Lidl Parkside drill bit sharpener

[AJWParticipant @ajw]

I’ve always sharpened drills on the off hand grinder and generally get away with it but spotted the above drill bit sharpener in Lidl (£14.99) – 3mm – 13mm

Bit sceptical but gave it a go and have been quite impressed! It uses an unusual stone inside the device (which they call a ‘brick’?) it comes with a spare and replacements are available.

However when trying a 3mm drill bit it put the clearance angle the wrong way, as though it was a left hand bit? 4mm and up was ok.

Contacted them and describing the problem and included photos, very apologetic, and will be sending a replacement with no need to return the faulty item!

Shame it was faulty in the first place but good customer service with hopefully a working replacement which can do a good job.

 

Alan

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

It will be VERY interesting if you can work-out how they corrected the geometry.

MichaelG.

[AJWParticipant @ajw]

Michael, interesting is the word!

Can’t see it being any different to the original but will give it a go. Might only have a range of 4mm – 13mm!

 

Alan

[Clive FosterParticipant @clivefoster55965]

MichealG

I presume AJW has the current drill sharpener offering type PBSG 95 F6. Remarkable how many brands of the same device are out there. Including Grizzley who are generally a pretty good indicator of when a particular relatively inexpensive device is a respectable performer (within reason) rather than merely cheap.

Nooging around on line it looks as if it uses a tapered stone to generate the necessary angles. Which simplifies the sharpener working geometry and drill bit holding requirements but generally intrinsically needs more extension from its holder / guide than a well designed device using a flat stone. The smaller the bit the more flexible it is so a longer extension makes it more likely that things can go awry.

If you consider the geometry of sharpening with a shaped stone it’s clear that reversal is possible under cutting forces if the drill bit gets sufficiently out of line. The poke in a hole style drill bit holder is convenient but inevitably less rigid than a proper collet or chuck support too. So with a small drill everything is harder.

My professional level Clarkson set up struggles with drills at the smallest end of its range. So much so that I rarely bother sharpening below 1/4″ or maybe 3/8″ diameter. On the Clarkson its easy to see whats going on but at 1/8″ – 3 mm and similar small sizes the slightest over enthusiasm in grinding feed will pick the drill up and push it off line giving most ineffective results.

Personally I think that, given the inevitable limitations of mechanical precision from a plastic body and poke down the hole drill holding system, expecting to reliably put a good edge on a 3 mm drill is optimistic. Great if all the tolerances on your example are good and the phases of the moon line up. But if yours only manages a good job from 4 mm up i reckon you are still doing really well for your £15.

The original Plasplugs systems was the first, and to my mind best, of the plastic body sharpeners with accurate drill setting and minimal point extension. Mine will do down to 1/8″ – 3 mm if you are really careful and closely watch what you are doing. Possible with everything exposed and on view. But poke down the hole relies on everything being made just so.

Clive

[John HaineParticipant @johnhaine32865]

I bought a Lidl one several years back when they appeared, totally useless IMHO.

[VersabossParticipant @versaboss]

A photo of that sharpener would be interesting, as nothing can be found in lidl.co.uk

Regards,
Hans

[egaParticipant @ega]

As I recall, there was a Wishbone jig for small drills which presented the drill to the stone with minimum projection.

[Andrew TinsleyParticipant @andrewtinsley63637]

I have a range of drill sharpening jigs and I find that the Reliance series give me the best results. If I only need to sharpen a couple of drills, it is hardly worth setting up the Reliance jigs. I use my Plasplugs drill sharpener. I reckon that this is by far the best cheap plastic drill sharpener ever made. The results are excellent. The units are long out of production, but well worth looking for .

Andrew.

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

I messed up a chealpie drill sharpening jig by pushing too hard. The heat melted the plastic and ruined the device.

Eventually, I made a cutter grinder (A Worden seeming to be the easiest) and now grind drills with four facets, which cut very well, and by reversing after every pass, produce equal length lips and more accurate holes.

The original HK1301 kit, but carrying the drill in similar manner to Giles Parkes, (in ER collets) is my preferred method.

You used to be able to buy a little jig (From Arc Euro, Does anyone else offer such a thing?) which would help show that drills could be hand ground with equal length lips, or not, depending on one’s skill !

Howard

[noel shelleyParticipant @noelshelley55608]

1/8″ or below I would just use a new one, in boxes of 10 they are cheap enough – even Dormer. Even with the Brierley 1/8″ or 3mm is the lower limit. The drill jig mentioned by Howard from Arc Euro is available from various sources Try Tracy Tools. Dear Ketan gave me one as he was closing down.  Noel.

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Another vote for the Wishbone. So easy to make as it doesn’t have to be an exact copy of the standard, just with the correct angle and invent your own clamp. If you find the original instructions for its use I recall they are not optimum as it is better to start each sweep close to vertical (ideally with a cardboard template) to get a consistent edge.

[Clive FosterParticipant @clivefoster55965]

Realistically I think it has to be accepted that small drills are different when it comes to sharpening.

Where small starts at 1/8″ – 3 mm (ish).

Could never get on with the wishbone sharpener.

If memory serves me correctly one of the Machinists Bedside Reader books by Guy Lautard provided a design for a small drill grinding device that seemed a bit more “engineered predictable” in operation which I resolved to make “soon” or at least when the need became urgent. Over 30 years later soon hasn’t yet happened.

