Extending the Mandrel on the 3-on-Lathe Beall Buff System

[David Moore CA]

I've been using the Beall system but find the 3 wheels are too close together. Has anyone tried extending the mandrel? Maybe welding a piece of metal in the middle or has someone figured out an easier way?

[Nathan Hawkes]

You can accomplish more or less the same thing with a piece of threaded rod, a drill chuck, and a live center tailstock, provided you use two nuts on each side of the buffing wheels, and large enough washers.

[Jim Sebring]

The Beall system is great for small items like pens, but doesn't work well for bowls and such. That's why I converted my buffing wheels to work on Don Pencil's extended mandrels. I use an 8 inch mandrel on my Jet 1220 and have a 12 inch one for my DVR xp. Those get the wheels well away from the headstock and allow much fredom of motion while buffing.

[David Moore CA]

You can accomplish more or less the same thing with a piece of threaded rod, a drill chuck, and a live center tailstock, provided you use two nuts on each side of the buffing wheels, and large enough washers.

Good idea. The rod with the Beall system is 3/4 inch and most MT2 drill chucks seem to only go up to 5/8. I wonder if the Beall buffs would work OK on a smaller rod, maybe 1/2" using the nuts and washers to secure the wheels?

[Robert McGowen]

I just use one wheel at a time on the Beall mandrel. Cut a piece of 3/4" pipe to slip over the mandrel, put the washer, one wheel, another washer, then another piece of 3/4" pipe on the mandrel and snug the end nut up against the pipe.