Tormek Community Forum

Hey guys,

Still learning to use the dbs22. One of the problems I've encountered is trying to use the magnifier. Is it just me using it incorrectly but it seems to be completely out of focus.

AndrewLee,
   We have moved so mine is not available to look at. :( Is there an adjustment to the eyepiece? I have an old eye loupe that had a stand it could be mounted in. The loupe screwed up and down to adjust the focus.

It looks like there is an adjustable thing near the top of the magnifier, I tried messing with it but it doesn't seem to enhance the focus any better.  :-\

AndrewLee,

I will look at my DBS-22 this weekend and get back to you. In the meantime, id you hold a drill bit or a small piece of paper with type with the magnifier, can you see it sharply at some distance?

Ken

Hi Ken, I've messed about with it a little today and it seems that it's completely out of focus until you have the drill bit pressed almost right up to the alignment bar in the magnifier. Don't know if that means it's correct or not. Any further out and it's blurry

Andrew

Andrew,

Sorry to take so long to reply. I looked at my DBS-22 drill bit jig with a smaller bit installed. My loupe focuses.

I worked with large view cameras for thirty years. I always carried a loupe and used it regular as my eyes got older.

One thing which helps me with the loupe and drill bit jig is shining a bright LED flashlight through the open side of the loupe. That makes the light not only brighter but with higher contrast.

Are you setting the protrusion length of the drill bit with the stop?

I need to look through the distance part of my eyeglasses to see properly through the loupe.

If you are still not seeing sharple through the loupe, make up a focusing target. A piece of dowel cut off square or a penlight battery will work. You was a flat surface papallel with the lens of your loupe which has both dark and light.

My first thought is that you may not have set the bit protrusion with the stop on the flat part of the jig.

If, by chance, you have not watched Alan Holtham's video on tormek.com, be sure to do so, preferably more than once. I continue to watch it every time before using the jig.

Please post either way.

Ken

Hey Ken,

Yes I think you're right to suspect that my distance of the drill bit may be the problem. I loved it up today and indeed the focus was much better now :)

I have watched Alan's video on YouTube. Infuriating as to how simple his demonstrations make it look. I've yet to make my first perfect four faceted drill bit!

Andrew,

Imagine your brain is a ten speed bicycle. You want to be in the lowest gear for this learning hill. Believe me, when you reach the crest and are happily examining your first perfect four facet bit, the effort will all seem worthwhile. Go slowly. Set the grinding depth very shallow until you get a feel for the jig.

Just as with bench chisels, I think a medium size drill bit makes the going easier. I would start with a size in the 10mm or 7/16" range. It is large enough to see and grind easily and small enough not to become a big project. After doing your victory dance with the first perfect bit, do a few more in that general size range.

As that great English Tormek user said in Henry V, "Once more into the breach!"

I think the DBS-22 is Tormek's most advanced and versatile jig once mastered. If I can do it, you certainly can.

Have courage, patience and keep us posted!

Ken

Andrew,

When I first started using mine, I knew something was wrong :  Only ½ or less of my grinds were like the pictures in the manual.  But I stuck with it, & learned that very small increments are the key (for me).  I was being to aggressive & it wasn't working.  When I slowed down, my success went up greatly.

I will also add this :  I believe this jig is the most complex one that Tormek makes.  Takes a little longer to master.   But stick with it.  The points on your drill bits will get better. 

I do a fair bit of pen turning with wood that has highly figured grain.  Sharp bits enable me to have good, tight fits.  The work is worth it for me, & significantly cheaper than buying new bits all the time (probably better for the environment also).

Kind regards,
Rich

Cheers Ken and Rich for the advice! I'm always looking for help with Woodturning and woodworking in general as it's a hobby I've grown to love for the last few years. I noticed a few problems with woodworking though for me:

1. I seem to enjoy the idea of building jigs over actually making stuff
2. Its getting too easy to justify purchases and hiding them from the missus. Surely she'll find out someday as just how much I blown my money on stuff.


Anyways! I think the big one is lime what you two have said, which is being too aggressive. So far all Ive been doing is sharpening knives and gouges and there seems to be little room for error and I've gotten accustomed to pressing down against the stone with plenty of force.

I'm assuming then I should adopt a more feather light approach when  it comes to drill bits. I'll have to take before and after pics of my drill bits to compare. So far my 10mm drill bit looks like something exploded.

