Cgcc
17th July 2021, 09:10 AM
I took the plunge on this. I think it is just my personality of disliking sad old tools and tool parts deteriorating and needing junking - even thought I do almost no drilling into metal.
I thought I would share some first impressions but first outlining the thoughts I had when buying, which is how I assessed it. A bit of research into my system for twist drill bits indicated that to me that:
- Many people assert that you can sharpen twist drill bits on a grinder with practice and I watched videos of people who've made little guides. The issue I have with that is that
(a) it provides no solution to a main problem with twist bit drills of the bit walking. Particularly drilling into softwoods, I find walking annoying. Generally speaking you cannot correct a hole where the drill has walked. Your only option seems to be to either ream a huge hole or clamp it down like the dickens. But clamping vertically to fight lateral force seems always imperfect and if you are using soft wood the clamp is liable to bruise or dent the wood, meaning you need to find a shim or piece of scrap.
(b) seems almost impossible on smaller bits. And realistically the highest volume users are 4-8mm for me to pre-drill standard sized holes for nails or screws or bolts. Anything larger will usually be done on a drill press with a Forstner bit.
(c) make a mistake on a coarse or CBN wheel and you're going to lose a lot of "meat".
- I read many inconsistent reviews of the Drill Doctors which seemed to be the only real alternative system. Ultimately, to buy the top-end model plus a higher-grit wheel seemed about the same price as the DBS-22.
- The kicker was the combination of the reputable promise of the best possible result, plus when you can do something well on a Tormek it is pleasant. No harsh noise, need for eye protection. You can do early in the morning or late at night without waking family or bothering neighbours if your shop is at home.
While I tried to be realistic in that I will never really be sharpening specialised profiles for aluminium, plastic etc, or consistently sharpening sizes greater than 13mm, but it is nice to have the option.
I just did my first two test sharpens on a 6mm, 8mm and 9mm drill bits and tested by jamming some holes in a very thick offcut of Merbau fencepost. I would offer the following thoughts.
To understand some of these comments one has to appreciate the gist of the system is grinding two symmetrical primary and secondary bevels on each side of the drill bit, the purpose being to create symmetrical edges that make a point or tip at the centre, instead of a continuous edge.
First, although the whole point of the system is to provide accurate guiding of the drill bit onto the wheel, as the instructions suggest, it is by no means automatic. You have to stop, check, assess, possibly adjust etc. If you were drilling through metal all day and needing to re-sharpen often I wouldn't be able to bear it. I'd want something I can just jam a drill bit into and have it come out sharp enough to keep going. This is not a system for those for whom speed is an issue.
Second, it's not that bad in terms of complexity and time if you follow the instructions carefully. Also, the adjusting is generally just spinning the adjustment wheel to go in further on either the primary or second facets so it's not an annoying type of adjustment.
One thing that would have put it on the second-hand market quickly was if a small error meant you have to start again from scratch. You do not, so far as I can tell. Generally at worst all you will need to do in order to correct going too far is lightly re-grind the primary bevel. It is not frustrating adjusting (in the same way as eg rolling an edge when sharpening an edged tool).
Thirdly, on my first attempt on an 8mm bit, I did not get it perfect but was a little impatient and curious, so I just tried out the drill bit on a thick offcut from a Merbau post (the 90mm laminated posts that are common in Queensland and at Bunnings). It did not have a point but a chisel edge at the tip about 2mm wide. The cut was absolutely amazing compared to your usual drill bit sitting in a drawer. Without any force and at slow speed the drill bit just disappeared into the post. It felt like less resistance than drilling a much smaller radius through soft pine.
Of course the Swedes on the videos will lecture you about adjusting until its perfect, but if you're in a hurry, close enough is damn good.
Fourthly, the results are amazing. I took out a drill from a set (nothing high-end, just a standard set of 1-13mm drill bits from Bunnings), and picked out a bit I'd never used before. I tried a before and after. The before was a pain. The after was incredible. It felt like I'd drilled into rotten wood. A little hard to describe but it really felt like it was actually cutting and not merely grating away at it. The lack of pressure needed also seems likely to assist in accuracy.
Fifthly, if you suffer from space and noise issues, if you are in a garage with a family, it is just great in terms of shop organisation if you already have a Tormek. It packs away neatly into a small space of shelf. The noise won't wake up or annoy anyone. You really are not removing much metal, so the relatively slow speed of the standard Tormek SG wheel is fine.
Sixthly, I re-iterate that despite not being as bad for me as I've heard people describe in terms of fiddliness and setup, it is a process you would not want to be re-doing over and over. You also need good light and to use the magnifier. Despite the price, for me it seems more suited to either the hobbyist doing things at their own pace (and who doesn't mind spending a few $), or for projects calling for the best possible drilling quality, rather than someone busy.
I also feel the best way to use it is to set aside an afternoon or morning to go through your whole set. It does need a lack of distraction and a methodological approach. If I was mid project I can see I'd dread having to get it all just for one drill bit. What I suspect I will do is pick up a few extra 4, 6, 8 and 10mm bits and work them all up in a few sessions, to avoid having to do one at a time, when I don't feel like it. (Again, the advantage of being a hobbyist).
