Drill Doctor FAQs

All of the parts used in the Drill Doctor are high quality and designed for years of trouble-free use. If you take reasonably good care of the tool, it could last you a lifetime.

It usually takes about one minute to sharpen a drill bit, and a little longer if it's a large drill bit or if you want to split the point.

On average, you can expect about 200 sharpenings from one sharpening wheel. If you sharpen mostly small bits, you will probably get more than 200 sharpenings.

It depends on the length of the drill bit. On average, about .020" (twenty thousandths of an inch) of drill bit material is removed when you sharpen a standard steel drill bit. The longer the drill bit, the more times you can sharpen it. Generally, the larger bits are longer and therefore can be sharpened more times than smaller bits. With a 3" long bit, you might get as many as 150 sharpenings.

If you sharpen your bits with a grinder and get good results then you have a rare skill indeed. Sharpening drill bits by hand has become a lost art. In fact, the Drill Doctor was designed to mimic the actions of the best hand sharpeners. The difference is that Drill Doctor makes drill bit sharpening a simple, mechanical, repeatable effort that achieves consistent results every time. Can you hand-sharpen with consistent results? The Drill Doctor can.

Like any quality tool, periodic cleaning and maintenance is required to keep your Drill Doctor in top condition. Each chuck should be cleaned after 10 sharpenings to remove any fine metal dust that may have collected inside. This can be done with compressed air and a small brush or rag.

Sharpening material also collects inside the unit in the area around the sharpening wheel. When you replace the sharpening wheel, we recommend that you vacuum and blow out this area with compressed air. Both the 180-grit standard and 100-grit coarse diamond sharpening wheels are designed for long life, and will need to be replaced only after extensive use (500X and 750X only). If you sharpen primarily large bits, the wheel will need to be replaced sooner than if you sharpen mostly small bits. On average, our customers report that they get about 200 sharpenings from one sharpening wheel.

No other user maintenance is necessary with the Drill Doctor.

You can sharpen most types of twist drill bits, including standard, masonry, carbide, TiN (titanium nitride), cobalt and left-handed. Drill Doctor does not sharpen brad point bits.

Because you can save time and money and you can extend the life of your drills and drill bits. If you use a drill on a regular basis you will save money by sharpening your worn drill bits instead of throwing them away (or putting them in a drawer). You'll also time by being able to keep working without having to stop and make a special trip to buy new drill bits. An added benefit is that you drill faster with a sharp bit, getting the job done sooner.

Yes, you can. To prevent the sharpening wheel from wearing out prematurely, it is recommended that you use a bench grinder to put the basic shape back on the tip of the bit. Then, use the Drill Doctor to finish and sharpen the drill bit.

Yes, the Drill Doctor can resurface masonry bits. You use a different setting on the machine to resurface the carbide tip of the masonry drill bit.

TiN (titanium nitride) is a coating/treatment applied to drill bits. On a Drill Doctor, these bits are sharpened just like regular standard twist drill bits. Cobalt is used to manufacture drill bits to achieve even higher strength and durability. Cobalt bits are stronger than standard high-speed bits. They always use a split point. The Model 500X Professional can replace the split point. In fact, these models can convert a standard bit into a split-point bit. The Drill Doctor can sharpen carbide drill bits.

Use a light and consistent pressure. Be sure to apply this light pressure when the chuck is in the lower part of the cam. Keep all cam follower surfaces in contact.

Bit Size	Number of Turns
3/4"	50 or 60
1/2"	36 or 40
3/8"	16 or 20
1/4"	8 or 10
3/32"	2 or 4

This depends on the diameter of the bit you are sharpening. It is crucial that you turn the chuck in Port #3 an even number of times to ensure that the bit is sharpened evenly. If you turn the chuck an odd number of times, the bit will not be evenly sharpened. One turn means turning the chuck 180°. It takes two turns for the entire drill bit to contact the sharpening surface once.

Use this chart to determine the number of turns for various sizes of drill bits:

Small diameter drill bits (1/4" or less) require a little more care in the alignment process. With small diameter bits, the chuck jaws turn the bit as you tighten the chuck, thus misaligning the bit. Set the alignment lever to desired setting (standard or split-point), align the drill bit and tighten the chuck knob. Before going to port #3, view the chuck through the back (knob end), to ensure that the chuck jaws are all meeting the drill bit at a 90° angle. If the jaws are wrapping around the bit, loosen chuck knob slightly, until jaws are straight. Also, too many rotations on small diameter bits will result in a negative rake angle. For example, with a 3/32" bit, rotate the chuck 2 or 4 times; with a 1/8" bit, rotate the chuck 4 or 6 times; etc.

The 118° standard (non-split) general-purpose high-speed drills are used for drilling soft or mild materials such as cold rolled steel, aluminum, and wood. A 118° drill point provides good results, but may cause “walking” at the drill point. Commonly, a pilot hole is drilled before using a standard drill bit.

The 135° split-point heavy-duty high-speed steel drills feature a heavy web construction for extra rigidity. Use this angle with hard steels, stainless steel, titanium and other hard materials. The 135° split-point eliminates “walking” and reduces thrust. It also produces smaller chips that won't clog up the hole. The split-point is ideal for hand and portable drills where bushings can't be used. There is no need to pre-drill a pilot hole with the use of a 135° split-point drill bit.

We use a powerful spring in this mechanism to make sure the angle is accurate. Unfortunately, this also makes it a little tough to change angles. Try this: Insert the chuck without a bit in it into Port #3 (the sharpening port). With one hand on the chuck for leverage, you should be able to pull out the loop handle with the other hand and change the setting.