One more question, how essential is it to get the stone completely level? I've been getting away with the stone not being completely true but if grinding drill bits may be a sensitive operation, my gut feeling is telling me that I should give it the once over with the diamond truing tool first.

Andrew

Andrew,

If you watch Jeff Farris' videos, Jeff mentions that the Tormek operates well at a remarkable range. While you can be heavy handed enough to lift the one side off the bench while sharpening a chisel, the Tormek also operates with a much lighter touch. I suggest you start out with a lighter touch, especially with drill bits. It is easy to overgrind the mark. Forget speed; strive for quality work.

Using an untrue grinding wheel is like driving a car in need of a tune up and oil change.  Keeping the wheel regularly trued should become part of your routine housekeeping, just like cleaning the water trough at the end of each sharpening session. Truing the new wheel should be done before anything else is sharpened. I suspect that is not the answer you hoped to hear, but it is honest. The last time I trued my grinding wheel was yesterday. If you keep it trued, you will get better sharpening results and probably have less wheel wear. Truing often will help you become proficient. It is good insurance to keep the sharpening gremlins away.

I would true the wheel before sharpening drill bits. It helps your state of mind.

Keep us posted.

Ken

ps In my opinion the two best ways to keep your wife happy are to balance you time so that she doesn't feel like a workshop widow and to make something for her.

I'll be honest and admit that I've only ever tried the wheel only once since I've had it lol

My main fear is that these wheels aren't cheap and I'm afraid that truing the wheel would rapidly eat away the material

Andrew,

You have an affliction which runs rampant with Tormekers, PGWS .(Precious Grinding Wheel Syndrome). You need to reprogram your thinking. The precious things are the things you share which you have made with your own hands using sharp tools, not the tools themselves. Think of your grinding wheel are your Tormek's brake shoes. Each time you apply the brakes, you shorten the life of your brake shoes. I hope this does not inhibit you from stopping when you need to stop.

I recently saw Rich Colvin's very worn grinding wheel. After ten years of good service it is honorably worn out. Rich is a turner. Gouges wear the wheel more quickly than flat tools. Rich's worn out grind stone has produced a lot of wood turnings.

Steve Bottorff averages about eighteen months of weekly farmers'' market sharpening with each wheel. That's a lot of sharpened knives and revenue from each wheel.

I suspect most long time Tormekers are still using their first wheel (and trying to squeeze the last millimeter out of it :) ) Your Tormek wheel will give you a lot of service and last a long time.

You will get much more enjoyment from your Tormek if you keep the wheel trued regularly. Have you used bench stones? Water stones work well, if they are fastidiously flattened. Oilstones do not wear as fast, but cut very slowly if not kept dressed regularly. Compared with good quality bench stones and diamond flattening plates, Tormek wheels are not so expensive, plus it has a motor. Regularly truing your grinding wheel is essential for accurate sharpening. I believe that most out of square grinding is a result of an untrue wheel. Also, regular, light truing develops your fluency with the truing tool.

I highly recommend working with a chisel to learn the Tormek. See the first topic , Tips and Techniques.

Your learning time will be well rewarded.

Ken

Ken & others bring up a point that is just starting to gel in my mind (after 10 years of Tormek use).  As I read the last post, it reminded me of a trip I took to Athens, Greece a few years back.  I remember seeing the carved columns.

(http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w419/richcolvin/Greek%20Columns_zpsmbzs9cae.jpeg)

When I saw the fluting in the columns, I marveled at the mastery of the carvers.  How hard it must have been to

• get a round column,
• that was tapered evenly all the way to the top,
• that had flutes evenly spaced all around the column,
• that had flutes that were cut evenly to the same depth, and
• that matched all the other columns in the temple !

And to make that even more remarkable, they were using carving tools that were most probably soft steel or bronze !

How often must these tools had to have been sharpened ?
How many stones were lost to that sharpening ?

Today, 3000 years later, those last two questions do not really matter.  The carvers' work is their legacy. 

Tim Vande Sluis has a site for wood carving, and sends out a periodic eMail.  His latest one said that there are two stages to becoming an accomplished artist.

• The artist must first learn to control the tool.
• Then the artist can express the vision in his (or her) mind.

