Official Luthiers Forum!

In order to save my just rerpaired shoulder I'm going to break down and buy a buffer and give up all the micro mesh sanding on my varnish finishes. Does anyone have experinece with the buffer StuMac sells? How about compared to the arbor that Klingspore sells, which looks like it offers more working room but would take more work to set up?
               Thanks, Paul Harrell

I've got the Stew-Mac Arbor/buffer, it's a tad tight between the wheels and the stand, vibrates a bit too much, but it works fine for me.....beats the heck out of doing it by hand! If you have to buy a motor to go with it, I think maybe another $100.00 and you could get something a little more refined.

Greg

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Gwaltney Guitars

I've had mine over 5 years, with no issues at all.

The arbor doesn't cause the vibration, Greg, it's the buffing wheels being out of balance with each other. Balance them by marking both of them with a marker, drawing a line at the same place on each. Spin it to full speed, and note how badly it shakes. Stop, loosen ONE wheel a bit, and turn the wheel 1/2 turn on the shaft, putting it at 180 degrees from the marks on the other wheel. Spin it again, and note if it is better or not. Now, loosen it again, and turn it halfway again, so that it is only 90 degrees to the original wheel. Spin it, and note how it is. If it is better, still, keep fine tuning it from here, going back and forth in small increments. It it's worse, go back 180 degrees, and start to fine tune from there.

In about ten minutes, you'll have that sucker balanced nicely, with little shake left.

The above needs to be done on any buffer, regardless of who makes it, BTW.

The only other factor that will cause a bad shake is a belt going bad, and/or a belt that is too loose. Oh, and having a light weight stand, or having it bolted to a small, light/weak table also accentuates any shake. Bolt that sucker to something solid.

As to the space between wheels, if you wish to buff complete guitars, it is very tight, bordering on dangerous, but for bodies and necks seperately, there's plenty of room.Mario38965.8946180556

Mine seems fine.I have doubled the buffs on each end. Don't know why, but I just did it that way, perhaps after visiting Mike Lennon's shop many years ago and seeing his setup....

Thanks for the tip Mario, I wouldn't have thought of somthing as light as a buffing wheel being out of balance. As usual the OLF comes through with information you can use, thanks again.

                        Paul

I like it. I have nothing to compare it to, and my finishes are far from perfect, but it's a big improvement from the auto buffer I used to use!

Paul,
the Klingspor arbor is a great way to go. It gives plenty of room end-to-
end, has a more substantial arbor (1" I think), easily takes 14" buffs
doubled or tripled, and doesn't take very much to set up. Any 1/2 hp
motor will do. I have never experienced any significant vibrational issues.
I haven't used it, but the S-M arbor looks very narrow to me and won't
allow you to use larger diameter buffs, which give you a lot more
clearance when buffing. I think it would be so easy to bump a guitar
against the center section with the S-M unit while moving the guitar
around. The Klingspor is cheaper too.
Craig S.

Where can the Klingspor be purchased?

I love mine. I have the 12 buffs that StewMac sells and a set of 14" buffs for it.

Bob,
you can find it on their web site, but it's hard to find. The part number is
CL34000 and is called a 32" MANDREL W/ 1" SHAFT KIT. It looks like
this:


Craig S.

Thanks Mario, I should have figured that one out, appreciate the info.

Greg

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Gwaltney Guitars

The StewMac appears to be the same unit as the Grizzly Shop Fox, but the Griz costs a lot less.

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

They do appear to be the same unit, and likely are, as it's an off the shelf item(I fiorget the brand name). But the Stew Mac arbor is less than $6 more than the Griz, yet it comes with the proper flanges for the buffs, which are not the standard flanges that come with the arbor. The Griz may or may not. Not sure of Griz's shipping costs, as they won't sell north of the border, but StewMac's shipping and customer service is second to nobody. For the $6, I wouldn't think twice....

The best turn key bargain is the whole outfit, with buffs, rake, and averything tossed-in. This was the way I went, and have no regrets. The time saved by not having to match up buffs and shafts and flanges and what not is great.Mario38966.598587963

StewMac has dropped its price. Nevermind.

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.