On 25 Mar 2004 19:16:22 -0800, (Zymurgy)
wrote:

Pete C wrote
"davenpat" wrote:

Anyone else have experience doing this?

Lots :-)

You wrote this back to front. That last question should have been your
first.

OK how do you sharpen drill bits?

Buy a job lot of secondhand ex-engineering works HSS bits from an
autojumble. I haven't bought (or sharpened) a drill bit in ages.

Cheapo bits (even those marked as HSS or 'Titanium coated' [hah]) just
aren't worth the bother

I was just wondering why Dave hasn't offered any hints on how to
sharpen them.

I sharpen them on a grindstone in a mains drill, I find using the side
of the grindstone easiest. The trick is grinding both edges of the bit
at the right angle and not all the way to the point, but keeping them
symmetrical. When grinding each edge it helps to slightly twist the
drill while tilting at the same time to get a rake on the edge.

When it comes to drilling steel it's worth putting some oil on the bit
to help stop it overheating, and run small bits at a fast speed and
large bits at a slow speed.

cheers,
Pete.