For every project, there is an integral role of equipment used in it—the reason all tools should be maintained for extended run use. Drill bits have a significant role in excellent drilling work, and if the bit is rusted or has a lack of sharpness, this could lead to severe damage.
Rusting makes a bit metal week, and as you push bit toward the surface for a drill, it can break into pieces and cause serious injuries. For proper use of bits, they need to be sharpened on intervals of time for an easy and smooth moment of a drill to penetrate through the surface. So we will let you know how to sharpen drill bits step by step.
Contents
How To Sharpen Drill Bits – Step By Step Guide
Total Time: 30 Mins
Step 1
Before starting the sharping drill bits, one should know about the condition of the bit need to be sharpened as we have to remove the upper cross-layer and get the sharpened edge of the bit. There are two types of sharpening wheel in bench grinder coarse and fine. First, use the course wheel. After you see the removal of the coated layer, you switch to the fine wheel for the smoothing of edges. If the corrosion is minor, you can also use the only fine wheel as a preference. You can also use rotary kit as an alternative.
Step 2
Take all the safety parameters along put on your work eyeglasses and gloves. Hold a firm grip on your drill bit, and move toward the grinder slowly. Don’t rush, be calm, and concentrate while moving the drill bit. Small mistakes could lead to severe damage. Put the cutting edge parallel to the grinding wheel front. Keep the angle at 60 degrees. Don’t move or rotate the bit small wrong action can lead to consequences.
Step 3
Don’t grind a bit continuously. Take a break after every 10 sec and dip the bit in ice or water to cool down. Grinding a bit always without cooling it can reduce the strength of metal and can even cause dismantle of shape and firmness of the bit. Once the bit is cooled enough to touch, examine the bit is it sharp enough to perform accordingly.
Step 4
After examine, and satisfaction from the sharpness of the bit, repeat the same procedure of cooling and grinding from the other side of the bit. Make sure you grind the width of the edge equally from both the side so that bit drill straight hole without any uneven drilling. Keep turning bit 180degre after every certain second for the equal grind.
Step 5
After grinding a bit equally from both sides, give the bit a run test to know the grinding is done accordingly or not to check the sharpness of the bit. Take any scrap piece of wood, point the drill perpendicular on its surface, and slowly start pushing drill perpendicularly on the wood. Even with slight pressure, it will penetrate the woods if appropriately carved. If not, then examine the tip for one more time and grind the tip again. Repeat the process until you are satisfied with the sharpness of the bit.
Step 6
Once you are satisfied and confident that the bit is grinder equally and have required sharpness feel free to take the wood scrap, and with the slight perpendicular force, it will penetrate through the wood, leaving a perfect even straight hole. You can even checkout the use of sanders for sharpening drill bits.
Things You Would Need To Sharpen Drill Bits
1. Gloves And Glasses
Safety comes first before starting your grinding bit procedure. Always keeps in mind to follow every safety parameter before starting it. Still were eyeglasses so that while the process of anything inappropriate could not damage your eyes, small mistakes can lead you to a lifetime regret. Always wear hand gloves for preventing cut and other harms.
2. Ice Or Cool Water
Take a break after every 10 sec and dip the bit in ice or cold water to cool down. Grinding a bit continuously without cooling it can reduce the strength of metal and can even cause dismantle of shape and firmness of the bit.
3. Bench Grinder
A bench grinder is used for sharpening drill bits. It provides the required amount of friction to the surface to remove the coated layer from the metal and carve a new layer which is more sharp and useful. There are two types of wheels in the bench grinder course wheel and fine wheel. The coarse wheel is more potent than the firm wheel.
4. Scrap Wood
The last step is to see that bit is sharp enough to penetrate a straight hole or not. For this, we required scrap wood to perform tests. We could not directly use the bit on the working project. One should be fully satisfied that the bit is ready for work or not. So we will take wood scrap and apply slight perpendicular force on it. If the bit is carved perfectly, it will take no time to penetrate along wood scrap, leaving a perfectly straight hole. After that, you feel free to use your drill on a particular project you are working on.
Why Should You Do It?
Sharpening drill bits may look boring and challenging job, but it’s an essential requirement for the drill as everything in the world has a life so as of tools after a certain time bit starts losing its sharping property, which makes a bit week and uneven.
A dull drill can cause you harm and can ruin all your hard work, so this needs to be fixed. A dull bit will require more force and power to perform particular work. The heat produce frame friction of the surface will be more, causing severe damage to the surface or user. Drill with the right amount of sharpness can save your time and effort, and it also enhances the life of the tool.
FAQs
1. Is it necessary to cool down a bit this close interval of time?
Yes, cooling of the bit is an integral part of bit grinding. Grinding a bit continuously will increase the temperature to this extent that the bit can deform its shape and lose its original strength.
2. Why to use scrap wood for the test?
Using scrap wood is just a part of a test run to see that drill is ready enough to drill or note. You cannot directly use a routine on your project after sharpening it may ruin your work and cause serious damage.
3. Does the bench grinder come with a grinding wheel?
Yes, it comes with two types of sharpening wheel course wheel and fine wheel. Using a bench grinder is not an easy job. So a person should maintain all the safety measures before using it.
Final Thoughts
Any drill bit should be in its perfect condition, or it can lead you to severe damage. Drill bits have a significant role in excellent drilling work, and if the bit is rusted or has a lack of sharpness, this could lead to severe damage. Rusting makes a bit metal week, and as you push bit toward the surface for a drill, it can break into pieces and cause serious injuries. For proper use of bits, they need to be sharpened on the interval of time for the easy and smooth moment of the drill to penetrate through the surface. It is using a different bit for different surfaces.
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