We'll be remembered for the art we produce, not how sharp our tools were.  The sharpness of our tools makes mastering the tool control easier, and the art easier to produce.  If a few stones need to be sacrificed to achieve great art, it is a small price to pay.

Good points, Rich.

If by making the tools sharp we can contribute to the artist developing control of them, we will have served a useful function.

The museums of the world have many exquisite musical instruments. In reality, these beautiful works of art were often not the most musical instruments. These were usually played out and discarded.

It seems no surprise that the same ancient Greek culture which gave us these marvelous columns also gave us mathematicians like Mr. Euclid of Alexandria and Pythagorus.

Ken

All advice above is duly noted. I've watched Alan's video again and reread the instruction manual. In my haste I've skipped a few steps in the middle of the drill bit sharpening process. I'll have to further redouble my efforts. (I'm young and excitement and enthusiasm often makes me ignorant and impatient).

However, I still am not satisfied with the loupe provided. Maybe it's because I tried to align a 3mm drill bit and maybe that's too small for the magnifier.

New question now then guys: any suggestions for a cheap but passable head mounted loupe? The prices range from £3 off Amazon to £100 plus for professional jewellers loupes.. Obviously I only want it to help me with aligning the drill bit so something cheap would be good but I don't want to buy one so cheap it wouldnt do the job at hand either 

Andrew,

Your experience with the drill bit magnifier reminds me of my early struggle with my 4x5 view camera. In case you are not familiar with a view camera, it is the large camera with viewing and focusing beneath a black cloth. It has a definite learning curve. I wanted one for years and when I finally purchased one I could not see using it. I was frustrated and discouraged. I persisted and eventually my eyes became accostumed to the camera. Once you get over the learning curve it is an incredible camera and spoils you for any other camera. It is a real joy to use and extremely versatile.

I suggest you set the 3 mm bit aside. I think it is probably the most difficult size to sharpen. If you need a sharp bit immediately, buy another one. Small bits are cheap.

Pick out some bits in the ten to twelve millimeter range. You can easily see these without the magnifier. Break down the learning process into bite sized pieces. When you can consistently sharpen bits of this size perfectly and efficiently, gradually work down, millimeter by millimeter. Try introducing the magnifier at around eight millimeter. When your eye becomes accostumed to the magnifier at that size, keep moving gradually smaller.

You need to tune your eye and your thinking. I would leave the bit in the jig near bright light. Pick it up and look through the magnifier several times a day. Good daylight is a starting point. Your eyes should adapt.

Start with the easiest size to sharpen. Gain mastery of the skills and sneak up on the 3mm bit. Let us know how you are progressing.

Ken

https://www.dropbox.com/s/k2moysq5g4vv9kv/IMG_20160609_090400669.jpg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/4hieozu62u6mzaq/IMG_20160609_094700787.jpg?dl=0

Before and after pics of a 10mm drill bit ive attempted to grind. Does it look correctly done?

I tried drilling through some pine and it came out very clearly, no problems drilling through at all so I'm happy with it at the moment

Very good work, Andrew. Your primary facets line up exactly. You are ninety five percent of the there. Your primary facets should be parallel out to the edges.

I hope to have some quiet shop time next Monday. I will set up ny DBS-22 and sharpen a few bits. My gut feeling is that grinding a bit more on the primary facets might help make them parallel. I have not used the drill bit jig frequently enough for instant recall. Some study and experimenting is in order.

Keep up the good work. (and maybe don't wait quite so long to resharpen :)

Ken

Cheers Ken, I'll have to upload a pic of a perfectly done drill bit as and when that happens!

Andrew

Andrew,

One of the great things that I like about this jig's manual is that it shows how doing it wrongly looks.  On page 14 (of the English version, at least), it shows how the drill being not aligned correctly can produce different primary facets.  (Here's a link to the online version of it ==> http://tormek.com/international/en/grinding-jigs/dbs-22-drill-bit-sharpening-attachment/.)

Yours, it seems, was rotated clockwise.


Don't get discouraged :  I have also done the same thing more times that I wish to remember.  Particularly when I had a drill which I or someone else had misused, and it required quite a bit of grinding to get it back into shape. 

The good news is that it isn't hard to fix.  If you are using it for wood, I would try for more evenly shaped primary facets, as the periphery of the bit is where more cutting happens than at the centre.

Kind regards,
Rich

Hey there Rich,

Thanks for pointing that out for me. Day if I wanted to rectify this mistake? If my error was too clockwise as stated, would I twist it back counterclockwise to fix it?

