Crooked drill bit

[xarlock667]

I have a 1/2" drill bit that is slightly crooked. Is there a way to reliably straighten it? I have an anvil, vice, and a few other tools.

[Toolguy]

You could put the drill part in the lathe chuck and turn down the shank till it cleans up.

[xarlock667]

Is there a way to do that with the chuck on the drill press? I do not have a lathe (YET) But I intend to build one at a later point.

[desertbob]

I've had a slightly similar situation with brand new bits. The bit will have a reduced size shank but the shank won't be concentric with the main part of the bit. My solution is to shove the bit farther up into the chuck and grab it by the main part. True I have a shorter bit but it works if the hole does not need to be too deep. Poor quality control somewhere.

[packrat]

not much you can do...{but get a new one.)if you need to drill a good hole..

[Paul Alciatore]

Small drills often bend and can be easily straightened by hand while chucked. But a 1/2" would be a lot harder to straighten this way.

I would look at the shank to see if there are any raised burrs on it. The shanks of many drills are soft while the tips are hardened and when they slip in the chuck the hardened chuck jaws often raise these burrs. These burrs can cause it to be mounted at an angle and appear bent.

If there are any, you can grind them off or even use sandpaper to remove them. You would need to be careful to keep the basic shank on the same center line.

OTOH, if the bit is really bent, a strip of sandpaper could also be used to take some off of one side of the shank. Clamp the bit in the vise with the shank sticking out to one side and use the sandpaper like a shoe shine cloth on the high side. Use some wood or soft metal scraps to grip it and prevent damage to the flutes. This could take a bit of effort and frequent tests.

As for testing, if you are using a chuck/drill to judge, be sure that the chuck is true. Check it out with several other bits first.