Thread: Benchtop Grinder for polishing

Tweet

Can I offer a better solution than buying HF stuff? (their stores stink from the Chinese rubber smell).
You can buy a pair of pillow blocks and a shaft with the proper clamps to clamp the buff wheels. Add a
couple of pulleys and an appropriate motor, a belt and you can bolt it to a bench. Viola, you have a buffer.
Make sure you compensate for the pulley ratio if you do anything but a 1:1 ratio.

I concur with most of the above - go 8" or larger and buy appropriate for the need. Eastwood makes a nice 10" kit and it's good intermediate quality with two speed motor, 10" wheels and a pedestal- will probably last the average hobbyist user a lifetime - but they're proud of it (on sale for $340). EW Buff Motor 1HP 1750/3450RPM, Buff Kit & Pedesta

HF is cheap, but for occasional use it's fine. I buy buffing pads and compound at HF and it's fine.

Lot's of folks here have hinted at the safety aspect - believe them! I've been "wounded" several times from pieces slipping from my hands and launching at my being! I always wash my hands real well before starting, wear gloves and goggles, gloves cause stuff gets hot and goggles cause I need my eyes!

Regards All,
Glenn

Originally Posted by glennsexton

Lot's of folks here have hinted at the safety aspect - believe them! I've been "wounded" several times from pieces slipping from my hands and launching at my being! I always wash my hands real well before starting, wear gloves and goggles, gloves cause stuff gets hot and goggles cause I need my eyes!

Regards All,
Glenn

Mosy definately, my sheet rock in the garage shows it.....LOL

Between the buffing and grinding wheels and a couple of other powerful shop tools, there are some scars on paneling and even a couple on me from having work grabbed out of my hands. My face mask split when a chunk of a new grinding wheel came loose.

The significant difference between the wheels is the surface speed. A 6" at 3600 rpm has a surface speed of 5655 while an 8" has a surface speed of 7540 FEET PER MINUTE or 33+% faster - which means anything grabbed out of your hands will be moving a heluva lot faster/hit harder with the greater diameter (I use 8" wheels)

Don mentioned that he has been pretty happy with his polisher from Sears.
I'm leaning towards the Sears 6" because I can probably adapt grinding wheels and covers off my 6" burned out grinder to work on this.
Sears: Online department store featuring appliances, tools, fitness equipment and more
Several have recommended 8".
Sears also has 8" polishers that have a faster surface speed, but does that increased speed help a lot to polish a part?
I want to buy the right polisher and one of my biggest pet peaves is buying something and then replacing it because it does not meet the requirements.
Thanks for all your help.
Mutt

RPM is close, (3450) but with only 1/2 hp not sure that's going to be an adequate motor for any lengthy stays at the buffer. Looks like it would be ok for a low to moderate use buffer, but personally I'd go with something a bit more substantial with a bit more power. If you do some studying on the process of buffing stainless, aluminum, or whatever else I think you'll discover that bigger is going to be better---but if price is your only concern, then Sears will probably do.....

Not as much surface speed but actual surface area will help. That 6" probably has a puny 1/4Hp motor, the 8" will have up to a 1 Hp therefore will move a lot more wheel. Heck, mine is a retired compressor motor - and it's not only big, it's a real 1Hp, not that "developed" horsepower that manufacturers are using to hide power deficiencies. It will turn something bigger then 8", but my buffs are 'safely' only 8"

Circumference is ~18.8" for the 6" and for the 8", it's 25+. This means that faster surface speed of the 8" will move 33% more surface past the spot being polished and 33% more rouge quicker to do that shining at least 33% faster. (Pi x dia will give you circumference)

Mutt,
The speed is indeed a critical part of the polishing process. The thing I would be concerned with is trying to run your grinding wheels at twice their normal speed - the grinders are a nominal 1725rpm while polishers are nominal 3450rpm. You'll tend to get things pretty hot grinding, and you need to ensure your wheels are good for twice the normal speed. Also if you're into a lot of polishing you may not want your grinding debris contaminating your polishing area.

Those are valid points Roger.
I'll probably go with the 8" Sears and buy a separate grinder.
Sears: Online department store featuring appliances, tools, fitness equipment and more
Thanks everyone for your help.
Mutt

To be brutally honest only a proper polisher will do the job, the bench grinders just don't have the grunt and will take a long time to produce half decent finishs.

Originally Posted by roadster32

To be brutally honest only a proper polisher will do the job, the bench grinders just don't have the grunt and will take a long time to produce half decent finishs.

Another case of, use the proper tool for the job at hand.

Mike

Heck for $ 39.95 you could buy this buffer 6" Buffer and for 32.99 you can get this grinder 5" Bench Grinder , and have the best of both worlds for less tha the price of the combo unit!

Steve i wouldn't waste my time with that buffer, its ok for buffing something already polished but useless for anything else.
when you polish you need to get some heat into the part.

Originally Posted by stovens

Heck for $ 39.95 you could buy this buffer 6" Buffer and for 32.99 you can get this grinder 5" Bench Grinder , and have the best of both worlds for less tha the price of the combo unit!