Don't throw out your old drill bits! Drill Doctor 750X is awesome!

5mall5nail5 · Mar 29, 2013

Hey guys - so I have a set of bits that are dull along with a gallon size freezer bag of bits that are dull, broken, etc. - I was contemplating throwing them out and picking up a "nice" set of bits. Instead, I figured I'd try out the Drill Doctor 750X - man, so worth it! I have a few commonly used bits that were duller than dull and rather than replace them I resharpened them in under a minute each. Definitely a worthwhile investment.

Check out the video I made regarding it:

Enjoy!

MPOWERD · Mar 30, 2013

Guess this device would be best suited to those that do a lot of metal drilling... I have about 50 old drill bits that I received free with my C-man 100 DP so it could have been helpful to me had the price been lower. I did a search and found the cost to be between $140.00 and $150.00 which is to high for my low volume of use.

Would you be interested in sharpening people's bits with yours?

BK13 · Mar 30, 2013

Does it work on the broken bits?

vintagefan · Mar 30, 2013

I grudgingly must sign on to this.

I've been hand sharpening drills for many years, and I'm *very* good at it. Good enough that I'm "famous" for it at my company. That said, the drill doctor rivals the best I can do on smaller bits, if not a bit better.

It's still size limited, so at least I still get to use my skills on large bits, so I haven't totally lost my claim to fame.

I was a drill doctor hater for a long time, but one of the guys at work kept badgering me to check it out, and now I'm a believer. With all of the high quality precision tools that I use, I just didn't believe that a noisy, rattly little plastic box could do such a great job.

ADSR · Mar 30, 2013

Nice vid. That 750x is on my wish list.

ssentt · Mar 30, 2013

BK13 said:
Does it work on the broken bits?

Broken tips can be reground and made new again. My 750x has more than paid for itself in savings from not buying new bits. My old bits are much better quality than new ones being sold today at local hardware stores. It does have a little learning curve to it. If your famaliar with hand sharping a bit and know what a sharp bit is suppose to look like, it is possible to get a pretty decent lip angle, point angle, and sharpness.

MJB24 · Mar 30, 2013

I think in the last 10 years i could fill up a few 5 gallon pails of bits we have thrown away. Never sharpened one. I will have to start saving them and if someone wants to pick them up or pay shipping can have them

Man of Many Vices · Mar 30, 2013

vintagefan said:
I grudgingly must sign on to this.

I've been hand sharpening drills for many years, and I'm *very* good at it. Good enough that I'm "famous" for it at my company. That said, the drill doctor rivals the best I can do on smaller bits, if not a bit better.

It's still size limited, so at least I still get to use my skills on large bits, so I haven't totally lost my claim to fame.

I was a drill doctor hater for a long time, but one of the guys at work kept badgering me to check it out, and now I'm a believer. With all of the high quality precision tools that I use, I just didn't believe that a noisy, rattly little plastic box could do such a great job.

Thank you, VintageFan, for your candid appraisal of the Drill Doctor. The high school and junior college machinist text books that I collect place a premium on one's ability to hand-sharpen drill bits. Apparently it is a skill that separates the men from the boys. With your positive review of the Drill Doctor, I have the confidence to tackle this job without fear of destroying the hundreds of bits I scrounged up over the last few years.

BigSteve63 · Mar 30, 2013

vintagefan said:
I grudgingly must sign on to this.

I've been hand sharpening drills for many years, and I'm *very* good at it. Good enough that I'm "famous" for it at my company. That said, the drill doctor rivals the best I can do on smaller bits, if not a bit better.

It's still size limited, so at least I still get to use my skills on large bits, so I haven't totally lost my claim to fame.

I was a drill doctor hater for a long time, but one of the guys at work kept badgering me to check it out, and now I'm a believer. With all of the high quality precision tools that I use, I just didn't believe that a noisy, rattly little plastic box could do such a great job.

^^^^ I have to agree with this - hand sharpened bits for years at a previous job, got one of these as a gift and could not believe how well it worked.

cookefab · Mar 30, 2013

I had a lesser model, I think...the one that's sold @ HD...it got "lost" in my move last year. I've missed it....

Buckgnarly · Mar 30, 2013

Once I got the hang of mine, it was almost too easy!

crankshaftdan II · Mar 30, 2013

Does anyone know if this unit will sharpen left handed drills? :dunno:

Steinmetz · Mar 30, 2013

It's a nice machine. It works so well that I don't even check the sharpened drill with a drill angle gage anymore, since I've never found one that wasn't properly centered or not ground at 59 degrees. I like the ability to split the drill point as well.

Buckgnarly · Mar 30, 2013

crankshaftdan II said:
Does anyone know if this unit will sharpen left handed drills?

