Anybody have a Drill Doctor?

I did the math and figured I could buy a bunch of bits for what a Drill Doctor costs. This will vary with how you use bits and the quality of the bits you use. Then Lowe's had a sale on the XP model and since my dad and I would both be using it, the math changed for me. It works as advertised but, I find I dull bits very seldom. On the rare occasion when you break one or hit that special "something" that wasn't supposed to be there, you can totally recover the bit with the Drill Doctor. The model I have does split pointing to a degree but, does not restore this feature to factory-like condition. I also wish they had a finer stone than a 180 grit; on smaller bits this is too coarse a grade. The smaller bits get sharp but, the edge does not last the way it would if a finer leading edge could be obtained. So, do the math and if the number of bits you kill in a year will pay for the product, I would say it is a good buy.
 
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I've got one as well. For woodworking, Glenn is right on.

Mine paid for itself however when I installed a heavy duty hitch on my truck and airbags and a special lift with brackets for my camper. I would have gone through a ton of 1/2" bits drilling holes for mounting everything.

The drill doctor was a lifesaver in that regard.

I keep 2 sets of bits, one just for woodworking, and another to use for metal working projects. Haven't had to sharpen any of my good woodworking bits yet though.
 
I've had on for about five years and would gladly buy it again.

I too have two sets of drill bits. One for metal and just recently a brad point set for woodworking. The best thing about the drill doctor is it will sharpen masonry bits.:thumb:
 
Stu, is that the 350 model?
I have a set of fine LV brad point bits for wwing, but for all the other stuff I drill my bits always seem to be going dull.

Thanks for all the responses. More suggestions for the model?
 
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I have one, used it a lot when I first got it because I sharpened a bunch of dull bits I had in a drawer. It worked good, but I don't use it much anymore. I will if I need to. I never had much luck on small size bits. Like 3/16" or less. Not sure why, something wrong with my technique I suppose. But those are cheap and I buy lots of them. I do know that when I sharpened the ones I had stored up, I had a sore hand and wrist when I got done!
 
Wow, they've got a lot more models than I remember. I have an older dd500 model.

I don't have any bits larger than 1/2", so it works great for me.

If I needed to go to 3/4", I'd get the 750.

If I needed to do spade bits, the new DDSB looks ok.

I'd probably skip the 350 or the xpa, because of the fixed sharpening angle.

So, Looking at all the models, I'd either go 500 or 750 if I was to do it over again, but still, probably the 500.
 
I had one, but sold it several years ago.

1. It can't sharpen brad point bits, which are all I ever use on wood.
2. It can't sharpen forstners bits.
3. It can't sharpen augers.

So, in my case, all it can sharpen is the bits I'd use for metal working. I don't do all that much metal stuff, and as Glenn said, I can buy a lot of new bits for the price of a DD.

Going slightly off topic...I feel pretty much the same about the WorkSharp I got a few months ago. I'm finding its best uses are putting new bevels on a chipped plane or chisel. My 8" slow speed grinder does that better and quicker, though. Everything else, my Tormek does much better. I'm seriously considering selling the WorkSharp, since I'm not using it.
 
I have the 750.

Drilling habits are a huge factor. I always try to gauge the remarks of someone's opinion against their actual usage. One guy's worthless is another guy's treasure.

I regularly make things with metal and thus do a fair bit of drilling in it. If I were only drilling wood all day, maybe I wouldn't care as much. But I won't buy a bit I can't sharpen easily. I don't use brad point bits because they hold little value for me. Some guys love 'em, but they're a one-trick pony and when they DO get dull, you're kinda stuck or at the very least it's not a simple task to sharpen.

So with that said - In my shop, where I primarily use standard jobber bits to drill steel, aluminum, brass, wood, plastic, etc... the Drill Doctor is invaluable. I'm also very cheap. If you only use twist drills, you can sharpen 'em for a LONG LONG time so the cost of a good set of bits is easily offset after two or three sharpenings - and a twist bit has a lot of flute, you can get dozens of sharpenings from a single bit (sometimes hundreds). The appropriate cost comparison is the Drill Doctor to at least 10-15 full sets of high quality drills. It's easily a cost savings in that regard.

The only reason I replace a drill bit is when I break it. And I find the more I keep them sharp, the less often I break them.

If you like standard twist drills and work in metal fairly frequently, I think you'll absolutely benefit from one.
 
I haven't needed to sharpen enough bits to justify one (and honestly most of my bits are cheap replaceable junk besides the one set of nice brad points) but my machinist friend swears by his. He bought it on an impulse buy and had instant buyers regret before it even showed up but ended up loving it. I've had a couple of people tell me you should just learn to sharpen freehand but .. dang I ain't that good.
 
Most definitely was not a waste of money for me. I sharpen many bits and use the Drill Doctor on the bits. Saves time and money and the best part is it is fun to use..

I highly recommend it -- purchase the best model that your money will buy.. It was a gift to me several years ago...
 
Glenn is probably right for the woodworking hobbiest. But I was able to justify the purchase. So "MY" answer to your questions is, yes, yes, yes and yes. And I have 3 sets of drill bits not counting Forstners, etc.
 
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For me, the cost is easy to justify. If I have to make a trip to town to get something, it's a 60 mile round trip, so it doesn't take many trips to justify an extra purchase or something that can save me the drive, in both time and money.
 
I have one (I think it's the 750) and have used it quite a bit, mostly sharpening a drawer full of bits I inherited from my granddad. It works well, and can salvage an otherwise toasted drill bit.

I've not used mine much for the past few years, since I bought a couple of the drill bit assortments (with multiples of each size) that Woodcraft was selling a few years ago. I have both regular and brad point sets, and tend to use them when I'm drilling a hole that matters. (Where I need a specific diameter, for example.) If I just need something rough, I'll grab an un-indexed "granddad bit", and now when they get dull or break I tend to throw them away instead of resharpening them.
 
I have a 350 and it is an important part of my shop. Works fine. I like. I have hundreds of bits I inherited from my father. Most need sharpening before use. I put split points on all. However, if buying again I would go for a model that does over 1/2", up to 3/4". As said, it won't sharpen brad point bits, wish it did.
 
not sure of my model, it was a close out of one of the older ones and got it for half price. I'd pay full price for a new one in a heartbeat if I needed to. I had hundreds of old drill bits my dad gave me and was able to get most all in working condition again. Even had a few that had snapped and was able to put a new cutter head on them in a couple of extra turns.
 
Stu, is that the 350 model?
I have a set of fine LV brad point bits for wwing, but for all the other stuff I drill my bits always seem to be going dull.

Thanks for all the responses. More suggestions for the model?

Ken it is a >> 350X << it does not do brad points.

I too do a lot of work in metal and this machine has paid for itself many many times over, drill bits are expensive over here, but at least they are decent quality, so when I sharpen them they are almost as good as new. Mine lives right next to my drill press, with my drill bits, no excuse to spend 30 seconds making sure a drill bit is sharp. I to have at to spend at least an hour of my time if I want/need to go buy one bit the right size to finish a job, very time consuming and not worth the hassel, the Drill Doctor has made it so I don't have to do that anymore, in fact, except for the smallest bits, which are expensive and as Paul said, they don't sharpen as well, I doubt I'll ever have to buy drill bits for a very, VERY long time.
Cheers!
 
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