Drill attachment for sharpening drills

Due to the regular use of drills, there is a need for frequent sharpening. The modern market offers various devices for this purpose. But few people know that you can sharpen a drill using a regular electric drill. This is achieved through various attachments and attachments, which allow you to turn a drilling tool into a multifunctional device. One of these devices is a drill attachment for sharpening drills, which allows, in the absence of an emery machine and a wheel, to restore the geometry of the tool and bring it back to working condition.

Design features and operating principle of the device

The functional attachment for sharpening drills has a specific design made of a plastic case, the inside of which is equipped with a rotating sanding wheel. It has a special shape that forms the required sharpening angles on the working parts of cutting tools. The sanding wheel of the nozzle is driven by the rotation of the electric drill shaft, to which it is connected by a special coupling.

Many modern models of drill grinding wheels are equipped with end caps on the body, which have several holes with different diameters (from 3.5-10 mm). The working tool that needs to be sharpened is inserted into them at a certain angle. The correct position of the tool, the surface being sharpened and the angle is ensured by the design of the attachment itself.

Sharpening of drilling tools using an attachment is carried out according to the following principles:

devices, the cutting part of which needs sharpening, are installed in holes of the corresponding diameter on the nozzle;
the electric drill is activated, which contributes to the rotation of the emery wheel. This way, only one side of the tool is sharpened;
the drill stops, the drill is turned 180 degrees and the second cutting edge is sharpened using a similar principle.

The above procedure should be performed until the cutting edge of the device meets the required parameters.

A similar sharpener for drill bits for a drill may also have a simpler design, which does not include a cover and holes that act as a jig. Using such attachments is quite difficult; they are inconvenient, since you have to hold the workpiece being sharpened in the correct position, and you also need to maintain the appropriate angles on the cutting edge.

You can make a device for an electric drill used for sharpening drills with your own hands, which is quite common among many home craftsmen. The structure of the design of a homemade attachment for sharpening drills is almost identical to the structure of any serial model. To manufacture it, it is necessary to provide the following structural elements:

presence of a housing for the device. It is best that it be metal;
the presence of a mounting ring or coupling that allows for a torque connection between the drill and the working part of the nozzle;
emery wheel, its working surface should have a conical shape. This can be done through a turning operation on a machine;
availability of fasteners for the grinding wheel;
the presence of a top cover, which will act as a gearbox, ensuring a convenient and correct position of the tool during the sharpening process.

In addition to drill attachments that are used for sharpening drills, there are devices on the modern market that allow you to restore geometric parameters on other types of cutting tools. These include:

devices that sharpen circular saws;
a drill attachment used for sharpening knife blades, cutting elements of a plane, chisel and other similar devices.

Bottom line

It is not easy to sharpen a knife well. One wrong move will ruin the smoothness of the blade and ruin the entire job. Professionalism in this process is achieved gradually, over time.

Making knives How to make a machete with your own hands: diagram and instructions

KnivesKnife for plexiglass: special construction cutter-scratcher

Selection and types of sharpening attachments

For each model of electric drill there is a certain form of sharpening attachment . According to manufacturers' recommendations, when choosing a product, you should take into account the neck size of suitable drills; in addition, it is important to know the long size of the turbine adapter. Without these values, it is impossible to choose a nozzle that will fit perfectly. If the choice was made incorrectly, this will lead to it dangling and not being securely fastened to the instrument. Working with such a nozzle is quite dangerous and inconvenient, since you need to hold it with your hands while working. This mainly applies to models that belong to the economy class.

When choosing, you should pay attention to such parameters as:

number of sockets for sharpening drills;
possibility of sharpening at an angle of 118 degrees;
The kit includes an additional sharpening stone.

Speaking about which drill attachment is worth buying, according to the reviews of most craftsmen, we can note such brands of devices as Bosch, KWB 5032 00, Leroy Merlin, etc. Moreover, some of them can be used not only for drills, but also knives .

How to choose a drill

Before deciding how to sharpen a drill correctly, I would like to dwell a little on the cutting tool itself.

Let's start with the fact that drills on the construction tools market are presented in a fairly wide range. Since we are only interested in metal equipment, it should be noted that there is a choice here too.

First, you can select by tool color:

Black is an oxide film, the function of which is to protect the base of the drill from corrosion and high temperatures. Therefore, this variety has high strength and wear resistance.
Gray – this tool can easily be classified as low quality equipment.
Bright golden. This color indicates only one thing – the steel from which the tool is made contains titanium.
Dark golden. The same as the previous option, only there are no internal stresses inside the steel rod. Hence its high qualities.

Types of metal drills Source rozetka.com.ua
It should be noted that most metal drills are rods made of tool steel. But to increase their cutting performance, you need to strengthen the cutting edge. Therefore, today you can buy four types of equipment with different coatings:

Still the same black oxide film.
TiCN is titanium carbonitride.
TiAIN is titanium aluminum nitride.
Titanium nitride itself.
Ceramics.

Attention! The last two coatings cannot be re-sharpened.

Mainly in everyday life, and many craftsmen use twist drills to drill holes in metal. This is a steel cylindrical rod in which grooves are cut in the form of a spiral. Hence, in principle, the name.