Prior to aligning the bit, the drill bit should have a “slip-fit” in the chuck. With the drill bit in the chuck, turn the chuck knob clockwise (CW). This will close the chuck jaws onto the drill bit. Turn the chuck knob until it stops then loosen the chuck jaws slightly by turning the chuck knob (CCW). At this stage, the drill bit should have a “slip-fit” and will slide in or out and rotate freely within the chuck.

First, check the chuck to ensure that the chuck jaws are in the jaw grooves. Second, during the alignment process, the pawls may have been gripping ON the flutes of the drill bit. Re-align the drill bit making sure that the pawls are located IN the narrowest section of the flutes.

You are probably experiencing the most common problem arising from drill bit sharpening: a condition called negative relief. This occurs when the material taken off the trailing edge of the bit surface (also called the heel) is insufficient, and the trailing edge is at the same level or higher than the cutting edge. The sharpening wheel creates a flat cutting surface on the point of the bit, but this must be “trimmed” in order for the cutting surface on the bit to work correctly.

Negative relief can be caused by a defective sharpening tube, the type of drill bit being sharpened (see the next FAQ), a dirty chuck (see 2nd FAQ following this one), or by incorrect technique.

The Drill Doctor is designed to automatically take the correct amount of material off the heel of the bit for a perfectly sharpened bit every time. Try sharpening again. Loosen the chuck and re-align the bit. If you haven't already, be sure to watch the video that came with your Drill Doctor. Also, make sure you are applying equal pressure throughout the rotation of the chuck, especially on the low spots on the cam, so that the chuck stays in contact with all cam follower surfaces as it is rotated in Port #3.

It is also possible that the sharpening tube on your Drill Doctor is not working properly. The sharpening tube is the black plastic tube in which you rotate the chuck while sharpening in Port #3. Locate the bump at the top of the sharpening tube and try pressing in on it. This is the upper cam follower and should have a stiff spring action to it. If the tube does not spring back, please call the Drill Doctor Technical Support Group at 800-597-6170, ext. 7501.

Splitting the point gives you a drill bit that is self-centering. You split the point right after you sharpen the bit. To split the point, align the drill bit on the split-point setting. Sharpen as you normally would but do not remove the bit from the chuck. Next, align the flats on the chuck with the flats on the splitting tube and insert the chuck into Port #4 (the split-port). Pivot the chuck into the sharpening wheel for a “one count” (one turn). This splits half the point. Now carefully pull the chuck out of the split-port, just enough to rotate it 180° and pivot the chuck into the sharpening wheel again to split the other half of the point. Next remove the chuck and inspect the point. Depending on the size of the drill bit, it may be necessary to repeat the splitting steps until the drill point is split to the middle.

NOTE: It's usually better to grind off not enough, rather than too much. If the drill point is over-split, leave the bit in the chuck and try re-sharpening the bit in the sharpening tube (Port #3) to correct the over-split. If this doesn't work, you should realign the drill bit and resharpen.

A turned chisel point indicates that the drill bit has not been sharpened enough (do not continue to rotate chuck in sharpening port) or that the drill bit has too much relief. Relief is the amount of clearance between the cutting edge and trailing edge of the drill bit. To correct too much relief on the drill bit, you will need to make an adjustment in the alignment.

Example: If the alignment was set on the standard drill bit setting, move the alignment tube clockwise (CW), halfway between the standard and split-point setting. Align the drill bit as usual and sharpen.

The sharpening tube is a critical part of the sharpening mechanism and helps insure that you will not have negative relief when you sharpen. You do not want to influence the sharpening tube, either up or down. While sharpening and rotating the chuck in the sharpening port, apply light pressure straight into the port, along the axis of the port.

500X/750X:
The sharpening tube should have a stiff spring action to it. The bump located on the top of the sharpening tube is the upper cam-follower. The sharpening tube fits into the compound, which is the black plastic around the sharpening port. Located on the lower portion of the compound is a large lip containing the lower cam-follower. The chuck has a cam-lip located on the base of the chuck body, containing a swing-cam adjoining it. As the chuck is rotated clockwise in the sharpening tube, the swing-cam rests on the lower cam-follower using the follower as a guide to swing the drill bit into the sharpening wheel. The upper cam-follower is moving in and out as it follows the cam-lip, allowing the drill bit to move toward the sharpening wheel at precisely the right time to remove material gradually from the cutting edge to the trailing edge. This movement and gradual in-feed creates the radial grind needed for a drill bit.

1. First, visually check for the alignment, without sharpening the bit.
2. Align a bit in the chuck for a standard 118° drill bit.
3. Hold the chuck with the drill bit in it. Notice the two flats on the chuck (see diagram below).
4. Draw an imaginary line from the middle of the flat up into the drill bit. The line should end up on the heel of the drill bit. This procedure will hold true for drill bit diameters of 3/32" through 1/2".
5. If the line does not intersect the heel, then the alignment tube must be adjusted.
6. Should the line fall to the right of the heel, move the alignment tube #1, slightly below the standard setting. If the alignment setting is moved too far, then the chisel point will turn diagonally, from cutting edge to cutting edge.
7. If the line falls to the left of the heel, move the alignment tube #1 slightly above the standard setting. Check the alignment again and adjust accordingly.

If you are still having problems, call the Drill Doctor Technical Support Group at 800-597-6170, ext. 7501, or 541-201-7501. Our hours are from 7:00 AM – 3:30 PM, Monday through Friday, Pacific Time. We have skilled technical professionals ready to solve your problem and help you get the most from your Drill Doctor. They have each model on hand and will quickly resolve your problem. Most of the problems reported to our Technical Support Group are due to a lack of understanding of how to use the Drill Doctor. For this reason, it's very important that you take the time to watch the brief instructional video before you start using the Drill Doctor.