other than standard twist bits. I dont know how it would perform on other types of bits.

Thanks folks. I like PurpLev’s. 1/10th the cost of a DD750. I took a look at one that Grizzley makes here. But in the meantime I think the one PurpLev is using is right up my alley. The plus side of it the wife just may go ahead and buy it since it comes with the ability to sharpen scissor’s :-D. Again thanks for the responses.

-- Jerry, Set in the foothills of the Smokey's

I use twist drills very infrequently, as most of my work is with wood.

I either toss out dull smaller sizes, or sharpen the larger ones on the grinder with an angled fence. 95% of my drilling is with brad point or forstner bits, or the “nippled” Kreg bit. The DD doesn’t sharpen those.

Now, for a metalworker, the DD is great. My buddy has one and gets lots of use from it.

-- - Please help keep Lumberjocks an enjoyable escape by refusing to participate in political discussions. Simply spit out the bait and ignore the thread...

Here is what I ended up getting. the cost was right and I figure I can’t loose to much with this product. The Grizzly G1081 Drill Sharpener.

-- Jerry, Set in the foothills of the Smokey's

This has been an interesting thread… I need something BAD to sharpen my bits, I can’t do it free hand on the grinder. Well, I “can”, but I sharpen them like I used to do my pencils in grade school- all the way to the eraser… lol

Anyway, let me know how your device works, and how well you like it. My drill bits thank you.

Steve.

-- As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17) †

Woodcraft has both the 170 piece brad point and 170 piece twist drill bit sets on sale for $24.99 each. There are 19 sizes included and you get multiples of each. At this price, I wouldn’t even bother to sharpen them.

-- NorthWoodsMan

I got the 170 piece Brad Point set from Woodcraft, the metal is very soft that some of the bits will just BEND when you start rotating them in the drill, I was able to bend them back – BY HAND.

all in all -it’s 170 bits for $25 so I’m not complaining , def. good enough for my needs – but just be aware of their quality :)

-- When in doubt - There is no doubt - Go the safer route.

I too have bought these bits from WC and they seem better quality than the price they are being sold for but not as nice as the bits that are 100 times more expensive.

-- Never board, always knotty, lots of growth rings