DBS-22 vs Drill Doctor

[Herman Trivilino]

I have the Drill Doctor XP and have had it for a couple of years or so.  I was confused about what they call "splitting the point" so I never bothered with it.  The talk around here lately about this homemade drill-sharpening jig, and the YouTube videos of that and of those sharpening them free hand, has caused me to take a second look.

I reviewed the videos of the DBS-22 and what Tormek refers to as its four-facet method.  Two primary facets are ground, which is roughly equivalent to the methods shown in the YouTube videos.

The issue with a bit sharpened in this way is that it walks.  It doesn't come to a sharp point and it leaves a chisel edge.  You need to punch a divot in the material first so the drill bit won't walk.  Also, it doesn't cut through the material as efficiently as it can.

The solution is what Tormek refers to as the secondary bevels.  The Drill Doctor documentation refers to this as "splitting the point".  I take it that these two techniques are similar in that they eliminate the chisel edge so that the bit doesn't walk, and they make the drill cut more efficiently.

It appears, though, that splitting the point with the Drill Doctor is a hit or miss thing.  You have to keep examining your work as you go to make sure you're grinding the same amount on each side of the bit, and that you grind to just the right depth.  If you don't grind enough you've still got a chisel edge, and if you grind too much you've oversplit the point and have to go back and remove some more of the tip.

It appears that the DBS-22 overcomes all these problems and makes the sharpening process more precise.

Am I on the right track here?

[Ken S]

I can't write about the Drill Doctor, as I have no experience with it. 

With the DBS-22, matching the two flutes of the bit is no problem.  Once the depth is set, just grind one side and flip the bit holder over.  The two flutes match.

Getting the two primary facets to line up is not necessarily automatic.  Someone with more experience than I have with it might have a better system.  For me, there is some trial and error with the process.  I think there may be a correlation between the amount of offset between the leading edges of the primary facets and the depth of cut needed to align them.  That seems logical to me, however, I have not found it mentioned in the Tormek videos or written instructions.  Measuring the offset, especially on smaller bits, might be difficult.  With practice, "eyeballing it" may work well.

I was able to grind the two facets in alignment with very little fussing around.  My radial alignment of the bit was a bit off, so my primary facets are not exactly parallel.  They seem close enough to work well.

If you have access to the finewoodworking.com website, do a search on "drill bits Ernie Conover".  Ernie has done an excellent you tube on precision wood drilling with twist bits.  Ernie is a first-rate woodworker and teacher.  He and his father designed and manufactured the wonderful Conover lathes, so Ernie is also a no slouch machinist.  In a nutshell, his recommendation for drilling a precisely sized hole in wood with a twist bit is to do in in three stages.  Stage one is a small pilot hole.  (This essentially eliminates the need for a four faceted bit.)  Stage two is to use a bit just undersized.  Stage three is to use the exact size bit.  Not super quick, but quite accurate.  (Isn't that the real goal in good work?) 

I have found the quickest way to use the DBS-22 is to sneak up on both the primary and secondary facets.  It adds very little time to the process and vastly improves the results.  If you happen to overshoot the mark, a little regrinding quickly saves the day.  (It also shortens the life of the bit; your grandson may have to replace it.)

Where the DBS-22 really shines is in versatility.  It enables you to custom grind a bit for different materials and clearances.  That is probably beyond the practical needs of most of us, but it is fascinating.  I wish I had had one when I was field sharpening my long telephone bits with a hand file (the wood bits which I file to a ninety degree point to penetrate softwood quickly) and the long carbide bits which I just leaned on more.

The four facet grind shines when no pilot hole is drilled.  For larger, really clean holes, it's hard to beat a sharp Forstner bit. (Lee Valley sells them in well made high speed steel, also.)

So, to answer your question, the DBS-22 does indeed make precise sharpening possible.  It's just not automatic and needs some operator skill.  (That's part of the fun.)

Ken

[Herman Trivilino]

Thanks, Ken.  I'll check out Conover when I get a chance.

[Ken S]

This isn't the video I mentioned, but it is a more general drilling post by Ernie.

http://www.startwoodworking.com/post/best-practices-drilling

It has several good suggestions.

the finewoodworking video seems to be member only.

Ken

[Herman Trivilino]

Those are some good tips to remember, Ken.

I wish I had a drill press.

I wish I had a bigger shop.

I wish ...

[Elden]

If you have access to the finewoodworking.com website, do a search on "drill bits Ernie Conover". 

"The information you requested is premium content only available to Online Members"


It appears to be tied to be tied to Fine Wood Working members only.
The second link is very interesting.

[Herman Trivilino]

It appears to be tied to be tied to Fine Wood Working members only.

Lots of companies are doing that now. Some use it to generate revenue, but they all use it to harvest email addresses of potential customers.

[Elden]

I wish I had a drill press.

I wish I had a bigger shop.

I wish ...

Sometimes it's fun to see how much you can do with what you already have. At times, I wish there was an engine lathe and a vertical mill available to use. With a little hillbilly engineering on a couple of my recent projects, by using a drill and an angle grinder, I was able to turn some tapers and cut a keyway on some metal shafts. Yes, a machinist that has those available would laugh at my processes. However, the items are fully functional.

By chucking a shaft in a drill press or a drill that is clamped down and spinning it, using a file will do a fine job of shaping within certain limits. The angle grinder with a cutting wheel, cut a functional keyway for a straight key for mounting a pulley. The keyway wasn't perfect, but the tapers looked great.

So dream big, but see how you can stretch to accomplish things with what is available.

[Herman Trivilino]

So dream big, but see how you can stretch to accomplish things with what is available.

That's the fun in it!

[Herman Trivilino]

Participating in these discussions and watching these videos has given me a new appreciation for the art of drill bit sharpening.  I was drilling holes in an aluminum plate and noticed two even corkscrews of aluminum peeling off the matching cutting edges of sharp drill bits.

Working with aluminum is kid of like a cross between working with wood and steel.

[Elden]

Sounds like it was sharpened well. Aluminum is nice to work with, I just never learned how to weld it (don't have the proper machine either). Haven't figured out how to redneck or hillbilly engineer that one!

[Rob]

You would first need a moonshine still!

[Ken S]

A bowl and a saucepan on a stove would suffice for a still....... The world is full of capable small weld shops.

Ken

[Rob]

Welding, something else id love to try

[Ken S]

Congrats, Herman on being the first hero member from Texas!

Welcome to the "club".

Ken