Can anyone vouch for a drill sharpener they are actually impressed with? Sterling?

[jacuzzi]

I am looking for a new drill sharpener for my toolroom. The old darex just insnt worth using anymore and frankly ive never been that impressed with it. I would be sharpening mostly under half inch but need the ability to do up to 1 1/2 or more. I ran across the Sterling drill sharpener and at least this looks like a machine tool should. Unfourtunately it talkes 24 weeks to get a new one. Anyone every used one one smaller drills? I hate to wait half a year for something i dont like. It would sure be nice to have a rep "sell" me one where i could see it work and try berfore i buy but thats just not the way anymore. Any advice is appreciated

 

[jkilroy]

Christen, if your needs are 1.25" and below.

 

[sable]

I'm interested about your issues with the darex, I have an sp2500 and I'm not that impressed either , it does the job but the point seems a bit strange and using the rotating setting guage seems to be a black art .

I thought I was struggling because I didn't have a manual but I downloaded one and it didn't make much difference.

 

[Mydrrin]

I personally have found the manual ones with the swivel to be good enough. Hated my darex also. Just always sat there, caused more headaches than savings in time. It was suppose to make it easier.

Something like this:
GENERAL TOOLS Sharpener Attachment - Drill Bit Sharpeners - 3ZH44|825 - Grainger Industrial Supply

Drill bit sharpening attachment DBS-22
looks pretty sexy but only up to 0.875".

or perhaps
http://www.ruko.de/dateien/drillgrind_en.pdf

 

[S_W_Bausch]

You just missed out on this one, on ebay:

Sterling Drill Grinder | eBay

If you had saved a search, your morning email would have had notified you.

 

[jimfnd]

We have 2 of the Sterlings and generally like them.

They are simple to use for most first-timers and do the job.

 

[hologrind]

For larger drill, I prefer an Oliver. I think it is hard to beat a "Black Diamond" on smaller drills (1/2" and under) and splits the point well too.

 

[Conrad Hoffman]

Putting on my flameproof underwear, I think any shop that's in business to make a profit should be tossing dull drills, at least the small ones. The time and money spent sharpening them is better spent making parts. You do buy 'em by the dozen, right? That may not be true for the big ones, and I've been perfectly happy with the old fashioned swing tool for those.

 

[Mud]

I've had Darex and TRD and some cheaper stuff. I bought a used and broken Black Diamond and repaired it and wow is it everything I've heard about them. Small drills seem to work even better than brand new brand name drills. The TRD is fine on larger drills but won't do 1.5"

 

[BobRenz]

Check with Interplant Sales (Inter-Plant Sales | New and Used Metal Working and Fabrication Machinery) - look on their "grinders" page. I just checked, and they show the following available:

Oliver 510, 3" capacity, $ 3600
Sellers 6G, 3" capacity, $ 2450
Sterling, 2.5" capacity, $ 1500
Worcester DD2, 1.5" capacity, $ 650

I've bought from Interplant for years, and I've always liked doing business with them. They are always willing to operate any machine they have, they load in a few minutes using either a crane or a forklift, and their prices are fair.

 

[antique iron]

No doubt I'm a bit bias, working at Oliver, but the 600 with the proper sub jaws will catch everything from 1/4 to 3". They'll fix you up with new or a rebuild or rebuild something you come up with.

Paul

Large Drill Grinder for up to 4 inch Drills : Oliver 600 and 700

 

[Loving The WEDM]

for drill under 13/16 I like the darex.... anything bigger, we have an oliver that has been outstanding for many years now...

 

[jCandlish]

Tatar Optima

 

[shapeaholic]

The old darex just insnt worth using anymore and frankly ive never been that impressed with it.

Just curious, what model Darex are you referring to??
I have an M5 that works pretty well.
Just the same I'm looking for a deal on an Oliver 21HD

Pete

 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

" Herbert Hunt " later marketed by " Churchill " . Great little drill grinders , any style you want up to 4" dia. Regards Tyrone.

 

[adama]

Might get slammed for this, but having the skill to hand sharpen them means you need just a grind stone that’s dressed with a sharp corner if you want to split the flute. IMHO anything sub 1/2" is sub 1 minute to grind if not badly chipped.