Chris
I thought I would share some first impressions but first outlining the thoughts I had when buying, which is how I assessed it. A bit of research into my system for twist drill bits indicated that to me that:
- Many people assert that you can sharpen twist drill bits on a grinder with practice and I watched videos of people who've made little guides. The issue I have with that is that
(a) it provides no solution to a main problem with twist bit drills of the bit walking. Particularly drilling into softwoods, I find walking annoying. Generally speaking you cannot correct a hole where the drill has walked. Your only option seems to be to either ream a huge hole or clamp it down like the dickens. But clamping vertically to fight lateral force seems always imperfect and if you are using soft wood the clamp is liable to bruise or dent the wood, meaning you need to find a shim or piece of scrap.
(b) seems almost impossible on smaller bits. And realistically the highest volume users are 4-8mm for me to pre-drill standard sized holes for nails or screws or bolts. Anything larger will usually be done on a drill press with a Forstner bit.
(c) make a mistake on a coarse or CBN wheel and you're going to lose a lot of "meat".
- I read many inconsistent reviews of the Drill Doctors which seemed to be the only real alternative system. Ultimately, to buy the top-end model plus a higher-grit wheel seemed about the same price as the DBS-22.
- The kicker was the combination of the reputable promise of the best possible result, plus when you can do something well on a Tormek it is pleasant. No harsh noise, need for eye protection. You can do early in the morning or late at night without waking family or bothering neighbours if your shop is at home.
While I tried to be realistic in that I will never really be sharpening specialised profiles for aluminium, plastic etc, or consistently sharpening sizes greater than 13mm, but it is nice to have the option.
I just did my first two test sharpens on a 6mm, 8mm and 9mm drill bits and tested by jamming some holes in a very thick offcut of Merbau fencepost. I would offer the following thoughts.
To understand some of these comments one has to appreciate the gist of the system is grinding two symmetrical primary and secondary bevels on each side of the drill bit, the purpose being to create symmetrical edges that make a point or tip at the centre, instead of a continuous edge.
First, although the whole point of the system is to provide accurate guiding of the drill bit onto the wheel, as the instructions suggest, it is by no means automatic. You have to stop, check, assess, possibly adjust etc. If you were drilling through metal all day and needing to re-sharpen often I wouldn't be able to bear it. I'd want something I can just jam a drill bit into and have it come out sharp enough to keep going. This is not a system for those for whom speed is an issue.
Second, it's not that bad in terms of complexity and time if you follow the instructions carefully. Also, the adjusting is generally just spinning the adjustment wheel to go in further on either the primary or second facets so it's not an annoying type of adjustment.
One thing that would have put it on the second-hand market quickly was if a small error meant you have to start again from scratch. You do not, so far as I can tell. Generally at worst all you will need to do in order to correct going too far is lightly re-grind the primary bevel. It is not frustrating adjusting (in the same way as eg rolling an edge when sharpening an edged tool).
Thirdly, on my first attempt on an 8mm bit, I did not get it perfect but was a little impatient and curious, so I just tried out the drill bit on a thick offcut from a Merbau post (the 90mm laminated posts that are common in Queensland and at Bunnings). It did not have a point but a chisel edge at the tip about 2mm wide. The cut was absolutely amazing compared to your usual drill bit sitting in a drawer. Without any force and at slow speed the drill bit just disappeared into the post. It felt like less resistance than drilling a much smaller radius through soft pine.
Of course the Swedes on the videos will lecture you about adjusting until its perfect, but if you're in a hurry, close enough is damn good.
Fourthly, the results are amazing. I took out a drill from a set (nothing high-end, just a standard set of 1-13mm drill bits from Bunnings), and picked out a bit I'd never used before. I tried a before and after. The before was a pain. The after was incredible. It felt like I'd drilled into rotten wood. A little hard to describe but it really felt like it was actually cutting and not merely grating away at it. The lack of pressure needed also seems likely to assist in accuracy.
Fifthly, if you suffer from space and noise issues, if you are in a garage with a family, it is just great in terms of shop organisation if you already have a Tormek. It packs away neatly into a small space of shelf. The noise won't wake up or annoy anyone. You really are not removing much metal, so the relatively slow speed of the standard Tormek SG wheel is fine.
Sixthly, I re-iterate that despite not being as bad for me as I've heard people describe in terms of fiddliness and setup, it is a process you would not want to be re-doing over and over. You also need good light and to use the magnifier. Despite the price, for me it seems more suited to either the hobbyist doing things at their own pace (and who doesn't mind spending a few $), or for projects calling for the best possible drilling quality, rather than someone busy.
I also feel the best way to use it is to set aside an afternoon or morning to go through your whole set. It does need a lack of distraction and a methodological approach. If I was mid project I can see I'd dread having to get it all just for one drill bit. What I suspect I will do is pick up a few extra 4, 6, 8 and 10mm bits and work them all up in a few sessions, to avoid having to do one at a time, when I don't feel like it. (Again, the advantage of being a hobbyist).
Chris