New buffer for the shop.

Dixie Gunsmithing · May 29, 2013, 11:33 AM

I just finished my new polishing buffer project, and thought I would show some photos of it. It uses a 1/2 HP, reversible, capacitor start motor, running at 3500 RPM. The motor speed is reduced to 1750 RPM at the wheels, via a 2:1 chain reduction system, supplying approximately the same running torque of a 1 HP motor. As shown, it uses two 8" wheels, but could use 10" easily. The wheels run on a 3/4" drive shaft, and the wheel centers are 36" between. The arbors are 1/2-20 standard thread. I also have a sanding drum, and a drill chuck arbor, for the right hand arbor to use.

Baldor, eat your heart out!

2013-05-29_114047 by matneyw, on Flickr

2013-05-29_114028 by matneyw, on Flickr

2013-05-29_114118 by matneyw, on Flickr

2013-05-29_114209 by matneyw, on Flickr

2013-05-29_114153 by matneyw, on Flickr

2013-05-29_114009 by matneyw, on Flickr

Pahoo · May 29, 2013, 06:23 PM

You tinkerers never cease to amaze me and always give me ideas. Thank you for your craftsmanship and posting. ...

Be Safe !!!

Dixie Gunsmithing · May 30, 2013, 03:12 PM

Pahoo;

I'm glad it gave you some ideas to use. I could not find anything I liked, or to buy off the shelf, that would work as I wanted, so I decided to sit down and design my own. If you any questions, please feel free to ask.

The closest ones are the large industrial buffers, with something like 16 inch wheels, and are three phase, so I scaled their look down. The biggest thing I wanted, was the wheel guards, as anyone polishing knows, it makes a mess when adding polish. Also, I wanted a good span between the wheels for polishing barrels, and enough torque to not bog down the motor when polishing.

guncrank · May 31, 2013, 09:41 AM

Nice

Miss Stana · June 6, 2013, 03:18 PM

Really nice job. I especially like the easy to read stop button. I'm a clutz.

oldgunsmith · June 6, 2013, 07:38 PM

Looks good. I'll likely be needing a new one. My Baldor was just inside the overhead door of my classroom/shop at Canadian Valley Tech. Center in El Reno, OK. Friday when it was hit by the largest tornado in recorded history. It's probably gone.

Dixie Gunsmithing · June 6, 2013, 09:49 PM

Miss Stana;

Thanks, it has worked really great so far, no problems, and I'm not sweeping polish off the wall and ceiling, just a bit on the floor.

That switch can be bought on Amazon, and several woodworking suppliers. They were designed to replace the small switches on router tables and table saws.

Dixie Gunsmithing · June 6, 2013, 10:01 PM

oldgunsmith;

I hate to hear that. Oklahoma has been hit hard this year, and that one chaser who was doing the scientific work was killed, along with his son and another guy. It's terrible.

The Baldor buffers are great, but a new one with lower RPM is expensive. I looked for a used 1 HP model, and those were outrageous on ebay, plus you had to drive to pick them up, or have them freighted in.

In all, I have around $300.00 in this, counting everything. The motor was the most expensive, at $90.00, but the rest was reasonable. The wheel guards are the berries, as I really wanted that on any I purchased. I could have added a vacuum attachment to the bottom of them, though didn't, but might try one. I'm afraid of what that gluey polish will do to a vacuum, when its sucked in.

Slopemeno · June 7, 2013, 09:32 AM

Our shop had a huge clumpy streak of Polish-o-Ray polishing compound stuck to the floor, walls, and ceiling of the polishing room from the thousands of times we loaded the wheel. That fender is a great idea for that.

Otherwise, I never found the minor dust of polishing to be a huge issue. I would wear eye protection, a dust mask, and an apron. If you really want to control dust in your shop, plumb every disc and belt sander, your bead blast cabinet, etc to a 5-gallon shop vac.

Our setup was a 4X setup built on top of a metal 55-gallon drum that was full of lead to keep it stable. The work height was pretty ideal.

Dixie Gunsmithing · June 7, 2013, 12:30 PM

Slopemeno,

The dust never really bothered me either, as I wear one of those paper surgical masks, and a cloth apron to keep the polish off my clothes. I saw on the commercial buffers that they had vacuum ports on each wheel, and made me think about them.

Yes, the wheel guards have kept any polish off the wall and ceiling so far. I get it on the floor, but that can be dealt with, and the guards are easily cleaned. If I ever try a bigger wheel, say 10" or so, I'll have to make new guards, so I might make them encircle the bottom of the wheels too. I went with 1750 RPM over polish being thrown, too, as the 3500 RPM buffers throw a bunch of polish off before it can dry. When I reduced the speed, and raised the torque, you can't bog it down while polishing, now.

