Drill Bit Sharpening Question

Dan Mosley

Member
Messages
1,169
Location
Palm Springs, Ca
I have a large box of drill bits and some Forstner bits and was wondering if anyone can recommend the best way to sharpen them ? Are you using a sharpening machine like the drillmaster ? I have bits of all different sizes - or are you taking them to someone to have them resharpened ? Thanks Dan
 
For twist bits, i generally do them freehand. First, with the grinder off, i hold the bit to the grinding wheel to match the existing grind angle. Then i turn on the grinder and go to town. It's quick and certainly accurate enough for my purposes.
For forstner bits, i clamp the shank in my bench vise with the head up and use a fine flat file to dress the point and cutting edges. Make sure not to file the outer radiused surface. Always file the beveled edge, not the rounded surface.
Try one or two to get your confidence up. Look at it this way, if they're already dull and unusable, if you mess up the grind once or twice, you're certainly not out anything. I think you'll find that it's easier than it seems.
Good luck, and have fun with it.
Paul Hubbman
 
Top