Don’t seem to go through enough baby drills for the cost of buying new, decent brand (usually Dormer) by the box of 10 via E-Bay et al to become onerous. Fairly sure I’m yet to re-purchase a box of any specific size. maybe 10 sizes of back up boxes in stock.

Clive

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

I’ve just stumbled across this page:

https://3dladnik.wixsite.com/workshop/wishbon-2?lang=en

… possibly well-kown to others.

MichaelG.

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Several more 3D print versions on Thingiverse etc including one using a pin vice to hold the drill which might be helpful if you have a vice with collets. (or Dremel collets)
BTW if making one and I would suggest aluminium not plastic, there is nothing magical about the 118 angle for drills apart from matching the existing angle. For small ones it probably simpler to make your wishbone 120 degrees and accept the need for a little extra work on the first grind.

[egaParticipant @ega]

I agree that sharpening small drills is likely to be both difficult and uneconomic. However, I do recall GHT saying that the 3/32″ (?) drills he was using on a dividing plate “put up a poor performance” until he stoned them.

[howardbParticipant @howardb]

Having been taught to sharpen drills on an off-hand grinder during my time in slave labour (apprenticeship) I still possess the skill.

Except that trying to accurately sharpen any drill less than and up to 1/8 ” diameter is a waste of time if an accurate hole diameter is required.

[Adrian R2Participant @adrianr2]

Parkside sharpeners – links only for pictures, not to endorse sellers:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/307116790846 95W PBSG 95 F6
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/307065643275 92W PBSG 92 A1
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/358458059153        PSS   65 D1

I have the bottom one, it does put a cutting edge of sorts on 6-10mm bits but I wouldn’t recommend it.

A similar Plasplugs variant exists but I doubt that was the one referred to earlier.

[howardb]

On howardb Said:

Having been taught to sharpen drills on an off-hand grinder during my time in slave labour (apprenticeship) I still possess the skill.

 

me too, except i am loosing it so i built a bonelle tool grinder. just need to learn how to use it properly

[Clive FosterParticipant @clivefoster55965]

Adrian R2

The Parkside PSS 65 D1 is indeed a knock off of the original Plasplugs sharpening device.

Unfortunately, as you discovered, it’s not an accurate copy and simply doesn’t work properly. Although sort-of results can be coaxed out of it with sufficient determination.

Something that seriously annoyed me ‘cos I bought one for a friend, who was away at the time so it didn’t immediately get tested, on the strength of the LiDL & Parkside reputations. He wasn’t happy when he couldn’t get it to work. I was even less happy on failing too after rather too long an interval after buying to take it back! It still sits on the shelf awaiting forensic examination as to what is wrong. I imagine its a “we measured out and copied it but made a few unimportant changes, for example the diamond on steel pressing substitute for a grindstone” reverse engineering job. Not a good way of doing things as being always open to errors. Proper way is to may all the measurements then verify the engineering and tolerances to produce a drawing of something that will do what it should.

That little episode did change my mind about developing a set of such drill mounting and swing control device to use on the side of a normal grinder as an easier substitute for a Picador jig. I reckoned 3 to cover up to 5/8″ would have worked. Looked like Mr Plasplugs was bit more subtle than I first thought. The simple fix the drill in once and flip over to do the opposite side holding system is a touch of genius. Combined with the positive projection setting stop it immediately solves the major problem with the common drill in a trough systems.

So I splashed out on the Clarkson kit. A good move in retrospect.

The knock-offs can be found in several breeds and colour combinations but I do wonder how many factories actually make them. Be unsurprised if they all came from the same factory with the same errors. Or maybe there are knock-off of the knock-offs with even more discrepancies.

Clive

[noel shelleyParticipant @noelshelley55608]

I went through a series of stages, free hand, picador, plastic jobs, the Clarkson attachment and finally the Brierley. The Brierley was not hugely dearer than the Clarkson but was on another level, quick, easy, accurate and able to do from 3mm to 32mm. A sharp drill bit is so important ! Noel.

[Bo’sunParticipant @bosun58570]

Mentioning the “Picador” Drill Sharpener.  I was always uncomfortable using the side of the grinding wheel.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

[ Rabbit Hole ]

The referenced Foreign patent is VERY interesting !

.

.

MichaelG.

[Chris CrewParticipant @chriscrew66644]

The Picador type jig isn’t very satisfactory as you need to advance the drill bit in the jig to effect any backing off, otherwise it just grinds the bit concentric. This advance varies with the size of bit being sharpened so it is quite a delicate skill to master. A much better jig is the Reliance which rolls the drill bit eccentrically against the grinding wheel and so imparts the necessary standard backing off for jobbers drills.

I am surprised our Asian cousins haven’t cloned this superior design as Reliance jigs seem to be quite rare. BTW, I have ground on the side of the wheel for over 50years and never had any fear of an accident, but a ham-fisted tyro may put himself in danger if care is not taken.

[martin haysomParticipant @martinhaysom48469]

is there not a shaped wheel designed to be used on its side ?

[Chris Crew]

On Chris Crew Said:

BTW, I have ground on the side of the wheel for over 50years and never had any fear of an accident, but a ham-fisted tyro may put himself in danger if care is not taken.

I’m not a fan of the Picador Drill Sharpener for that very reason.  It just seems wrong, and goes against what I was taught as an apprentice Toolmaker.

[Author]

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