Sharpening Drills For Metal Angle Grinder

Sharpening metal tools allows you to fully restore their performance. The operation can be performed using various assistive devices.

How to sharpen a drill bit for metal and not spoil the cutting surface of the product will be described in the publication.

Signs of blunting drill bits for metal

Sharpening should be started only when detecting obvious signs of blunting of the cutting edge.

Among the main manifestations of the disease, the following are distinguished:

• Increased noise during operation;
• Metal shavings have a fine fraction;
• Instrument overheating.

When drilling a metal with a blunt drill, a high-frequency sound arises from the friction of the working edge on the workpiece. Therefore, with the appearance of increased noise, you should postpone the work and proceed with sharpening. If you continue drilling metal, then from excessive heat the cutting product will warm up to too high a temperature.

Before the appearance of the above signs, a decrease in the sharpness of the drill may indicate the absence of a spiral chip. Such a sign is not always able to be detected on time. If the drill, when properly fed, forms too fine chips during operation, it is recommended that you immediately begin debugging the tool.

How to sharpen a drill for metal

Properly selected device will significantly reduce time costs and perform the job as accurately as possible. Learn below how to sharpen a metal drill bit on a sharpener.

In addition to the main unit with an electric motor and a circle, you will need to purchase special devices that hold the drill in a stationary state. Such racks allow you to control the angle and feed of the tool during turning.

Many devices allow you to debug cutting products for metal with a diameter of 3 to 19 mm. For turning spiral drills, you can use special machines that have a built-in electric motor and a feed mechanism.

Unlike using a conventional sharpener and holder, professional equipment can cost tens of thousands of rubles. Therefore, if sharpening drills is not a profession, then you can get by using the above tandem from a grinding wheel and holder, or you can manually edit the tool.

You can sharpen the drill with a file without experience. The main thing is to choose the right file. Given the fact that even cheap drills are made of high quality cutting steel, you will need to select a diamond-coated file. In addition to the file, you need to prepare a vise in which the tool should be fixed.

In order not to waste time and energy on the manual method, you can use an angle grinder with an abrasive wheel.

Sharpening drill angle grinder

A grinder is available in almost every home workshop, so the method will be one of the most budgetary.

In addition to an angle grinder with an installed grinding wheel for work, you need to prepare a vice in which the drill will be held during sharpening. In the room where the tool is being debugged, it should be light so that it is possible to control the process of removing metal from the cutting surface.

Debugging is carried out in the following sequence:

• The drill is installed in a vice in an upright position;
• Angle grinder removes part of the trailing edge to completely eliminate signs of wear;
• The cutting edge is sharpened at an angle of 120 degrees.

Sharpening Drills For Metal Angle Grinder

So that the drill does not overheat during the turning process, the contact of the emery wheel with metal should last no more than 2 seconds. Repeating many times the removal of a small amount of metal from the working edge, it is possible to adjust the tool to the required angle.

For measurements, it is recommended to make a template from plastic that will help control the value of the angle of sharpening.

It is more convenient and safer to carry out work using a grinding wheel and a special holding device.

Sharpening drill sharpener

It is possible to determine the amount of damage to the cutting product and debugging by eye after many years of practice.

In other cases, you can install a special drill holder in the immediate vicinity of the emery wheel. The fastening must be strong so that the clamp does not move during the work. If the grinding machine is fixed on a wooden base, the installation of the clamp must still be carried out using a bolted connection.

For sharpening: the tool is firmly fixed in the holding device, the sharpener motor is turned on and the drill is in short contact with the grinding wheel at a preselected angle.

1. If notches have formed on the surface of the cutting product, then before debugging it is necessary to remove the damage evenly on both sides.
2. Care should be taken. Large diameter products are heated from contact with the abrasive wheel to a high temperature, which leads to a decrease in the mechanical strength of the metal.

Sharpening with a nozzle on a drill

Without an emery machine, using a special nozzle on a drill, you can perform the operation efficiently and with less time.

For beginners, the method is most preferred. Sharpening drills is as follows.

• Install the nozzle on the drill;
• The drill is inserted into a hole of a suitable diameter;
• The drill is turned on and the product is sharpened on one side;
• Turning the drill 180 degrees sharpen the opposite edge.

To use the device effectively, consider the following features:

1. With the nozzle on the drill, only slightly dull tools are sharpened. If there is deep damage to the cutting surface and when the drill has been overheated, it will not be possible to restore the product.
2. The sharpening angle in such devices is fixed. Therefore, to restore the drills for working with non-ferrous metals, you will need to purchase an original device, or carry out the finalization of the products with a file.

Despite some disadvantages of this design, its use allows us to simplify and speed up the process of restoration of cutting edges, and low cost explains the popularity.

How to sharpen small items

Unfortunately, to sharpen a thin drill using mechanized methods, including nozzles on a drill, it is unlikely to succeed. All work on the restoration of a small-diameter product will need to be done manually.

The first attempt may fail, so you should first select an inexpensive thin drill that needs to be restored and carry out an operation on it. For work, you will need a small diamond file and glasses with a 4-fold increase.

The process takes place in the following sequence:

• The drill is grinding about 1 mm;
• A file is used to sequentially sharpen the edges of the tool at the required angle.

The whole operation is performed “by eye”, it is important to use magnifying glasses and a powerful lighting device when working.

If the first attempt was unsuccessful, you should know that any skill can be developed only for a certain period of time. In case of failure, do not stop trying to learn a useful skill, like sharpening thin drills with your own hands.

Sharpening products of a different design

In addition to spiral drills for metal processing, tools of other designs are used. At home, you can debug the following tools.

Conical gimlets

You can sharpen a step drill using a regular file. The cutting edge of the product is sharpened at a right angle.

If the cone drill has become dull in a limited area, then sharpening should be performed without leaving the damaged area.

Crowned

When debugging crown tools, a special tool is used and you need to know at what angle the metal should be removed from the cutting surface. Given all the difficulties and time spent on the procedure, it is better to contact experienced craftsmen for sharpening.

Conclusion

Learning to sharpen metal drills on your own is easy.

1. For small volumes, it is enough to purchase a high-quality file and carry out the process manually.
2. With large volumes, to reduce time costs, it is better to purchase special equipment that will speed up the work and reduce the likelihood of incorrect tool editing.