beall buffing system

[Gordon Thompson]

Got a gift cert for X-mas, and was going to use it on a beall buffing system.

Which system is more handy? the bowl buffs or the more traditional shaped buffs?

I do mostly bowls and pens, with the ocassional platters, and boxes.

Will the 3 on mandrel (all the buffs mounted together) fit on a jet mini?

Thanks!!

[Jeff Hamilton Jr.]

I have Don Pencil's system (identical to Beall) and have the Delta Midi. According to the specs, you need 18" between centers to mount the 3-on system. I've never tried it, so don't know for sure. However, if you are doing bowls also, you don't really want that one. The bowl buffs won't work on the 3-on. I got a great deal from Don Pencil through this site, he was offering 20% off and got the 4 wheels (one also for buffing plastics like your CA finish on pens) and 4 each of two different sizes of bowl buffs along with the requisite compounds. I've been happy with the system. My only complaint is how much "lint" they throw. Even after breaking them in a couple times, they still seem to shed (meaning all over the floor, your apron, etc). Now in all fairness, I'm definately a hobbyist and don't use them much -- perhaps after 20 or so usings, they'll stop doing that.

Good luck!

[John Keeton]

Gordon, I have the bowl buffs and the wheels. I rarely use the bowl buffs - just for hard to reach areas. I also purchased the #2MT single mandrel and extension - great setup - quick and simple, and much better than having all three packed in next to each other. I don't see how one would effectively buff a larger piece (bowl) with having the three on a mandrel.

Also, if you are considering using the Renaissance wax, don't use the Carnuba that comes with the system. You will have to get your wheel clean prior to switching to the Ren wax. Better to just start with the Ren wax.

[Doug W Swanson]

Gordon,
I've got the Beall bowl buffs and I use them for bowls, pens and wine stoppers. Like John, I have the #2MT mandrel and extension. The nice thing about it is that it take just seconds to change the buffs and is easy to mount to the lathe.
JMO,

[Dan Cannon]

very timely thread...I'm planning on picking up a buffing system later this week. Thanks for posting the question, and thanks for everyone's replies. Although, I'm still not sold one way or the other on bowl buffs vs. wheels. (I'm cheap and probably won't get both quite yet).

[Dale Coons]

Gordon,

I have both (3 on a tree and separate). The 3 in one will fit your jet, but when you do anything other than small items like pens or stoppers you'll wish you had the separate buffs--there's just not enough room between them to get many items in there, and theres no way to 'wrap around the end' with a larger bowl or platter.

I still get some lint but not near as much as when they were new--I think it's part of the deal, although some of it may be from pressing the piece too hard against the wheel.

Dale.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I also have the 3 buffing wheels and the bowl buffs. I don't use the bowl buffs much except on smaller bowls that are hard to reach inside. Bowl buffs don't work well with pens at least in my experience.

[Rich Aldrich]

I have the three separate and the #2 MT adaptor. It works well, but I want to get bowl buffs for salad bowls (smaller bowls). I have done a few recently that I would have liked to buff the inside, but couldnt.

I like using a speed of about 700 to 1000 rpm. 1750 is too high for control. Anything less than 700, it just doesnt buff well.

[Cathy Schaewe]

Like a couple others, I have the three separate and the bowl buffs. I think the wheels do a much better job, and only use the bowl buffs if the wheels can't reach.

[Greg Just]

Does anyone know if the extension would fix on the end of the shaft of an electric motor? I want to make a dedicating buffing station with a spare electric motor.

Thanks.

[Marc Himes]

I have the bowl buffs and use them in my drill press at a high speed on bare wood and slower for finished pieces. I also have an extension that mounts on my lathe that will hold one bowl buff at a time. I haven't used the buffing wheels yet, but from the positive remarks here, I think I will in the future.

Marc Himes

[Jim Sebring]

When I started turning pens a few years ago I bought the Beall 3-on setup. It works well for small items but, as some have noted, there isn't enough room between the wheels for bowls and such. I've switched all my stuff over to Don Pencil's system. He supplies extensions that screw onto the lathe headstock. They get the wheel well away from any interfering machinery. My first lathe, a Jet 1220, has become my primary buffing station. I use an 8" extension on it. I also have a 12" extension for use on the DVR xp.

Like John said, forget the caranuba wax. Just use Renaissance. BTW, Lee Valley has a similar microcrystilline wax at a better price than Ren, and it's made in Canada.

[Ray Bell]

Does anyone know if the extension would fix on the end of the shaft of an electric motor? I want to make a dedicating buffing station with a spare electric motor.

Thanks.

Greg, I did this once. I had to drill the extention out to fit the motor shaft. I didn't like it though as the motor turned way too fast.

[John Keeton]

Like John said, forget the caranuba wax. Just use Renaissance. BTW, Lee Valley has a similar microcrystilline wax at a better price than Ren, and it's made in Canada.Jim, I also noticed in the last Penn State catalogue that they have their own brand of wax now that I believe is even cheaper than the LV brand. I suspect they are all alike.

[Fred Belknap]

Does anyone know if the extension would fix on the end of the shaft of an electric motor? I want to make a dedicating buffing station with a spare electric motor.

Thanks.
I had mine mounted on a .75hp 1700 rpm motor. Just loosen the two set screws and it come apart, I think it is 5/8" shaft.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Gordon - another vote for the separate wheel system - just gives you more room to work in. I also have the 2" bowl buffs and hardly ever use them anymore because they end up causing swirls instead of buffing out the bowl. I do think if I had the 4" buffs - they would work better.

Also - when buffing - watch your speed and pressure or it is easy to burn through the finish. One more thing - make sure you have a good grip on the turning and work around the 7 to 8 o'clock position on the wheel. Less likely to launch your finished turning!

[Greg Just]

Does anyone know if 1120 RPM is fast enough for buffing? The old bandsaw motor I have is rated 1120 minimum. Thanks!

[John Keeton]

Greg, with 8" wheels, that is plenty fast enough. I buff closer to 700rpm.

[Greg Just]

Greg, with 8" wheels, that is plenty fast enough. I buff closer to 700rpm.

Thanks John. The motor is perfectly good for this application and I can use the stand from the bandsaw to hold the motor. I'll post pictures when I get it done. I need to order the adaptor unless Rockler has it when I pay them a visit this aftyernoon.