Sharpening Drill Bits?

[Macavity]

I have a [IMO] nice set of Drill Bits... 1-10mm in 0.5mm increments.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Milwaukee-4932352374-Drill-Set/dp/B009PV27G0/
But, as ever, some sizes come in for more use... and become blunt.

I was told, by my Engineering mate: "You can sharpen drills EASILY"!
I guess THIS is the way!?! Intrigued if this looks good to you guys? 😎

 

[Mr Spock]

If you don't have a grinding wheel handy it's cheaper to buy new bits!

[Peter Drew]

I've been sharpening drill bits freehand for over 60 years, one of the things you were taught during an engineering apprenticeship, remember those?      🙂

[Macavity]

Hmmm... My Grinding Wheel seems to have disappeared somewhere. 🙄

Ah, Pete: Pretty much what my friend said! Made a horizontal drill stand.
I use it to grind the end of misc. stuff flat... It could be adapted work!  🙃

In case anyone wonders, The Wolf "Drill Clamp" is the important bit... 😉
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wolfcraft-6152000-Drill-Euronorm-collar/dp/B0012B5RMM/

If Covid "lasts" much longer, I'll be knitting my OWN Socks! 🤣

[Rusted]

I have a drill sharpening jig [somewhere] to clamp onto bench grinding wheels.
Inexpensive, but a bit of a trial and takes lots of practice.
You clamp the drill bit and then sweep it across the side of the grinding wheel.
Extremely fiddly for smaller drills!  I prefer to buy new drills for accuracy and predictable cutting.

 

drill sharpening jig - Google Search

[Budgie1]

Like @Peter Drew, I was apprenticeship trained so my technique is slightly different to the video.

The technique in the video will work fine as long as the flat on the cutting edge is angled slightly away from the edge so there is clearance and it's not at 90° to the cutting face.

Also, make sure you don't get the drill bit too hot, if it's too warm to hold or the tip starts turning blue then stop grinding and leave it to cool down or quench in water before continuing.

[faulksy]

just to add. the video shows something like a 8mm drill bit. a lot harder to sharpen when they are small

[martin_h]

On 17/07/2021 at 09:57, Peter Drew said:

I've been sharpening drill bits freehand for over 60 years, one of the things you were taught during an engineering apprenticeship, remember those?      🙂

I was a tool room apprentice, we hand sharpened drills up to 3 1/8" diameter!

[Paul M]

My old joinery mentor showed me how to sharpen twist drills nearly 40 years ago. It be came second nature. A useful skill if you have a lot of stainless steel to drill. 

My mentor's father worked in a drill foundry and had accumulated rather a lot of high quality drills. He passed some on to me and I still have some somewhere. They sharpen up real nice too.

Going through life in skilled work I was surprised how many tradesmen didn't know it was possible to sharpen HSS drills or carbide tipped masonry drills or flat wood bits or augers or anything! Some didn't believe it could be done free hand on a bench grinder.

New starters were often told to have a "sharpen up" while a job was sorted for them. You can tell a lot from how someone sharpens their tools! You only get one chance to make a first impression 🙊

[Zermelo]

I think my dad used to rejuvenate his worn ripsaw with a triangular needle file (to sharpen the teeth) and a set (to restore the optimum angle).

I wonder how many people take the time to do that these days?

[NGC 1502]

Good advice already given.  Some extra tips (pun intended 😁)

To avoid overheating the drill keep a pot of water handy to cool the drill.

If both cutting edges are not precisely the same, the drill will make a hole larger than its nominal size.

You have to be exceptionally skilled to properly sharpen drills less than 3mm diameter.

BTW, the guv at the factory I worked at in the 60s demonstrated to me how its done. Back then the guv often had come up through the ranks from the factory floor so knew how to do it, that’s why he got promoted 

Ed.

[Paul M]

10 hours ago, Zermelo said:

I think my dad used to rejuvenate his worn ripsaw with a triangular needle file (to sharpen the teeth) and a set (to restore the optimum angle).

I wonder how many people take the time to do that these days?

More fond memories.

I suspect only  a few artisans still hand sharpen saws. Its maybe 15 or 20 years since I did one and that will have been to demonstrate it to a youngster.

It used to take me 15 minutes to freshen up a less than sharp saw. But setting and sharpening took somewhat longer. Any thing between 5 and 12 TPI was eeay.

Joinery shops used to get visited weekly by a Saw Doctor or at least their driver. He'd take tipped circular saw blades and tooling away for sharpening. They'd offer to sharpen hand saws too. Some used the service but they really weren't a good job. Sharpened from one side and unequal set. 

Anyway, I don't think I have any of my old saws left. Went onto disposable hard point saws in the 90's. Some varieties are quite usable these days!

[Rusted]

My Eclipse No.77 saw setting pliers. "Made in England."

Sharp point saws were just taking over in the 1960S.

That was back in the last century for those of an immature nature.

Edited August 11, 2021 by Rusted

[Peter Drew]

One other advantage of being able to hand sharpen drill bits was that you could vary the point angle to suit different materials and hardness.  Also the opportunity to make a drill bit cut oversize if needed.         🙂

[Paul M]

42 minutes ago, Rusted said:

My Eclipse No.77 saw setting pliers. "Made in England."

I'm away at present so I can't root mine out. I remember them being the same model.

Could have started a "show us your saw set pliers" thread...😎