Drill Doctor adds spade bit sharpener

The Drill Doctor, a sharpening device manufactured by Darex LLC, is now accepting spade bit patients.

The new model DDSB can sharpen spade bits from 1/4" to 1-1/2", including those with screw points and spurs, twist bits from 3/32" to 1/2", and masonry bits up to 1/2".

Company spokesman Mathew Bernard says the spade bit sharpening process basically involves two steps - align and sharpen.

"Once you get the spade bit aligned, there is a red handle on top of the holder. You flip that and it locks it into place in the holder. When you start to grind the bit and you're moving it back and forth, that holder is not moving and the bit is not moving inside of that holder. So when you have sharpened one side and you take it out and flip it over, you just push the bit forward into the stops, the bit is in the exact same orientation as it was on the first side, so you know you are taking off the same amount of material on both sides."

For sharpening twist bits, the Drill Doctor has cams on the chuck so when the user is rotating the bit, it moves the bit in and out and side to side. That creates the conical geometry that duplicates the same movement one would hope to obtain sharpening by hand when using a grinding wheel.

The Drill Doctor DDSB spade bit sharpener retails between $99 and $120.

Contact: Drill Doctor-Darex LLC., 210 East Hersey, Ashland, OR 97520. Tel: 800-597-6170. www.drilldoctor.com

This article originally appeared in the November 2010 issue.