I built the frame body, purposely, so I could add concrete patio paver blocks inside, the 8 x 16 x 2 inch thick ones, but after it was finished, it didn't budge when polishing, so I never added any extra weight to it. The design ended up being very stable, with no vibration, after I trued the wheels with a rake.

Hunter Customs · June 8, 2013, 08:48 AM

Nice project, your buffer turned out really well.
When one has the time, fabricating ones own tools is great, I've always enjoyed doing it.

If there's any other do it yourselfers thinking about a project similar to this I have two NIB 1.5 horse USA made electric motors I'll sell at a reasonable price.
The only downside to these motors is they are three phase.

Best Regards
Bob Hunter
www.huntercustoms.com

Dixie Gunsmithing · June 8, 2013, 12:19 PM

Bob, no bigger than those motors are, at 1-1/2 HP, one could run them on a static phase converter, but would lose 1/3 of the HP. That is as long as they're 220 Vac motors.

When I owned the steel fab shop, three phase was going to cost an arm and a leg to get put in from AEP, so we built a pony motor converter. We used a 1/2 HP motor to kick start a 10 HP, 3 Ph, and that got us all three phases of power at 220 Vac. I had several mills, a couple of lathes, and a radial drill running on that, not all at once, but we could power up several.

BumbleBug · June 8, 2013, 12:30 PM

DixieG, I see you are a master at wood projects as well as gunsmithing!

Thanks for the photos. You've got me thinking of some new projects...

...bug

Dixie Gunsmithing · June 8, 2013, 12:56 PM

Thanks BumbleBug. The only thing that I didn't quite finish well on this was the guard material, or the two tops and backs, as I figured they may have to be changed every now and then, so I didn't try to give them a good finished look.

I've got another smaller project for a cabinet to sit on top of this, with about five pigeon holes along the bottom for holding polish. I use those plastic welding rod boxes, with the screw tops, to store my polish in, as they're air tight, and I need a place to put them, along with a couple of other mounted wheels, and accessories. When I get it built, I'll try to post a photo of it on the buffer.

Dixie Gunsmithing · June 8, 2013, 01:30 PM

When I sat down to design this, I knew that maximum torque was one thing I was after, and that made me look at sprockets and chain. I researched this, and found that belts and pulleys can make you lose a little torque, as compared to chain, over the belt tension and friction needed on the pulleys (Plus, its harder on motor bearings). The problem arises that chain is a little noisier, especially if the chain tension is too tight, or too loose. Though I don't show the back, it is enclosed, and made from a sheet of 1/2" plywood, with vent slots at the bottom. I added guards around all the chain to, but not just for dust, but for noise.

I used an 11 tooth sprocket at the motor, and I wish I used a 12 to a 15, but I think anything over an 11, wouldn't fit a 48 frame motor, with a 1/2" shaft, and a flat (I think 5/8" shaft is next). The thing is, the motor runs at 3500 RPM, and I think that that small of a sprocket made it noisier than it should have been. The large sprocket, on the wheel's axle, is a 22 tooth, and I was designing around that, so it would be small in diameter, and be back away from the wheel faces, and gun being polished.

Anyhow, for this, I needed a 2:1 reduction in speed, so I used an 11 tooth, and a 22 tooth sprocket. If you're looking to build one, be aware that a chain system will be noisier than a belt, so look to enclose it. Plus, dropping the speed a little lower than 1750, for an 8 inch wheel, mite be a blessing too. I know that 10" and 12" wheels should run slower, around 1200 RPM.

May 29, 2013, 11:33 AM	#1
Dixie Gunsmithing Moderator Emeritus Join Date: April 27, 2013 Location: Ohio Posts: 1,923	New buffer for the shop. I just finished my new polishing buffer project, and thought I would show some photos of it. It uses a 1/2 HP, reversible, capacitor start motor, running at 3500 RPM. The motor speed is reduced to 1750 RPM at the wheels, via a 2:1 chain reduction system, supplying approximately the same running torque of a 1 HP motor. As shown, it uses two 8" wheels, but could use 10" easily. The wheels run on a 3/4" drive shaft, and the wheel centers are 36" between. The arbors are 1/2-20 standard thread. I also have a sanding drum, and a drill chuck arbor, for the right hand arbor to use. Baldor, eat your heart out! 2013-05-29_114047 by matneyw, on Flickr 2013-05-29_114028 by matneyw, on Flickr 2013-05-29_114118 by matneyw, on Flickr 2013-05-29_114209 by matneyw, on Flickr 2013-05-29_114153 by matneyw, on Flickr 2013-05-29_114009 by matneyw, on Flickr

