Is this a good deal?

[mp31guitar]

Get the motor and a great starter buffing kit
Kit includes :
•1 x 1/3 hp buffing machine

•2 x 6” sisal wheels

•2 x 6” spiral sewn cotton wheels

•2 x 6” loose cotton wheels

•1 large bar White compound

•1 large bar brown compound

•1 large bar black compound

•1 buffing wheel rake
I would have to buy some blue tripoli also. But, everything together is about $125. Here are the specs on the motor.
•110 volts

•3450 rpm

•4.2 amps

•single phase

•60hz

•1 year limited warranty

•long ½” diameter shaft
Just wanted to ask before I made up my mind. I really want a buffer so I can shine my own pipes. I would also need some carnuba wax. What do you guys think?

 

[lordnoble]

3450 rpms is too high from what I understand. I think the highest you want to go is somewhere around 1500 rpms if I'm not mistaken. Unclearthur! We need your vast pipe buffing knowledge!
Or anyone else...
-Jason

 

[markw4mms]

Most electric motors are either 3450 RPM or 1725 RPM, I'd opt for the slower of the two if you can get one.

 

[stephenoc]

Do not use 6" wheels on a 3,450 RPM motor! It will produce too fast a surface speed and could damage your pipes (this has been confirmed by several professional pipe restorers).
One way to counteract the high RPM of the motor is to go with smaller diameter wheels, i.e. 4" instead of 6" or 8". If you take 3,450 and divide it in half you'll get 1,725. So, since 8" wheels are the ideal size on a 1,725 RPM motor, dividing 8 in half gives you 4. Therefore, 4" wheels on a 3,450 RPM motor will yield the same effect as 8" wheels on a 1,725 RPM motor (at least in terms of surface speed). That's the setup I have and it works perfectly. I can buff any pipe just as good as professional restorers, and they come out amazing!

 

[ace57]

Stephenoc, Don't a smaller wheel turn faster?

 

[stephenoc]

@ace57, actually no. Think about this: an 8" wheel on a 3,450 RPM motor will have twice the surface speed as a 4" wheel on the same motor. Picture the amount of surface contact the buff has each RPM. The closer the outer diameter is, the less surface contact the buff will have - and the opposite. Does that make sense?

 

[ace57]

I look at it like a car with 15in. tires going 55 mph. pulling a trailer with 8 in. tires. the small tires are turning faster than the 15 in. tires.

 

[pstlpkr]

I don't know anything about buffing wheels...

But, to me a good deal would be a no-limit BOGO sale on $100 bills. :nana:

 

[tslex]

no Ace, the car wheel analogy doesn't work, b/c both wheels are cover same distance -- requiring rear small trailer wheel to go faster.
On a buffing wheel at constant rpm, a point on the surface of an 8 inch wheel is traveling faster than a point on the four inch wheel.
Any given point on circumference will travel diameter X pi in one revolution = the circumference. Right?
ROUGH numbers:

circumference on 8 inch wheel = >24 inches (8X3.14). Circumference on 4 inch wheel =

 

[stephenoc]

Right, I understand the confusion. In your analogy though, both the trailer and the car would be traveling at the same speed, which leads to the question of whether or not the axles would have the same amount of rotations per minute. Obviously, the trailer axels would be turning at a much higher rate than the car's axles, agreed? If you performed the same test on a trailer with 9" or 10" wheels, I'm sure you can see how the rotations would be less the larger the wheel diameter was. So, in this case, the trailer axle represents the motor axle - conclusion: the smaller the wheel diameter the slower the surface feet per minute (SFPM).

 

[tslex]

Crap cut me off:
circ of 8 inch wheel = >24 (8 X 3.14). Circumference of 4 inch wheel = LESS THAN 15 (4 X 3.14).
So for each revolution, the point on the 8 inch wheel must travel farther. If both wheels go at 3,500 rpm, point on surface of 8 inch wheel has to cover farther distance in each revolution. Farther distance in same time means faster speed.
in each minute, point on surface of each wheel s making 3500 trips -- trips around eight inch wheel are longer, thus faster.

 

[igloo]

A longer shaft would be nice say at leat 4inchs . A simple variable resistor or rheostat wired in will control the speed to what you want . :puffpipe:

 

[ace57]

Ok I get it now, thanks. Wow I'm too old to think on how things work, now where did I set My beer. :rofl:

 

[stephenoc]

Here's the setup I have that works like a charm:
Skil 3380 = approx. $45 at Lowe's
Beall 4" wood buff kit = approx. $50
The Beall kit includes three 4" wheels (1 linen for tripoli, 1 linen-cotton blend for white diamond, 1 all-flannel for carnuba wax), one 1/2" - 5/8" adapter, and three bars (1 tripoli, 1 white diamond, 1 carnuba wax).
My only complaint is that my Skil 3380 came with attached LED lights that are attached by brackets on the wheel cover. Since I removed the entire wheel cover I have a dangling LED light that I always have to watch out for (easily solved with some trusty duct tape!).
As igloo mentioned, a longer shaft is nice. The adapter that I got from Beall was 4" long and includes a spacer (about 1 inch). My wheel now sits about 6" from the motor housing and has never posed a problem.

 

[stephenoc]

@ace57: Ha! Good one!
@tslex: very helpful input...

 

[olderthandirt]

I've been getting by with a variable speed drill in a vise with 6" buffs. OK but not great.
Stephen mentioned SFPM but most of the talk keeps reverting to RPM.

What I have as yet to find is what is the recommended SFPM for cut/polish/buff of wood.
Formula for calculating surface speed of wheel in SFPM.

SFPM = 1/4 x diameter of Wheel x RPM (revs of spindle per min.)
So a 4" buff on a 3450RPM motor will result in 3450 SFPM.

Is 3540 SFPM the desired speed for working with wood?

 

[unclearthur]

I have been using an old 1750 motor connected to a jackshaft via a couple of three step pulleys . I like six inch wheels. Right now I can get the best price on that size.

 

[ssjones]

I just found a 1750 rpm, 1/4 hp motor on a shelf in my parents basement. I've been using a variable speed hand drill to this point. I wired the motor and put in a toggle on/off switch. I'm like to order the Beall arbor and pads. I have an email into Woodcraft if they are available separately. They just have it as a kit with arbor, buffs and rouges. I already have all the rouges/carnuba.

 

[strave19]

Anyone see any reason that this wouldn't work? http://www.ebay.com/itm/GRINDER-BENCH-BUFFER-POLISHER-BUFFING-POLISHING-MACHINE-/150650653361?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item23137a8ab1#ht_2421wt_1270

Besides possibly not being the greatest quality, I figure even the cheapest polisher can probably handle buffing pipes 5 times a year for a few decades...
Would this work well at 2000rpm with 4" buffing wheels?

 

[ssjones]

That is a good price on that machine. It is a knock off of a Foredom jewelers lathe, which run about $175. But, a few guys on another forum advised me that it is not powerful enough. I suspect those tapered spindles won't hold the buffs firmly enough to do the pipe work.

The Foredom version:

http://aajewelry.com/templates/product_list_dropdown_pix.aspx?GroupGuid=8837