Buffer/Polisher advice needed

[Len Rosenberg]

Hi all. I would like to buy a power tool I can use to buff out a wax finish on large flat surfaces, like a table top or sides of an armoire. My wax of choice is Anitquax. Up until now I've buffed it out by hand, but on large pieces it is physically demanding and time consuming. I am not looking to polish the wood or the finish to a high gloss, as I prefer a satin/matte finish with a soft sheen. Several hours of research has led me to look at dual action random orbit machines, but I don't know if I am better served by something like the RUPES LHR15, or the Festool Rotex 150, or something else. Any advice greatly appreciated. And Happy Holidays to all :).

Thanks,

Len

[Tom M King]

I have all sorts of buffing stuff in the mechanic shop. One thing that might work pretty good on furniture is the little Milwaukee 12V right angle buffer. You can buy cheap foam pads on Amazon that work fine on it. For a table top, I'd use a full size buffer, but it could be done with the little one, if you don't do many.

Other companies probably make similar, but I use Milwaukee cordless in the mechanic shop, so I didn't look at other manufacturers.

https://www.amazon.com/Cordless-Polisher-No-Battery-Included/dp/B00NO8NT4O/ref=sr_1_3?crid=P25L4YW5U3J5&keywords=milwaukee+m12+buffer&qid=1640626006&sprefix=milwaukee+m12+buffer%2Caps%2C95&sr=8-3

[Tim Lanier1]

I recently got the Rotex 90 because of the dual action and also it comes with the pointy sanding pad so you can also use it as a detail sander. I've only used it a little so far but it seems very nice. If you're looking to do big surfaces though I wonder if it would be too small.

[Michael Schuch]

For wax rotary buffers are fast and aggressive, make sure to get a variable speed one. Random orbit buffers/sanders are much slower hence easier to control and less likely to burn the finish.

I have a few of the old Porter Cable 7427 6" right angle random orbit buffers/polishers/sanders. I use them mostly for sanding. My daughter and I recently polished out an old acrylic aquarium. The random orbit buffers took for ever so I bought a rotary buffer (no name) and it made the work go MUCH quicker.

After you choose a buffer you are going to have to figure out which pads and bonnets to use which is a whole nother topic.

[fred woltersdorf]

I saw this buffer on Instagram being used by a shop building large tables, might be what you want.http://www.gem-industries.com/ss.php

[Keith Outten]

I purchased this Makita 9227C polisher from someone here in our Classifieds Forum a couple years ago. It's a little heavy but very powerful.
It has adjustable speed and uses a variety of foam pads depending on the polishing task.
I can tell you that this tool works extremely well. I polished my Sprinter van a few months ago after removing all of the vinyl graphics, the paint looked great.

The table below I got from Christopher Newport University several years ago. It was from the old cafeteria that we tore down and replaced so you can bet it was in tough shape. All I did was use polishing compound on the surface and then used the polisher to put a coat of wax on the table top, about 30 minutes total before installing it back on the cast iron table legs.

I own one of the machines that is sold as a buffing machine and it will buff but not polish. The Makita's weight and power will do just about any job large or small.

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