Hmm Im sure I had it parallel to the horizontal markings too.. 

Rich, I'm glad we brought you along! Andrew, listen to this guy. I've seen his shop; he knows his stuff.

Ken

Andrew,

Indeed, you do rotate it anti-clockwise (or counter clockwise).  Should do the job.

Kind regards,
Rich

P.S., thank you Ken for the kind words.

Rich,

You're welcome. For a while it seemed I might have been the only posting member of the forum with a DBS-22 drill bit jig. It seems the jigs are now more plentiful. I hope other members will post!

Ken

Cheers Rich, I'll have to give that a try and post the results

As a point of interest, how long have you two been woodworking for? I'm 30 and been at it for only a few years. I'm hoping woodworking with become a lifelong passion for me. That's my mentality when I bought the dbs22 -  that this will last me a lifetime and beyond!

Interestingly, I couldn't resist and had another go with a 3mm bit. The result was sketchy, one side seemed ground more than the other side. I think it's because I haven't used the dresser to turn the wheel into a more gentler grit.

However, it still drilled scarily well, even more so than my 10mm "properly grounded" bit. Maybe it's because of how small the bit is by nature that it'll break through wood fibres alot easier than bigger bits. Not perfect,  but ideal for me right now, I'm using it to drill pilot holes for cladding for a shed I'm building. A super sharp bit will speed the process up considerably!


This forum really needs an off topic area for other points of discussion. Only corresponded with you Ken and Rich but already I'm seeing that there's lots of guys here that have alot of advice to offer, something a newcomer like me appreciates! Woodworking feels like a very lonely hobby for me anyway, toiling away hours in the garage and it's nice to talk to like minded people.


Also, are we allowed to discuss other products apart from tormek on here? I have the dowel max jig and can't praise it enough, the main reason I got the dbs22 is so I can regrind the dowel max's drill bit to further enhance its performance. I'm too afraid to at the moment until I reground lots of other bits and gain that confidence and experience!

Andrew,

I agree; we could use a separate area for more general topics. I think of handtool woodworkingkk as fulfilling that function, sort of. As moderator, I am very loose on catagories.

As far as mentioning other products, the generally followed guidelines are that we prefer not to make too much mention of products which are in direct competition with Tormek. Tormek is regarded as the premier wet grinder in quality, engineering, innovation and price. I am not comfortable with product bashing. While some of the information may benefit users of competitive sysrems, this forum is primarily oriented toward Tormek users.

That stated, My personal feeling is that anything which assists us in using the Tormek is welcome for discussion. If you read my posts, you will know that I use and recommend the Edgeonup knife edge testers. They give us a more objective way to test and share knife edge sharpness. Please note that Tormek does not manufacture or sell any edge testers. Therefore, these products compliment the Tormek system without competing with it.

I have also promoted Steve Bottorff's Sharpening School DVD and Robin Bsiley's oversized universal support bar. I have found both very useful and neither competes with Tormek. In the case of Steve's DVD, I have asked Tormek for several years to produce more in depth training videos, with no success. (Tormek has done an outstanding video on turning tools. I recommend it highly. I wish they would do more.)

This forum is non commercial. I do not want it to become a market for those looking for cheap Tormek stuff or wanting to sell. Go to an online auction site for that. That, spam, and attacking posts will be deleted immediately.

We are a polite, helpful, self governing group.

For the record, Andrew, I am sixty six. My interest in woodworking began in 1962 and has been sporadic ever since, competing with family, earning a living, photography and an interest in machine tool and measuring technology. What got me started with the Tormek was the pain in my hands from preparing some new chisels for a handcut dovetails class. The majority of my woodworking knowledge is from study.

Ken

There's just so many things people can discuss about, not just about tormek but woodworking in general lol

One thing I've wondered is the whole hand tool vs machines debate. Ken, you teach dovetails, but what makes it so good compared to having it done with machines? Being inexperienced I'm all for things which aid me in making things easier.


https://www.dropbox.com/s/x7mo41kblwj46gn/IMG_20160610_230152180.jpg?dl=0

It's late, I climbed out of the bed and into the garage to regrinding my drill bit - it was really bugging me! Boy am I happy that I have done so, thing is near perfect after listening to Rich's advice. Damn thing is now the best bit in my arsenal despite being a cheap Chinese bit. I am so happy lol


Any point rummaging through car boot sales for old drill bits and gouges and chisels? Anyone know what's good brands to keep a discreet eye out for? I'm trying to avoid Chinese steel of possible.