If you have to buy a new drill every time the old one gets blunt, IMHO your tossing out good money. At even a couple of bucks a drill unless your rate is 100+ a hour sharpening them makes good sense if you can do it well enough and fast enough.

 

[DMF_TomB]

Might get slammed for this, but having the skill to hand sharpen them means you need just a grind stone that’s dressed with a sharp corner if you want to split the flute. IMHO anything sub 1/2" is sub 1 minute to grind if not badly chipped.

If you have to buy a new drill every time the old one gets blunt, IMHO your tossing out good money. At even a couple of bucks a drill unless your rate is 100+ a hour sharpening them makes good sense if you can do it well enough and fast enough.

.
where i work they deliberately got rid of the bench grinders as they did not want anybody hand sharpening drill bits. with cnc machines the tip comp length is critical and the angle too. many drilled holes have a depth tolerance of 0.005"
..... also i have seen badly sharpened drill bits drill oversize unless a pilot drill is used. often a cnc will drill a 1.5" hole and the expectation is it will be within 0.015" diameter as no pilot drill is needed on a 20 hp machine. i have seen poorly sharpened drills drill 0.050" oversize and the part scrapped.
.
i have use a Darex drill bit sharpener with no problems. takes maybe 2 minutes or 3 if somebody has it way out of adjustment or drill needs a lot of material removed to sharpen it. We have the Darex drill bit sharpener so if tool crib is closed or out of that size drill bit we can sharpen the drill bit and finsh the job.
.
buying a $3000 or more tool grinder and you might find it still takes 2 or 3 minutes to sharpen a drill. they do have $100,000 cnc tool bit sharpeners they take time to program and load but if you have a large quantity you can do a batch of them quicker.
......... either way the setup time is the real reason it takes so long to sharpen one tool. once setup then it should only take maybe a minute each.

 

[Verticut]

I have one from Machtech. I was skeptical but had one recommended to me. I bought the one for up to 13 mm (1/2"). It is quick and does a good job. Better than I can do by hand. Drills drill on size. I had it for about 2 years so I can't say long term how it will be but I like it now.

I got it from a local supplier.

MACHTECH

 

[adama]

.
where i work they deliberately got rid of the bench grinders as they did not want anybody hand sharpening drill bits. with cnc machines the tip comp length is critical and the angle too. many drilled holes have a depth tolerance of 0.005"
..... also i have seen badly sharpened drill bits drill oversize unless a pilot drill is used. often a cnc will drill a 1.5" hole and the expectation is it will be within 0.015" diameter as no pilot drill is needed on a 20 hp machine. i have seen poorly sharpened drills drill 0.050" oversize and the part scrapped.
.
i have use a Darex drill bit sharpener with no problems. takes maybe 2 minutes or 3 if somebody has it way out of adjustment or drill needs a lot of material removed to sharpen it. We have the Darex drill bit sharpener so if tool crib is closed or out of that size drill bit we can sharpen the drill bit and finsh the job.
.
buying a $3000 or more tool grinder and you might find it still takes 2 or 3 minutes to sharpen a drill. they do have $100,000 cnc tool bit sharpeners they take time to program and load but if you have a large quantity you can do a batch of them quicker.
......... either way the setup time is the real reason it takes so long to sharpen one tool. once setup then it should only take maybe a minute each.

Thats were the skill comes in getting the flutes balanced so it cuts to size. IMHO its easy to get a 1.5" bit to cut well within 10 thou, 15 is a long way out. As to comping the length for correct depth surly you do that any how to hold 5 thou? Again i use to do it, but hey guess again it takes a bit of operator skill. Angle again is a lot easier to be repetitive than most people would think.

 

[steve-l]

In a production/commercial shop sharpening drills should be avoided, but as a hobbyist, they are indispensable because when you need a new one, nobody is open. In that light, it's hard to beat a Black Diamond. They really hold their value for a very good reason. The disadvantage is they require a collet for every size and that can be very expensive. However, I must say even though I have a perfect Black Diamond and all the collets, I usually sharpen by hand. With practice, you can be very accurate and quick.