What drill bits for bus conversion?

[JohnEd]

Kyle,

I AGREE with you.  Also, I believe that people with your talent and gifts are NOT the norm.  Wish you lived next door to me and I think whoever does live there is fortunate.  I have tried to hand sharpen and I have such spotty success that I don't even bother anymore.  I have only one eye and I think that has a bearing on my success.  I can tell you that I can sharpen a bit to excellence in a dark room and blindfolded if I have that Drill Dr. in front of me.  TOOLS!  Ya gotta love em cause they make us all shine.

Thank you for relating your experience,

John

[kyle4501]

Wish you lived next door to me and I think whoever does live there is fortunate. 

I'm sure your neighbors are indeed fortunate 
As for my neighbors, as long as they don't call code enforcement concerning the cars & trailers parked in the yard, I'm happy. 

A trick to hand sharpening is a good disc or belt sander & holding the bit in a drill.

With a bit of practice, anyone can sharpen drills  Just change the angle of the bit hitting the sander to get the relief angle you need. It helps to refresh your memory of what you're after if you have a new bit to compare your work with.

You need to go slow & don't let the bit get hot & you're all set.

The more the relief angle, the more self feeding it is. When I'm drilling large holes in thin material, I reduce the relief angle to minimize grabbing.

[JohnEd]

Kyle,

I jumbled that part.  I was never talking about "my " neighbors.

I read some data on machine tools a long time ago.  It dealt with the hteory of changing the relief of tools to align them with the material they were cutting.  You seem to be doing that by the seat of your pants and that is nifty.  I tried, honest.  I had a tutor, also.  couldn't make it happen with any regularity.  I'll just stay jealous of you and covet my DDR.

Thanks for the info, Bud,

John

[jjrbus]

 John I'm jealous also!!! These guys just dont get it. Some can run a 4 minute mile, some can throw a baseball 100 mph, I see a kid do a Rubics cube in 12 seconds with one hand!!! and some can sharpen a drill bit!!!!
Maybe we should not be envious, maybe they are freaks of nature. I can see it now at the county Fair, first you have the bearded lady, then the two headed bat boy and next the man who can sharpen a drill bit by hand

[JohnEd]

JJ,

That's rich!  With a creative mind like that I would want to take a close look at your bus and its systems.

Entertained,

John

[kyle4501]

JJ,

That's rich!  With a creative mind like that I would want to take a close look at your bus and its systems.

Entertained,

John

I have seen his bus & I'd gladly trade my drill sharpening skills for it! Truely amazing. I'd have never thought of some of the great things he has done with it.

I wish I'd have taken notes & measurements. 

JJ, the next time we meet, I'll show you how I sharpen them.

A little secret, sometimes my sharpening works well, sometimes, not so much. so I keep on trying as long as there is enough drill bit to 'sharpen'. 

[jjrbus]

Thanks for the nice compliments!!!!   When you consider the tolerances a drill bit must be sharpened to it really is the equivalent of doing a Rubik's cube with one hand in 12 seconds. 

[Stan]

I have been sharpening drill bits by hand for about sixty years. As I said in a previous post. below 3/16" they are not worth the time, just buy them by the dozen. From 3/16" to 3/4" they are easy to grind by hand and east to change relief angles according to the metal being drilled. Above 3/4", take them to a grinding shop and tell them what metal you are going to drill and what equipment you will be drilling with.

Using a conventional electric hand drill is just one step above a cutting torch and on large holes not as good as a plasma cutter.  Consider that you need a controlled speed from 80 RPM to 20,000 RPM to have the correct speed for a set of bits drilling various metals and you can see how they ruin bits.

[Sojourner]

I too done my own sharpening since high school.

Nice about Dr Drill...it will centered the point every time. The older I get, my eyes are the same age by the way...the harder to see the finer detail.

So if you are going to trained anyone, make sure their eyes are good or use magnifiers and steady hands.

FWIW

Sojourn for Christ, Jerry (unsteady hands)

[belfert]

A simple question about drill bits really created quite the thread.  A lot of my drilling is around the house into wood or material much easier to drill than metal.

Most of my metal drilling days on the bus are over.  I also don't have any stainless except a stainless battery tray.

[JohnEd]

HARUMPH!  Now you tell us.


John

[mikelutestanski]

Hello      Just a thought   The Delta drills with the pilot points are great drills and actually are very aggressive so that when they go thru they pull pretty hard.  These drills are not conducive to the drill doctor unless you are willing to forgo the pilot point.
     A friend gave me a set and I still am using some of the drills.  I bought 2 more sets  during the last 10 years.
     A will try the worn bits onto the drill doctor to see what happens.  The problem I have now is my hand  gets tired and sore so iI have to space out those drilling episodes. 
       The drill doctor is a nice tool especially if you don't have the skills to properly use a grinder.    It is a skill and if acquired at a young age it will not be forgotten. unfortunately I don't have the skill so the drill doctor is the next best thing .
        happy bussin    Mike