Beal Buffing System / 3 wheel help?

[richard poitras]

I put this in the general woodworking section and got no responses and then I was thinking to try it in the turner section because it’s more of a tuners product any help?


I have been thinking about getting a Beal Buffing System but have been waiting to find a 1750 rpm motor so I can make a designated system for buffing. Well I found a motor at a rummage sale for $10.00 (small gloat) with a switch and pulley on it and it works great so now I need to find (not sure what it’s called/mandrel?) a shaft so I can mount all 3 buffing wheels on it and have some space in between so I can get the piece being buffed polished up. Does anybody know a good place to buy a shaft with arbors on it to mount the 3 Beal polishing wheels? So that it can be mounted to a table top or board? Or even a way to make one that would work?
1. I don’t have a lathe and I don’t do bowels
2. I am looking at maybe something 30’’ long so I can have room to work on the projects and not worried about hitting the other buffing wheels.
3. Also it will be mainly using for polishing small boxes.
Any ideas to get me from A to Z would be appreciated …

Thanks Richard

[robert hainstock]

PSI sells a three wheeler with buffs attached, but it is shorter than your specifications. Also it has a #2mt. I left the wax wheel out of mine, and mount it on a seperate mandrel that I use for my Jacobs chuck. You are right in wanting the extraa space between the wheels. I have a dedicated arbor for two wheels wirh a pulley in the middle that would take two of the three if I ever tried. You are absolutely right in your choice of motor speed, a 3600RPM buffer wil just burn wood . Good luck!:):)
Bob

[Thom Sturgill]

I believe the standard Beall setup is designed to be a tool-less switch between wheels.
Lee Valley (http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=32960&cat=1,43072,45939&ap=1) sells mandrels that might work.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Richard, if you are open to suggestions... I would suggest this: http://www.packardwoodworks.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=123901&Category_Code=

Unless you are doing mass quanties of buffing at a time - this system will do everything you need and not have any of the problems of a mandrel or space restrictions. I use a very similar system on my lathe and it works great!

[Bernie Weishapl]

I agree with Steve. I have that setup on a 1750 rpm motor and works well.

[Doug Miller]

I use exactely what Steve is suggesting. I've even thought about getting one of the extensions that is available somewhere. I can say that this system beats the 3 on a shaft all to pieces.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

I lost this reply twice as the server dropped me twice so just saved it as a JPG

[Jon Lanier]

I use what Steve suggested. I use it on my lathe currently. But I'd like to get a dedicated station for it. Like you, a motor and all that.

[Gordon Seto]

Find another $10 gloat motor to make a two-wheel station from a mandrel.
http://www.caswellplating.com/buffs/bench_mandrels.htm
This motor can be any speed; you can use the combination of pulleys to obtain the speed you want.

Use this:
http://www.caswellplating.com/buffs/shaft.htm
or the buffing system that Steve suggested
with the current motor for the 3rd wheel.

The 30" long shaft may have flexing problem if it is not super heavy duty.
You will have 3 always ready dedicated buffing wheels without the down side of the 3-in-1.

[Dick Strauss]

A 3/4'-10 threaded shaft is plenty heavy for a 30" length. Klingspor Woodworking is another good source for buffing supplies:

http://www.woodworkingshop.com/cgi-bin/733404C1/mac/qryitems.mac/itemDisplay?lenSgDsc=5BUFFSBUFFING%20WHEELS&qryType=GRPSG&group=FINACC

If you want to set it up on a table top, do a search for pillow blocks to support the ends. The mandrel Gordon references above shows two smaller versions to support 1/2" or 5/8" shafts.


Good luck,
Dick

[richard poitras]

Sorry it took so long to get back I was out of town for the weekend … I think I am going to possibly do Leo Van Der Loo trick with the drill chuck (I have a old drill chuck I could use)… or I think I will call “McMaster-Carr” per Toms advice (from the original tread I posted in the woodworking section) and see if they can help me design something out of there catalog ..And use a three wheel system..

Thanks for the help Guys!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Richard,

I had a 3-wheel Beal buffing system that I used on a lathe. It worked but anything of any size....the other wheels got in the way. I gave that to a friend who didn't have a Beal buffing system. I used a gift card given to me and bought the Beal 3 individual buffs for use on a lathe. Yes...I have to change each one...but I can buff anything of any size I can hold up to my lathe. Just something to think about.