May 29, 2013, 06:23 PM	#2
Pahoo Senior Member Join Date: February 16, 2006 Location: IOWA Posts: 8,783	Very nice and thank you !!! You tinkerers never cease to amaze me and always give me ideas. Thank you for your craftsmanship and posting. ... Be Safe !!! __________________ 'Fundamental truths' are easy to recognize because they are verified daily through simple observation and thus, require no testing.

May 31, 2013, 09:41 AM	#4
guncrank Senior Member Join Date: July 15, 2006 Location: Fern Creek ,KY and Metro Louisville at large Posts: 430	New buffer for the shop. Nice

June 6, 2013, 03:18 PM	#5
Miss Stana Member Join Date: May 17, 2013 Posts: 40	Really nice job. I especially like the easy to read stop button. I'm a clutz. __________________ My life's goal is to put a rifle behind every blade of grass! AIC Custom Rifles

June 8, 2013, 12:30 PM	#13
BumbleBug Senior Member Join Date: March 11, 2013 Location: Near Heart of Texas Posts: 870	Nice - Very Nice! DixieG, I see you are a master at wood projects as well as gunsmithing! Thanks for the photos. You've got me thinking of some new projects... ...bug

May 30, 2013, 03:12 PM	#3
Dixie Gunsmithing Moderator Emeritus Join Date: April 27, 2013 Location: Ohio Posts: 1,923	Pahoo; I'm glad it gave you some ideas to use. I could not find anything I liked, or to buy off the shelf, that would work as I wanted, so I decided to sit down and design my own. If you any questions, please feel free to ask. The closest ones are the large industrial buffers, with something like 16 inch wheels, and are three phase, so I scaled their look down. The biggest thing I wanted, was the wheel guards, as anyone polishing knows, it makes a mess when adding polish. Also, I wanted a good span between the wheels for polishing barrels, and enough torque to not bog down the motor when polishing.

June 6, 2013, 07:38 PM	#6
oldgunsmith Senior Member Join Date: January 9, 2013 Posts: 278	Looks good. I'll likely be needing a new one. My Baldor was just inside the overhead door of my classroom/shop at Canadian Valley Tech. Center in El Reno, OK. Friday when it was hit by the largest tornado in recorded history. It's probably gone.

June 6, 2013, 09:49 PM	#7
Dixie Gunsmithing Moderator Emeritus Join Date: April 27, 2013 Location: Ohio Posts: 1,923	Miss Stana; Thanks, it has worked really great so far, no problems, and I'm not sweeping polish off the wall and ceiling, just a bit on the floor. That switch can be bought on Amazon, and several woodworking suppliers. They were designed to replace the small switches on router tables and table saws.

June 6, 2013, 10:01 PM	#8
Dixie Gunsmithing Moderator Emeritus Join Date: April 27, 2013 Location: Ohio Posts: 1,923	oldgunsmith; I hate to hear that. Oklahoma has been hit hard this year, and that one chaser who was doing the scientific work was killed, along with his son and another guy. It's terrible. The Baldor buffers are great, but a new one with lower RPM is expensive. I looked for a used 1 HP model, and those were outrageous on ebay, plus you had to drive to pick them up, or have them freighted in. In all, I have around $300.00 in this, counting everything. The motor was the most expensive, at $90.00, but the rest was reasonable. The wheel guards are the berries, as I really wanted that on any I purchased. I could have added a vacuum attachment to the bottom of them, though didn't, but might try one. I'm afraid of what that gluey polish will do to a vacuum, when its sucked in.

June 7, 2013, 09:32 AM	#9
Slopemeno Senior Member Join Date: January 19, 2007 Posts: 2,663	Our shop had a huge clumpy streak of Polish-o-Ray polishing compound stuck to the floor, walls, and ceiling of the polishing room from the thousands of times we loaded the wheel. That fender is a great idea for that. Otherwise, I never found the minor dust of polishing to be a huge issue. I would wear eye protection, a dust mask, and an apron. If you really want to control dust in your shop, plumb every disc and belt sander, your bead blast cabinet, etc to a 5-gallon shop vac. Our setup was a 4X setup built on top of a metal 55-gallon drum that was full of lead to keep it stable. The work height was pretty ideal.

