I have a bunch of drill bits that I got from my grandfather's tools. No brand names, but they were made in Austria.

Several of them are super dull, and I don't really know much about grinding drills.

Any tips? How about sharpening services? Any experience there?

You would need a smooth running grinder with a fairly fine wheel. A tool to align the drills is helpful. There are two angles to hold the drill bit at. One angle is the for the 118 degree. set left to right. The other angle is to set up for the back relief.

People who do this often by hand are very good at it, results are excellent.

FWIW I purchased a Drill Doctor last September.

I can't sharpen drill bits by by eye/hand on a grinder worth a flip, so it has worked well enough for me.

I don't use drill bits (DRILLS for you purists and professionals who will chime in LOL) in any sort of business or professional use, just around the house and occasional other uses that myself or a neighbor might need, so I am satisfied.

Your Austrian made drill bits will probably be of good quality and sharpen well, I reckon.

Here is another thread with a lot of good information, LINK TO MORE INFO and if you can pick up the pro guys recommendations and how-to sharpen by eye/hand, you're doing much better than me.

I'm happy enough with the Drill Doctor I purchased (probably their more basic model, they offer several machines).

I might say that, in my limited experience, the el cheapo chinesium bits are of crap metal and some don't/won't sharpen up worth a flip, so there's that. Give them a try, but you'll probably be happier with somewhat better quality drill bits to start with.

And, FWIW, this older thread has some great info too. LINK TO OLDER THREAD/INFO.

Good luck to you.
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As sometimes part time metallurgist… Steel drill bits often slowly get harder over time. 5yrs or so.

You can accelerate this with cryogenic treatment of drill bits. Dry ice and RV antifreeze in a cooler for a day.

I have some stainless steels that just do not get hard until they’re dropped to -100F. It’s just a colder “quench” to lock in the Martensite.

My brake disc rotors are factory treated this way as are all my custom stainless steel knives.

LN goes to -300°F but the wide-mouthed dewars are expensive.

I never knew it was worthwhile, except for the ones used to drill stainless steel

I suppose if you’re a wood elf working on dead tree carcasses it’s not a big deal.


I’m generally working on metal, somewhat concerned about work hardening on the piece (trying to get it done before it hots up too much). Real easy on 1095.

I purchased a Drill Doctor many years ago, and learned how to use it correctly. There are NO dull drill bits in my shop, but there are a "ton" of drill bits. YMMV

Drill Doctor.
Not terribly expensive and does the correct angles.

quote:

Originally posted by SIGnified:
I suppose if you’re a wood elf working on dead tree carcasses it’s not a big deal.


I’m generally working on metal, somewhat concerned about work hardening on the piece (trying to get it done before it hots up too much). Real easy on 1095.

I'm a wood elf that's slowly transitioning to metal. I've got the welder, now I need to find some space and cash for a little manual mill. Currently my combined shop space is about half a single car garage. I'd like to build things like pistons into clocks, and to make a few custom knives.

My grandfather was a mechanical engineer for Porsche of America that moonlit as a race car mechanic. Based on what I saw in his toolbox (Snap On, Stahlwille, Craftsman USA made, Hazet) I don't think he believed in cheap tools.

The consensus here seems to be the drill doctor. I guess with enough time and money any problem can be solved. I'll probably give the bench grinder another go anyway. I'll never learn if I don't try, right?

A machinist friend of mine showed me how to do it freehand on a grinder.
Not perfect but good enough.