Yes with the left hand bit holder.

fflintstone · Mar 30, 2013

thanks for posting that. I have two of the drill sharpener attachments for bench grinders but have never tried them.
I am hit or miss sharpening by hand.

crankshaftdan II · Mar 30, 2013

Buckgnarly said:
Yes with the left hand bit holder.

OK, thanks for the information......Cranky :rocker:

Spudland_Dave · Mar 30, 2013

I must be "Drill Doctor Challenged"....I've mangled a pile of bits trying to learn how to use my Dad's...gave up, chucked the bits and gave him back his DD 750x...I know some people can use em with excellent results, I just cant...
Any interest in buying used & dull bits? I'm too cheap to chuck em...larger ones I hand sharpen with 50/50 results, then I bring a pile of em to a machinst friend who can sharpen them all by hand/eye in less time then it takes to drink a single adult beverage.

joedodge · Mar 30, 2013

I'm the same way Dave it just ruins bits I can't use it to save my life lol

kevin47 · Mar 30, 2013

MJB24 said:
I think in the last 10 years i could fill up a few 5 gallon pails of bits we have thrown away. Never sharpened one. I will have to start saving them and if someone wants to pick them up or pay shipping can have them

If I were you I'd at least pick up a bench grinder and practice resharpening...What a waste... :eyecrazy:

zkling · Mar 30, 2013

kevin47 said:
If I were you I'd at least pick up a bench grinder and practice resharpening...What a waste...

That's what I did. I bought 4 5gallon buckets of misc drill bits at an auction for $15 total. :lol_hitti

Asked my old machinist mentor to teach me how to sharpen drill bits on the hand grinder. By the time I made it to the second bucket I was a pro at sharpening them.

However I will give it to the drill doctor, it is good at touching up bits, but for any heavy work like changing angles, fixing broken or chipped bits you will need to start on a grinder. I have seriously considering purchasing a drill doctor a few times, but never pulled the trigger.

kevin47 · Mar 30, 2013

I'm telling ya all it takes is some practice...and a machinist buddy helping you by giving some pointers...If machine shops thru away dull bits of any kind, they wouldn't be in business long...I kid you not...!

evintho · Mar 30, 2013

Once you figure out how to use it, you'll wonder how you got along without it for all these years. I love my DrillDoctor. I too had a bucket full of dull bits that I collected over the years. One day I spent a few hours organizing them by size and sharpening each one. I store them in one of those cheap nut & bolt organizers so now anytime I need a sharp bit I just reach in and grab one! Did I mention I love my DrillDoctor?!

kevin47 · Mar 30, 2013

crankshaftdan II said:
Does anyone know if this unit will sharpen left handed drills?

Ha ha ha ...You don't usually use those all that much...And they can be akward resharpening by hand..not impossible but you may just want to replace those...I use them for backing out bolts and they have to be sharpe but not really drill straight...Just enough to "grab" the end...and spinner out...

RCStocker · Mar 30, 2013

I was a tool and die maker in my former life.
I learned how to shapren by hand on a high speed grinder. Starrett makes a little scale with an angle attachment just for sharpeing drills by hand.
I have a drill doctor but only use it on small bits as my eye site is geeting bad for small work. I have a comercial $800 sharpener but I only use it on large drill bits.
I do all my bits by hand. All you need is a small 6 inch scale. As long as both flutes are the same lenght you know they will be cutting at the same time. Once you get them the same lenght then just put a back grind on the just short of the cutting enge. It is a no brainer. I have been doing it for over 50 years and I shake and still get it right. LOL

There is a huge difference in drill bits. You can tell by how well they hold up cutting metal. I have thousands of drill bits that I have picked up in thrift stores, estate sales and at swap meets. I get good ones so cheap it is like taking candy form a baby. The Snap on drill bits are no better than a Hansen for other good brand. You guys that pay top dollar for them are NUTS!

kevin47 · Mar 30, 2013

evintho said:
Once you figure out how to use it, you'll wonder how you got along without it for all these years. I love my DrillDoctor. I too had a bucket full of dull bits that I collected over the years. One day I spent a few hours organizing them by size and sharpening each one. I store them in one of those cheap nut & bolt organizers so now anytime I need a sharp bit I just reach in and grab one! Did I mention I love my DrillDoctor?!

Hope your selection's a little better than...Missing some #'s & Letters for tapping...And anything up to at least 5/8 is must :willy_nil

evintho · Mar 30, 2013

kevin47 said:
Hope your selection's a little better than...Missing some #'s & Letters for tapping...And anything up to at least 5/8 is must

I have much more!

pilotman81 · Mar 31, 2013

I salvaged a whole **** load of worn and broken bits from the last shop that I worked in. I couldn't (can't) freehand sharpen on a grinder worth a **** but there was an industrial sharpener there that would sharpen up to 7/8" bits I believe. So I spent a few weeks going through the buckets of bits that the shop went through and scored over 300 bits that I sharpened and sorted. It's been 2 years since I left to work on the road though and I would love to get a drill doctor, I'm just never home to use one!

