Official Luthiers Forum!

I have a quick question about the buffing arbors sold at places like StewMac and LMI. How do you guys set these things up without the buffing wheels rubbing the edge of the workbench? I can put it at a 45 degree angle on the corner, but there has to be a better way than that. Looking at the pics at StewMac, they show both buffing wheels dragging over the workbench top. Does this sound right? Let's see some pics of your buffing wheel setups.

Thanks!

John

Hmm, great minds must think alike! Is this what you are referring to? I have this old stand but wasn't sure it would be sturdy enough to take the torque of the buffer and motor without walking away on me. So the weight of the 3/4 wood is enough to keep it in place? That would be the way to go if it's sturdy enough. I guess I could also bolt to the floor if need be, but I think I'll try your way first.



Cheers!

John

IF you hang the buffer from above, upside down, the lower quadrants of the buff head are exposed with no hardware interference. I've only seen this one time.

Hoffman.

_________________
http://www.dickeyguitars.com

re: Buffer setup and base
I've found it useful to add some padding (foam and duct tape) around the base of my buffer.
I'm usually paying pretty close attention to the buff area and I added the padding after almost 'dinging' the guitar body on the steel base.

Cheers
John

Was using a pedestal base with motor behind. But since you want to hold the guitar to the underside of the wheels, the pedestal gets in the way. Now it is bolted to the wall with a riser that brings the base of the buffer about 8" out from the wall, and motor mounted above. Much better. Got the idea from Bruce Sexauer.

BTW, the Shop Fox arbor from Griizzly appears to be identical to the Stew Mac.

_________________
Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

_________________
http://www.dickeyguitars.com

Hoods and dust collection are optional, but a buffing arbor is really best
mounted to it's own pedestal, rather than on a work bench. A frame of 2x6's
bolted to the wall will work just fine.

_________________
Eschew obfuscation, espouse elucidation.

David I see your buffer is the new Fender model. Cool.

Nuttin' better than a good buffer. Mine is way overpowered with 1 HP. I guaged it off the direct shaft Baldor's like Frank and Charlie use. I think a guy could get by with a 1/2 hp no problem.

_________________
http://www.dickeyguitars.com

I use a 1/2hp and I think it's just about perfect for 12"-14" wheels. The
arbor is geared down to around 700 rpm, and with a 1/2 hp motor there is
plenty of force for even heavy buffing. If I really push however, I can stop the
wheels with excessive force. This is a positive in my view, because if the
wheel grabs it is less likely to throw an instrument to the floor. One of the
previous shops I was in had 14" wheels spinning at over 1000 rpm, driven
by a 2hp 3 phase motor. Man, I saw a number of instrument shaped
projectiles thrown from those wheels.

Moderate speed, moderate power, and relatively low inertia (no massive
flywheels on buffing arbors for me please). Set it up away from a wall, and
leave clearance above, below, and at least on the outer edges and you're
good.

_________________
Eschew obfuscation, espouse elucidation.

Thanks guys, there's some great info in this thread. I have another question regarding belt tension. Do you need to mount the motor so the belt tension can be adjusted (like on a swivel or clamped down) or does the belt not stretch enough to be an issue? I'm just wondering if I can bolt the motor down on the same board as the arbor and just leave it unless I ever need to change a belt (or the speed). Thoughts?

John

John, mine has a hinge mount for the motor, allowing motor weight to tension the belt. As my shaft is 1 1/2 inches, getting it too tight isn't a problem. The weight of the motor seems about right for the amount of tension on mine. Of course I have a 1 HP with two starting capacitors, fairly heavy duty.

So, a smaller motor on a smaller shaft would work as well I presume. I don't think it's critical.



Here is an idea that popped into my head as this thread progressed. You don't need a buffer every day. And it's fairly big as tools go. Mine takes up valuable real estate. With a wall attachment on say a 2 by 8, a cable attachment, maybe with two cables rather than just one for more stability, this thing could be slapped back up against the wall when not in use and latched in place. The motor could also be hinged under the 2 by 8 giving you your belt tension automatically.

_________________
http://www.dickeyguitars.com

Bruce, that looks like a great idea and would really save shop space, however I'm not seeing how that setup would tension the belt. If I'm understanding you correctly, the motor and arbor are both bolted to the 2x8. Let's assume your belt stretches and wears and you need to adjust the tension. Wouldn't you have to remove the motor and remount to give the proper tension? Or, are the hinges you're referring to not the hinges on the wall but some type of hinge between the motor and mounting board? Ah, I see said the blind man (then he picked up his hammer and saw). What type of hinge did you use? I'm headed off to Ace hardware as soon as you respond.

Cheers!

John

Hey John... The motor I bought has mounting slots in the base so you can adjust the belt tension. You don't need it very tight at all.
My buffer is a home made rig with a 3' long shaft & I wish it were 6" longer. I think I'd find it awkward using the buffer stewmac sells with the buffs so close to one another.
It is SO easy to get a shaft & bearings & make you own! Then you can choose how you want it configured.
My rig is like the one in John's picture except the "deck" is larger to get it further away from the wall. The deck is mounted to the wall on hinges, (the hinges are attached to a skookum 2X4 which is screwed to four studs... Overkill probably) so the whole thing hinges up, out of the way. A single light chain supports the deck in the working position.
A little tip... I found that two buffs stacked together is too wide for tight waists & cutaways. I now use a single buff on each end & have two extras for when I need to use a coarser Menzerna & for the super fine polish that Shane sells... Good Stuff by the way!
A cheap shower cap will fit nicely over a single 14" buff & keep it clean when not in use.
Also... I mark my buffs with a sharpie to identify the polishing compound it is used with. It's not ideal to use different grits on the same buff.
One more thing... Stick heavy duty self stick foam weatherstrip to every hard surface you can conceivable bump your guitar into... Don't ask!!!

Yes, John, I was talking about mounting the motor on a hinged plate under the 2 by 8. Sorry, the drawing is a bit crude.

Cable is cheap and so are the clamps and eyebolts and screweyes. I do think I'd do a couple or triangulate off the wall someway, just to make the device very stable. Of course, two cables make more stuff to avoid when buffing, so a wider back panel than a two by eight might work a bit better.

Take a look at this pic for a hinged plate supporting a motor.

_________________
http://www.dickeyguitars.com