Andrew

Andrew,

You now have a properly sharpened bit. Congratulations!

Having been thirty once and experiencing many of the frustrations you are now, I will be so bold as to offer some advice.  For those readers who have read my posts over the years, this may sound repetitious. That is intentional.

Having collected too much unnecessary stuff over the years, my advice for you is to accumulate knowledge and skill, plus the few good tools you need. From your comment about the cost of the SVD-186 in pounds sterling, I assume you are probably located in the UK. I would look for solid instruction. Check out Robin Bailey for sharpening, Glenn Lucas for turning or David Charlesworth for fine woodworking. Early exposure to a master will give you a hyper leap, much more than purchasinog tools. Look on the tormek website for a Tormek friends video featuring Glenn Lucas.

Concentrate your focus. You don't have the resources, financial, time, or mental to go off in too many directions at once; none of us do. Pick an area, sharpening, turning, woodwork, whatever. Focus on that until you are proficient. At that point you can expand your focus in an orderly manner.

Do not try to substitute forums, this one or any other, for a solid teacher. Try to realize the real areas of any forum. This forum has a primary focus of using the Tormek. Other areas, such as hand tool woodworking are included, but really outside the primary focus. For forums with this focus, you might check lumberjocks or sawmillcreek. Among forums for Tormek, I modestly think we are the best. Among other things, the bulk of us actually own and use Tormeks.

Invest in yourself first. Learn the craft.

Ken

I know what you mean by focus. Even within the specialised area of tormek owners, there's a plethora of skills to learn and master, knives, drill bits, scissors, gouges etc etc. There's just so many things to look into!

My main issue with learning from a master is the cost aspect at the moment. Woodworking is at the moment a hobby, am unpaid one too. The smart move is to find a way to make a return financially, at the very least break even with all the tools I've purchased.

I've been thinking about woodturning and trying to sell turned objects but I'm my own worst enemy in that regard - I do not believe that any I've turned is something worth selling at this point in time.

I'd love to learn to sharpen knives and drill bits and make money from it, but I don't have any idea where to start. I can picture myself shoving pamphlets door to door and hoping a nice old lady few doors down would want her knives sharpened for a few dollars..

Coincidentally, I actually emailed a UK (yes, that's where I'm from) sharpening website today about lessons in tool sharpening. I think they're affiliated with Robin Bailey that you mentioned. Depending on the price of the tuition,  I may go check it out. It all hinges on how much it costs and also whether I can make money from it.

Andrew,

That close-up of the drill bit looks like you've mastered the DBS-22.  Congratulations !!  That is really great work, and as you already see, the newly sharpened bit cuts probably better than when it was new from the box.

If you are thinking of going into Woodturning as a living, there was a series of articles in "Woodturning" magazine (which is published from the U.K. -- Britain, I think).  Good read, and a really good magazine.

My delay in responding is that I am at the American Association of Woodturning's convention.  There are a number of international visitors here, and great instruction tips.  If nothing, you should seek a local club and go to conventions like these.

There is a great wood turner who makes his living at it.  I believe his funds come from teaching, books / DVDs, and art collectors.  To get to where he is, he has said he had to have something that he could make easily and fast to sell at craft fairs.  He chose salt & pepper shakers with his own designed shape.  If you go this route, find something that differentiates you from the crowd.

When I was in my early 20s, I had a very wise boss who told me to find hobbies so I'd not be like others who retired in their early 60s and died 2-3 years later (they had nothing to fill the void left by their jobs).  It took me a number of years and classes before I settled on wood turning, woodcarving, and metal work. 

I won't sell anything I make as then it would be a job.  I'm 52, and still VERY MUCH employed.  I already have one job and don't wish for another.  My approach to this is to continue to collect the tools of my hobby, enjoy them now and then, but really stock up for retirement (when my time will be greater, but my money less so).

I don't mean to be critical of those who make $ from their hobby (oftentimes to feed the hobby).   Indeed, if that makes them happy, they should pursue it.  It just doesn't work for me.

But, hobby, craft fairest, or professional :  Tormek will make your sharpening faster and easier.  Then you can get back to the reason you needed that sharp tool.