Hurricane_Whisperer · Mar 31, 2013

kevin47 said:
I'm telling ya all it takes is some practice...and a machinist buddy helping you by giving some pointers...If machine shops thru away dull bits of any kind, they wouldn't be in business long...I kid you not...!

The economics of sharpening bits are highly dependent on the cost of replacement bits, the cost of resharping bits and the type of work the shop does.

I know that it is not economic for a shop loaded with work to have a machinist sharpen a cheap bit when he could be running a machine that is earning $2 or $3 a minute.

Saving bits in a bucket and having some kid learn to sharpen them on his way to be promoted from janitor to machinist is not a bad idea though.

lilscorpion · Mar 31, 2013

vintagefan said:
I grudgingly must sign on to this.

It's still size limited, so at least I still get to use my skills on large bits, so I haven't totally lost my claim to fame.

I have an older version that came with the 3/4" - 1" collet and it sharpens okay. I think it shines on the 1/2" and smaller bits personally but I still use it for quick sharpens, or sometimes just adding the split bit to, the bigger ones. Given how it works, you could actually cut a bit off and sharpen it from scratch (for the fractured tip case) but you have to find a way to cut the bit off first. Great add to the shop though.

Just_George · Mar 31, 2013

crankshaftdan II said:
Does anyone know if this unit will sharpen left handed drills?

It can, but requires that you buy a different chuck to do so. They go for about $45 if I remember correctly, available on Amazon or Ebay.

(Haven't yet read the entire thread, apologies if someone has already posted this!)

walrus · Mar 31, 2013

I've never been able to do an 1/8 bit nor can I do short bits. If they don't protrude thru the plastic chuck its hard to get them aligned right. 1/4 to 1/2 works great

Marshall2u · Mar 31, 2013

I have an older model I bought a few months ago (older model, but unused/new) for $60. Was able to sharpen the first try. Really love it, as it not only saves on bits, but also trips to the store.

SiGmA_X · Mar 31, 2013

Spudland_Dave said:
I must be "Drill Doctor Challenged"....I've mangled a pile of bits trying to learn how to use my Dad's...gave up, chucked the bits and gave him back his DD 750x...I know some people can use em with excellent results, I just cant...
Any interest in buying used & dull bits? I'm too cheap to chuck em...larger ones I hand sharpen with 50/50 results, then I bring a pile of em to a machinst friend who can sharpen them all by hand/eye in less time then it takes to drink a single adult beverage.

I have a 750x too. I've had a few problem bits but in general they come out perfect. You want to make sure your angle settings are right and you're taking off enough metal.. And then go to town. I found the example videos were very helpful. My single set of bits work great, and I drill steel all the time.

Stephenw · Mar 31, 2013

I've had the 400 model for quite a few years. It works great and does bits up to 3/4".

You must be precise chucking the bit to get good results.

Steevo · Mar 31, 2013

I used DD750X at a neighbor's house for about 30 minutes, and went straight home and ordered one.
I probably have 300 bits that need sharpening. I should be pretty good at it after that.

justanengineer · Mar 31, 2013

Mehh....Im not a fan of gimmicks. If I needed a drill grinder I'd just pony up for a good one. Luckily, Ive got a bench grinder and dont mind the extra minute.

lilscorpion · Apr 1, 2013

justanengineer said:
Mehh....Im not a fan of gimmicks. If I needed a drill grinder I'd just pony up for a good one. Luckily, Ive got a bench grinder and dont mind the extra minute.

I don't consider a DD a gimmick. Its a cost effective way to grind a symmetrical tip on a wide variety of drill bits by average joes. He'll, it works so well, even prod shops have used them for a quick touch up. I doubt they're very popular with old-timers though. Don't get me wrong, if I could justify a real grinding machine (like a monoset), I'd never use a drill doctor again. A real sharpening machine could grind any tip you could dream of on any drill bit (or end mill) as long as you have the collet or can fit it in the chuck.

PhantomEB · Apr 1, 2013

Forgot I even had one til I did a recent clean up of the shop, sure got to find one day where I got nothing but free time and go thru the drill bit drawer. Sure have no use for numbered or lettered sized drill bits so probably just sorten out the fractional bits and sharpen those up. Sure could use a small organizer like that one above to store them in.

lotsoftools · Apr 1, 2013

I'm not sure which model I have, but haven't gotten the hang of using it yet. The bits I've "sharpened" so far barely even drill into soft wood.

Stephenw · Apr 1, 2013

PhantomEB said:
Sure have no use for numbered or lettered sized drill bits so probably just sorten out the fractional bits and sharpen those up.

Number and letter bits are needed when drilling holes for tapping threads.

Don't throw out your old drill bits! Drill Doctor 750X is awesome!

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