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The late Leonard Lee, founder of Lee Valley and Veritas, wrote an excellent book on sharpening. It should be part of every sharpener's library. His advice for sharpening drill bits was to only buy top quality US made high speed steel bits. That eliminates many sharpening problems.

Ken

With the purpose to sharpen less drillbits, or no need at all to sharpen bits?

You mean that this is normal? Or that's a warning that I'm doing it wrong?

What I mean is some sharpening can cause more splashing than others. But I always get water drippage, sometimes more than others.

I didn't read that I need a different stone for grinding drill-bits...

Need, depends on how much drill sharpening you do. I do a lot and also have HSS planner blades and some higher hardness chisels and plane blades so went out and bought the diamond wheels. If you are only sharpening the occasional drill bit then probably not. Just re-true the stone prior to sharpening and you should be good to go.

In the end, I will need the TT-50 truing tool... sooner or later..

If the wheel is glazed then you will find it difficult to fix with just the grader.

Used the stone grader a couple of times... it makes a difference...

So I need to get some experience with grinding drill-bits, and then find out what works for me... I dont drill so much, but now, I have 2 sets of dull drills from 3 to 10 [mm]. So in the beginning, I will sharpen more drills that later I guess. Maybe I buy an diamond stone too, but thats for the future..

I also habe a Bosch (green DIY) drill-set, with TiN coated drills. What about them? For that price, they couldn't be that good...

I use my DBS-22 very infrequently. As a warmup, I always watch Alan Holtham's video linked here:

https://youtu.be/fSUa1iFUzkM?si=vy3VkykP1bvgw75h

I try to watch all of the Tormek related videos. I have found Alan's DBS-22 the best hands down.

Ken

Alan is using the original stone too..

Also the water spray is a constant hazard - again depending on what you are doing.

You mean that this is normal? Or that's a warning that I'm doing it wrong?

Drills I find to be problematic on the original stone, depending on the drill material. Drills for wood are often carbon steel and pose no issue. However most drill bits are high speed steel (HSS) and are of the same approximate hardness as Aluminium Oxide, which is the material of the original stone wheel. This means that the wheel can easily become glazed, especially when sharpening large drills, either for the first time where you have to establish the new bevels, or damaged drills. When it glazes it forms a hard outer layer that is difficult to remove and regrade and you need to use the TT-50 trueing tool to re-surface the wheel.

I don't have an issue with the magnifier. It did take some getting used to so maybe with practice it will become easier.

I didn't read that I need a different stone for grinding drill-bits... Maybe I have to apply the stone grader another time, but then a little longer (I also had the DBS-22 on the T4 when I useds the stone grader, while I wasn't finished with a drill-bit, so not ideal).

In the end, I will need the TT-50 truing tool... sooner or later..

So.... started off with grinding drill-bits on my T4 with the DBS-22.... Began with a almost new drill-bit 12 mm to get some experience..

Now, I did app. 8 drill-bits in different sizes and have some questions. At 1 drill-bit, the sound was rather noisy, and the water was spraying from the wheel. It was a Phantom PCD 8 mm drill-bit (with 5% Cobalt). Should this be a problem for the original Tormek stone? Or is the sound a coincidence maybe getting close to the base frequency causing resonance (due to the shape and the length it's sticking out of the holder..)?

After grinding 8 drill-bits, and one grinding some more due to some damage, I have the feel the wheel doesn't grind well at anymore. Sharpening the second facets was during ages on the last bit (9,5 mm diameter). I used the SP-650 stone grader on the coarse side for app. 10 seconds.. Some people with good advices? 

Oh and the magnifier is hard to use. It seems that I can only focus when the drill is sticking exactly the right length out of the holder... focusing doesn't have any effect while the focus is turned one way fully. Extruding the drill some more out of the holder wouldn't work, while the 'beam' in the magnifier (with Tormek on it) touches then the drillbit...

Kind regards!

I have a SuperGrind 2000 & a T-8.  On both, I use the full width when using the DBS-22.

So you slide with the drill bit completely beyond the outer edge of the grinding stone?

I don't see it.. 

Don't see the video, or that he's using the whole width?

Here's the direct link...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSUa1iFUzkM&t=578s

No.. I saw the video, but it isn't clear to me that he uses the whole width..

...
I was wondering if the whole width of the stone can be used during grinding. So can you get with the drill bit beyond the side edges of the grinding stone while grinding? If yes, I should say that the stone will remain more flat for a longer time, while the man on the video doesn't use the whole width.

2nd question. Can I use normal water, out of the tap? I live in Holland, the quality of the drinking water is quite good. What use the most people on their Tormek?
...

This video might be worth a watch...

...around 9:00 he sharpens a drill bit, and looks like he uses the whole width.

Tap water is fine... I use it, and my water is definitely not "good". 

Thanks for your answer. TO be honest, I don't see on the video that he's using the whole width of the stone... 

I read somewhere also about a magnet in the water tray. That seems to be an good idea to catch metal chips..

Kess, (or is it Keesh? I like to spell people's names correctly.)

Danny makes a good point about avoiding wheel freezing. One of the outstanding features of the T4 is its light weight. As a senior citizen, the T8 can be a bit much for me to carry. The T4 is no problem. Either is easier to carry with the grinding wheel removed.

My suggestion with a shed is to carry your grinding wheel into your house during colder weather and put it in a good place to dry.

A plastic container for your grinding wheel would be useful. I would check in the local grocery store.

Ken

Its Kees, typical Dutch name .

Maybe I make a fixed stud bolt on the wall to store the wheel, so the machine is less high so that I can store it elsewhere..

Kess,
Be aware that the stone will stay wet for some time (as Ken says) so you need to make sure that the temperature in your shed will remain above freezing!! Not sure if it is heated or not but the tone may crack if the temperature gets too low.
Danny

Good point! My shed is isolated (and made of bricks/concrete) so I guess it will work out.

Welcome to the forum, Kees.

You should be able to use the while width of your grinding wheel with the DBS-22. Just keep in mind that there is no automatic stop and use some care.

The Tormek is designed to operate using normal tap water.

I can recommend from personal experience not storing damp grinding wheels in the cardboard boxes. Your grinding wheel will remain damp for several days. After emptying and cleaning your water trough, you can leave your grinding wheel mounted. It will dry naturally.

Enjoy the journey of learning the Tormek and keep us posted. I have found the online class series an invaluable learrning aid.

Ken

Thank you. I will use it with some care. I also saw the LA-120 in the video, where they deburred the inside of the drill-bit. Is this neccessary? Or is it nice to have? Likely, this is doable for a bigger drill-bit but for 3 mm drill-bit it would be hard I gues..

I guess when the grinding wheel has damped out, I can store it in the cardboard box. Question is after how many days / weeks...

Dear all,

I just bought a Tormek T4 and DBS-22, at first sight to sharpen drill-bits, but while it's so versatile, I want to use it for knifes, scissors as well.

I watched the Tormek video on Youtube

I was wondering if the whole width of the stone can be used during grinding. So can you get with the drill bit beyond the side edges of the grinding stone while grinding? If yes, I should say that the stone will remain more flat for a longer time, while the man on the video doesn't use the whole width.

2nd question. Can I use normal water, out of the tap? I live in Holland, the quality of the drinking water is quite good. What use the most people on their Tormek?

3rd question. While I have a small shed, space for storing equipment is always a problem. How long does it take before the stone is completely dry? Can I store the machine in the original (cardboard) package? Can I store the stone separately from the machine, and if yes, how? Store flat (in the package) or hanging at the bore?

Many thanks!

Kees