Best of luck, & kind regards,
Rich

Quote from: RichColvin on June 08, 2016, 08:12:48 PM
Ken & others bring up a point that is just starting to gel in my mind (after 10 years of Tormek use).  As I read the last post, it reminded me of a trip I took to Athens, Greece a few years back.  I remember seeing the carved columns.

(http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/w419/richcolvin/Greek%20Columns_zpsmbzs9cae.jpeg)

When I saw the fluting in the columns, I marveled at the mastery of the carvers.  How hard it must have been to

• get a round column,
• that was tapered evenly all the way to the top,
• that had flutes evenly spaced all around the column,
• that had flutes that were cut evenly to the same depth, and
• that matched all the other columns in the temple !

And to make that even more remarkable, they were using carving tools that were most probably soft steel or bronze !

How often must these tools had to have been sharpened ?
How many stones were lost to that sharpening ?

Today, 3000 years later, those last two questions do not really matter.  The carvers' work is their legacy. 

Tim Vande Sluis has a site for wood carving, and sends out a periodic eMail.  His latest one said that there are two stages to becoming an accomplished artist.

• The artist must first learn to control the tool.
• Then the artist can express the vision in his (or her) mind.

We'll be remembered for the art we produce, not how sharp our tools were.  The sharpness of our tools makes mastering the tool control easier, and the art easier to produce.  If a few stones need to be sacrificed to achieve great art, it is a small price to pay.

Quote from: Ken S on June 08, 2016, 09:30:48 PM
Good points, Rich.

If by making the tools sharp we can contribute to the artist developing control of them, we will have served a useful function.

The museums of the world have many exquisite musical instruments. In reality, these beautiful works of art were often not the most musical instruments. These were usually played out and discarded.

It seems no surprise that the same ancient Greek culture which gave us these marvelous columns also gave us mathematicians like Mr. Euclid of Alexandria and Pythagorus.

Ken

Ken and Rich I fully agree with you!  :)

I am firmly convinced that symmetry, which we often perceive as beauty, is one of the guiding principles of the Universe.

The symmetry properties of a system are intimately related to the conservation laws characterizing that system. E.g. conservation of energy simply results from time homogeneity!  :)

Jan

Jan,

My avid interest in photography began when I was a boy. I spent many hours photographing and developing in my father's hobby darkroom. My Health teacher once asked me to take a straight on photo of him. I printed it both normally and with the negatived reversed. By cutting the reversed print in two, I was able to construct his entire face using only the left or right sides. I was surprised how asymmetrical most of us are facially. I have since read articles noting the facial symmetry of persons famed for their beauty.

Even with utilitarian objects like kitchen knives, which might actually function more efficiently as left or right handed (to allow the cut portion to fall away better), we still prefer symmetry.

With automobiles, is the addition of the passenger side mirror really for safety, or is it for symmetry? :)

Ken

Interesting thoughts, Ken.  :)

The connection between symmetry and conservation laws was explained by Emmy Noether, who was a German Jewish mathematician (1882-1935). She was described by Albert Einstein as the most important woman in the history of mathematics.

Noether's theorem published in 1918 has become a fundamental tool of modern physics, both because of the insight it gives into conservation laws, and also, as a practical calculation tool. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmy_Noether

Jan

Interesting thoughts, Jan.

You have enriched your life from both the wisdom of the past and the cutting edge technology of today. Even better, you are sharing those insights with our future generations.

Ken

Ken, thanks for your response.  I hope my posts are not annoying you too much.  :-\  Let me know if they are and I will stop it.

I share my views in a hope it can help someone to get deeper insight into the mosaic of invisible ties which are controlling our visible world.

This obsessive effort to understand "why is it so" helped me to understand how the setter TTS-100 works and how it can be modified for other purposes. It was challenging but rewarding.

Jan

Jan, I welcome and enjoy your posts. Like you, I think the TTS-100 is a very clever tool and capable of much more than sharpening woodturning chisels, which it does very well. I also believe the thought process involved is as useful as the tool itself. Keep posting!

Ken

The magnifier is designed to use when the drill bit is mounted in the tool holder.
It has two longera parts that will guide its position on the tool holder.
There is only a small range of fokus distance on that type of magnifier.
I think it works well for setting up the drill bit and for control of the resultat.