Buffing Station

[Stew Hagerty]

I want to make a buffing station. I have three different buffing wheels each witth different compounds for sharpening & honing chisels and things. Right now I keep swapping them out on the left side of my bench grinder, and I'm really tired of doing that. Now I could leave one mounted there and get either another bench grinder for the other two or one of those specialized benchtop buffers that for some reason seem to cost 3 times as much as a grinder. Or, I could build one myself where I could put all three wheels next to each other. I have seen setups like this for use on a lathe, but I don't have a lathe. Does anyone have something like this or have seen something similar? I've got several things going on right now so it would be nice not to have to design something from scratch. Any help would be greatly appreciated. And, thanks...

[Mark Kornell]

I have used something similar. Two-wheel system, rather than three, but there's no reason you couldn't adapt it for three. Or leave the 3rd on your grinder.

It was a portable, standalone buffing station, with the wheels about stomach height. The base was about 24x24, locking casters, and heavily weighted. An AC motor of unknown provenance was mounted on the base and had a pulley attached.

Standing up was a T arrangement. Well-built vertical piece from 2x4 lumber, with a solid cross piece. Pillow block bearings on risers were mounted in the middle and at the ends of the cross piece (approx 24" span). A steel rod ran between the bearings, with a pulley mounted near the middle, in line with the pulley of the motor. The risers under the bearings were sized to give the pulley clearance. Buffing wheels attached at the ends of the steel rod. And a long, exposed V-belt between the pulleys.

The pulleys were sized to spin the buffing wheels at a reasonable speed - somewhat slower than the motor :-) You could use step pulleys or a variable speed motor to give yourself more control over the speed. And I'd suggest some kind of guard over the belt...

[Gary Herrmann]

Do you have a lathe? Someone (Beall?) makes some sort of buffing spindle that allows you to mount 3 wheels on your lathe.

[Stew Hagerty]

Do you have a lathe? Someone (Beall?) makes some sort of buffing spindle that allows you to mount 3 wheels on your lathe.

As I stated, i do not have lathe. I said that in my original post specifically because i have seen lathe setups that do me no good whatsoever.

[Stew Hagerty]

I've checked around and I can buy a brand new 6" single speed bench grinder for less than $50. I'm betting it is going to be hard to beat that even with building something myself.

I wonder why the least expensive benchtop buffer I could find was over a hundred and all the ones I saw for less than one fifty got horrible reviews. Buffers and grinders certainly appear to be very similar. Same through shaft motors, same mounting. And buffers don't have the guards or tool rests that grinders do so common sense would say they'd actually less expensive.

An enigma.

[Chris Fournier]

Why buff when you can hone on stones? A $50 bench grinder is no grinder at all if you are after quality and good value - it is a bench grinder like object at best.

[Stew Hagerty]

Why buff when you can hone on stones? A $50 bench grinder is no grinder at all if you are after quality and good value - it is a bench grinder like object at best.

I already have a way to sharpen Chris. I have a Worksharp 3000 with their wide blade accessory plate, I use a veritas MkII jig on top for almost everything. I also have Work sharp's leather stropping plate that I use for final honing.

I use the buffing wheels for gouges and carving tools that are much more difficult to get sharp. I've also used them for quick touch ups on chisels & plane irons, and they work quite well for that also.

[Chris Fournier]

Okay then. For carving gouges I have contact cemented a piece of "saddle" leather to an MDF disc that I can chuck in my DP. I load the leather with rouge and finish off cutting edges with this. Cheap and cheerful. Personally I would never strop or buff a chisel or plane blade; waterstone hone.

[Stew Hagerty]

Okay then. For carving gouges I have contact cemented a piece of "saddle" leather to an MDF disc that I can chuck in my DP. I load the leather with rouge and finish off cutting edges with this. Cheap and cheerful. Personally I would never strop or buff a chisel or plane blade; waterstone hone.

The Worksharp leather plate I mentioned is a thick leather pad adheared to a typical Worksharp thick glass plate which is then charged with green compound for final lapping.

What I'm looking for here Chris are design ideas for building this. I am simply debating building one versus converting a cheap bench grinder.

[phil harold]

I have a 6" slow speed grinder that I took off the shields and put buffing wheels
can add a picture tonite

there is also this, that just might be the ticket

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA0400D21523&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleMKP&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleMKP-_-pla-_-Grinders-_-9SIA0400D21523

[Stew Hagerty]

I have a 6" slow speed grinder that I took off the shields and put buffing wheels
can add a picture tonite

there is also this, that just might be the ticket

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA0400D21523&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleMKP&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleMKP-_-pla-_-Grinders-_-9SIA0400D21523

That is exactly what I was thinking about doing. How is it working for you? Yes, those are the dedicated "buffers" that I was talking about, although that is about the lowest price one I've seen. The thing is, I can still get a bench grinder for about half that price. I don't get why dedicated buffers are so much more. Is there some advantage I'm not seeing? I think I've pretty much trashed the idea of making one. By the time I get a motor, switch, and whatever else, it has to add up to more than $47.50.

[John McClanahan]

I think you will want a slow speed grinder for buffing. At 3450 rpms, a standard grinder spins the buffing wheel too fast. The centrifugal force makes the wheel hard, not soft and pliable It also generates a lot of heat fast on the piece being buffed.


John

[Stew Hagerty]

I think you will want a slow speed grinder for buffing. At 3450 rpms, a standard grinder spins the buffing wheel too fast. The centrifugal force makes the wheel hard, not soft and pliable It also generates a lot of heat fast on the piece being buffed.


John

Except that most of the dedicated benchtop buffers (except for the much more expensive variable speed ones) all run at 3450rpms.

[phil harold]

That is exactly what I was thinking about doing. How is it working for you? Yes, those are the dedicated "buffers" that I was talking about, although that is about the lowest price one I've seen. The thing is, I can still get a bench grinder for about half that price. I don't get why dedicated buffers are so much more. Is there some advantage I'm not seeing? I think I've pretty much trashed the idea of making one. By the time I get a motor, switch, and whatever else, it has to add up to more than $47.50.

I use mine alot, it works good
I use mine to hone and polish cutting edges only

I Like it to be spinning away from me, the bufing wheel can grab things at times

254413
All I did was rotate the motor base so the switch would be in the "new" front of the machine.

as you can see it is only 1725 6" grinder

254414

I would like to get a real long shaft buffer to polish wood,
but I am waiting for the real need or deal

[Stew Hagerty]

I Like it to be spinning away from me, the bufing wheel can grab things at times

254413
All I did was rotate the motor base so the switch would be in the "new" front of the machine.

as you can see it is only 1725 6" grinder


Phil, that is a great idea. I think you just solved my dilemma. I can just pick up that cheap grinder and turn it around like you did and I'll have something that'll work perfectly for what I need, at least for now.
Thanks