Advice needed

Rob Keeble

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Location
GTA Ontario Canada
Purchased a small motor while back and now want to make a double end buff.

Went looking at a local auto place here similar to harbor freight but without as many tools.

Found pillow block bearings and shaft etc but when i totaled it all up did not make sense buying components.

Remembered LV had these. Which one would you go for if you were making a buffing machine.

What is the smallest HP motor you think would do the job. I have begun to overthink the whole thing again and need to be put back in my box with some sense.:eek:

Comments and advice or your experience very welcome...Thanks:thumb:


One more question, could or rather would you mount something like a motor and mandrel and drive belt on a plywood base and then hang on the wall and use in the hanging position such that you face the buffing wheels at the level of a normal grinder? Would you cover the drive belt for safety? How far apart would you put motor and mandrel?
 
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As I suspected Rob,

The Deluxe model has better bearings, so My advice would be, spend a little more now, and enjoy the tool that much longer. :thumb:

I think a 1/3 or 1/2 hp 3450 rpm motor would be good. Match the motor pulley to the arbor pulley size and use a good belt, to lessen vibration. Any less HP, and you might experience bogging under heavy buffing/grinding.

This should be a decent addition to your arsenal. :D

JMNSHO :wave:

Keep us posted on your choice and results.

Aloha, Tony
 
...One more question, could or rather would you mount something like a motor and mandrel and drive belt on a plywood base and then hang on the wall and use in the hanging position such that you face the buffing wheels at the level of a normal grinder? Would you cover the drive belt for safety? How far apart would you put motor and mandrel?

That's three questions, Rob. We're gonna have to charge you extra. :p (We'll just deduct it from your final Moderator paycheck.) :rofl:

My small lathe (now a dedicated buffing machine) has a 1/5 HP motor and a variable speed. I can stall it by grabbing the wheel, but it's more than enough for buffing small pieces like pens and bottle stoppers. (I use a relatively light touch for buffing on that machine. For bigger stuff or a heavier hand, I use my big lathe.) The Lee Valley pillow block setup looks ideal, since it handles the threaded arbor problems for you. Now all you'll need are some buffing wheels and compounds. You'll want one wheel for each compound you intend to use. You can find OK (albeit small) wheels at the Borg, or buy bigger and better ones from Beall or Don Pencil. For compounds, I'd recommend buying them online from Beall or Don Pencil. The Borg compounds are of dubious makeup, and seem to be centered on polishing metals, not wood. Good compounds are inexpensive, so you might as well buy good ones. Your Lee Valley store may also have them available, but I didn't see any on their website other than their green metal polishing compound. For a 2-wheel system, I think I'd go with Don Pencil's PL compound on one wheel, and use the other for wax. (I use a dry wheel for my "wax" wheel...see the other thread about buffing.) You can also use a 3-wheel approach...you'll just have to swap wheels around, but that only takes a few seconds.

I'd recommend doing some reading and video watching on the Beall website about buffing...it's a wealth of information.

Do pay attention to the speed of your wheels. I think Beall recommends 1725 rpm as the max spindle speed. With my 8" wheels on the big lathe, I tend to run in the 1000 to 1100 rpm range, although for the PL compound from Don Pencil, he recommends a max of something like 800 rpm. I know you won't have a variable speed on your setup, but personally I think I'd gear it down with pulleys to get the spindle speed somewhere in the 1000 to 1200 rpm range. I'd rather have a buffer that's not aggressive enough than have one that's too aggressive. Better to buff a little longer than spend the time refinishing a piece because I burned through the finish. :doh:

Wall-mounted at about the same height as a grinder should work fine. The distance between the motor and the wheels kind of depends on how they're laid out. If the motor is behind the pillow block, I'd say as long as the wheels don't hit it, you're good to go. If the motor is above it, I think I'd try to get a foot or more of clearance between the two, to give you room to maneuver the workpiece around without bumping into the motor. (The farther away from the wall the wheels are, the less this will be an issue.) Do be aware that if you're like most of us, eventually you will launch a piece while buffing it. For this reason, you'll want to set up the motor so the face of the buffing wheels is spinning downward toward your feet, not upward toward your face. In my case, it generally slams it down into the bed of the lathe. If yours is wall-mounted, it'll just hit the floor or the wall under the buffer. Still way better than hitting your chin. ;)

A cover over the pulleys and drive belts sounds like a good idea, too. :thumb:
 
What a joke of a title for your post... :eek:

Why would you post here looking for advice? You think anyone here would offer advice? :rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:
 
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