The smaller part of this tool is occupied by the shank, which is clamped in the chuck of drilling equipment or in a drill or hammer drill. The main part is occupied by a cylinder with grooves. Grooves are cut for one purpose - to create a space through which metal shavings will leave the drilling site without interfering with the main process.

Twist drill: its parts and elements Source studfile.net

Spiral equipment also has a small classification, where there are three positions:

Classic drill.
Left-handed. It is used when it is necessary to drill out a broken fastening element from a hole: a bolt, a screw, etc.
High precision. If the task is to drill a hole with minimal errors, then use it.

So, having sorted out the assortment of equipment, we move directly to the main question - how to sharpen a drill for metal.

About the advantages and disadvantages of nozzles

Among the advantages, it is worth noting the efficiency indicators of such a grindstone mounted on a drill. It is important to remember that these tools are not intended for intensive use. Without placing excessively high demands on these devices, we can say that they are quite effective in fulfilling their intended purpose. In other words, for home workshops, this is an ideal tool that will allow drills to be sharpened quickly and correctly at any time.

In addition, such products have a low cost, which is a definite advantage when purchasing them. They are easy to operate, and their use does not require any specific skills in sharpening cutting or drilling tools.

According to the experts, in addition to its advantages, the device also has disadvantages:

Most often, attachments perform editing of the cutting part of a “squat” tool, rather than sharpening it. When using the device for full sharpening of “dead” tools, the emery wheel will last a relatively short time;
when used, reliable fixation on the power tool is not ensured;
often the sharpening angles are standard in the device and cannot be changed;
there is a possibility of the rotating chuck getting caught on the internal surfaces of the adapter coupling. To exclude this, you should select the appropriate diameters and try on the device during the purchase process;
inconvenience of holding and turning on the drill while working with one hand, and directing the drill with the other. To ensure greater comfort, it is recommended to use brackets that allow you to fix the power tool.

To sum up the advantages and disadvantages of drill attachments, we can note that they are practical when used for work in a home workshop; they are not suitable for production tasks.

Other sharpening methods

There are many ways to sharpen a knife. A sharpening stone, a metal rod and all kinds of electrical means are used.

Special devices

An electric sharpener is not cheap. But even a housewife can use the device. Sharpening is quick and effortless. The developers have provided various nuances. Therefore, operating the device does not require much experience and knowledge.

An electric sharpener will do the job like a professional. By changing special abrasive belts during processing, a sharpened, polished blade surface is obtained.

Sharpening with a drill.

Manual method

For the manual method use:

whetstone;
sandpaper;
Musat.

The blade is moved along the surface of the sharpening stone, alternately changing sides. This is a labor-intensive process. To achieve the desired result, it will take 30 minutes of work. After finishing the work, the stone is washed with a soapy solution and sand.

Musat is a corrugated round metal rod. The tool is used for straightening or finishing the cutting surface.

Sharpening stones.

Using a sharpening stand

Due to the inconvenience of sharpening a drill in weight using an attachment, some craftsmen prefer a special stand, which allows the tool to be processed as symmetrically as possible on each surface of the cutting edge. This attachment for sharpening drills consists of the following elements:

durable metal case;
a mounting ring that connects the stand and the neck of the electric drill;
top panel, which acts as a guide when sharpening;
grinding head.

The grinding head is the most important and difficult to operate.

The part has a cylindrical shape, which is secured with a nut, and an emery coating is applied to its surface. Such grinding heads can have a different cone, which forms the sharpening angle of the drill. Depending on this, the appropriate grinding head is selected, and it is also important to take into account the characteristics of the abrasive coating, which also affects the tool.

For example, the most suitable angle for:

aluminum products – 140°;
cast iron – 180°;
steel (low carbon) – 130°.

Depending on the brands of materials, individual sharpening angles are selected. Not everyone can purchase or make such parts themselves; therefore, you can change the design of the drill stand.

Ordinary cylindrical circles are also allowed for use, the top panel of which can be provided with guide holes. They should be provided with the level of inclination necessary for normal sharpening.

How to check the quality of sharpening

There are five ways to determine the sharpening quality of a device:

Finger check. Carefully run your finger across the blade and feel the tip of the blade.
Slicing a tomato. Place the tomato on a cutting board and cut into slices. Use a sharp knife to thinly slice the vegetable.
Using the nail. Place the blade on the nail plate and draw it across the direction of growth. Do not press, but use the weight of the product. The nail apparatus is a sensitive organ. Irregularities and errors are determined accurately. A dull blade will slip off the surface.
Shave your hair. With a sharp knife you can cleanly shave your beard and remove stubble. The worse the result, the duller the knife. A similar test is to try cutting the hair. It is difficult to do this with an insufficiently sharpened tool.
Paper test. Cut a sheet of writing paper into strips. Keep the sheet suspended. A well-sharpened knife will cut off the border near the very edge.

Conclusion

A drill attachment for sharpening drill bits is a very useful purchase if you often work with drilling tools. Thanks to it, you can significantly save money on the services of service centers. It is only important to calculate the capabilities of such a product so as not to overload it so that it does not fail. Naturally, a drill, even with such a device, cannot completely replace a sharpening machine, but if you need to sharpen a drill at home, it will allow you to complete everyday tasks without difficulty.