June 7, 2013, 12:30 PM	#10
Dixie Gunsmithing Moderator Emeritus Join Date: April 27, 2013 Location: Ohio Posts: 1,923	Slopemeno, The dust never really bothered me either, as I wear one of those paper surgical masks, and a cloth apron to keep the polish off my clothes. I saw on the commercial buffers that they had vacuum ports on each wheel, and made me think about them. Yes, the wheel guards have kept any polish off the wall and ceiling so far. I get it on the floor, but that can be dealt with, and the guards are easily cleaned. If I ever try a bigger wheel, say 10" or so, I'll have to make new guards, so I might make them encircle the bottom of the wheels too. I went with 1750 RPM over polish being thrown, too, as the 3500 RPM buffers throw a bunch of polish off before it can dry. When I reduced the speed, and raised the torque, you can't bog it down while polishing, now. I built the frame body, purposely, so I could add concrete patio paver blocks inside, the 8 x 16 x 2 inch thick ones, but after it was finished, it didn't budge when polishing, so I never added any extra weight to it. The design ended up being very stable, with no vibration, after I trued the wheels with a rake.

June 8, 2013, 08:48 AM	#11
Hunter Customs Senior Member Join Date: March 26, 2005 Location: Osborn, Missouri Posts: 2,697	Nice project, your buffer turned out really well. When one has the time, fabricating ones own tools is great, I've always enjoyed doing it. If there's any other do it yourselfers thinking about a project similar to this I have two NIB 1.5 horse USA made electric motors I'll sell at a reasonable price. The only downside to these motors is they are three phase. Best Regards Bob Hunter www.huntercustoms.com

June 8, 2013, 12:19 PM	#12
Dixie Gunsmithing Moderator Emeritus Join Date: April 27, 2013 Location: Ohio Posts: 1,923	Bob, no bigger than those motors are, at 1-1/2 HP, one could run them on a static phase converter, but would lose 1/3 of the HP. That is as long as they're 220 Vac motors. When I owned the steel fab shop, three phase was going to cost an arm and a leg to get put in from AEP, so we built a pony motor converter. We used a 1/2 HP motor to kick start a 10 HP, 3 Ph, and that got us all three phases of power at 220 Vac. I had several mills, a couple of lathes, and a radial drill running on that, not all at once, but we could power up several.

June 8, 2013, 12:56 PM	#14
Dixie Gunsmithing Moderator Emeritus Join Date: April 27, 2013 Location: Ohio Posts: 1,923	Thanks BumbleBug. The only thing that I didn't quite finish well on this was the guard material, or the two tops and backs, as I figured they may have to be changed every now and then, so I didn't try to give them a good finished look. I've got another smaller project for a cabinet to sit on top of this, with about five pigeon holes along the bottom for holding polish. I use those plastic welding rod boxes, with the screw tops, to store my polish in, as they're air tight, and I need a place to put them, along with a couple of other mounted wheels, and accessories. When I get it built, I'll try to post a photo of it on the buffer.

June 8, 2013, 01:30 PM	#15
Dixie Gunsmithing Moderator Emeritus Join Date: April 27, 2013 Location: Ohio Posts: 1,923	Something I ought to add. When I sat down to design this, I knew that maximum torque was one thing I was after, and that made me look at sprockets and chain. I researched this, and found that belts and pulleys can make you lose a little torque, as compared to chain, over the belt tension and friction needed on the pulleys (Plus, its harder on motor bearings). The problem arises that chain is a little noisier, especially if the chain tension is too tight, or too loose. Though I don't show the back, it is enclosed, and made from a sheet of 1/2" plywood, with vent slots at the bottom. I added guards around all the chain to, but not just for dust, but for noise. I used an 11 tooth sprocket at the motor, and I wish I used a 12 to a 15, but I think anything over an 11, wouldn't fit a 48 frame motor, with a 1/2" shaft, and a flat (I think 5/8" shaft is next). The thing is, the motor runs at 3500 RPM, and I think that that small of a sprocket made it noisier than it should have been. The large sprocket, on the wheel's axle, is a 22 tooth, and I was designing around that, so it would be small in diameter, and be back away from the wheel faces, and gun being polished. Anyhow, for this, I needed a 2:1 reduction in speed, so I used an 11 tooth, and a 22 tooth sprocket. If you're looking to build one, be aware that a chain system will be noisier than a belt, so look to enclose it. Plus, dropping the speed a little lower than 1750, for an 8 inch wheel, mite be a blessing too. I know that 10" and 12" wheels should run slower, around 1200 RPM.