Buffer Covers

[R.Carpenter]

Wondering where to get or purchase the buffer wheel cover? I guess that"s what you call them.When you are buffing it keeps rouge,dust etc. from flying all over.Looking at a lot of shop photos here on the forums I see a lot of you have them.Thanks in advance

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

I do not like covers on buffer wheels. A dust collector vent below or behind the wheel is acceptable, but a 3/4 cover is an accident waiting to happen. My main buffer has 12" wheels and is mounted outside. It has a grill cover over it when not in use.

 

[Mark Behnke]

Stacy
How are the covers dangerous?

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

When ( not if) a blade catches the wheel, it will try and go around. With a guard in place, it will twist out of your hand as it strikes the guard, possibly removing part of your fingers immediately, and then doing one of two things. One is go into the guard and come out the top aiming directly at you at about 100MPH ( small knives will do this in a fraction of a second). The other is for the blade to jam against the wheel, cutting it up, possibly breaking the blade , and sending all this shrapnel at you at 75MPH.

If there is no guard, the blade will most likely be thrown down on the floor behind the buffer. Ed Fowler used to keep a big pile of old belts on the floor behind his buffer to cushion the knife's fall.

 

[Bill DeShivs]

Buffer hood are what they are called.
Cardboard boxes work very well, are safe, and easy to make.

 

[Mark Behnke]

I just did this shroud to collect the G11/micarta dust. Used a shop vac outside the room with the pickup in side hole. Works well to keep 90% of the dust out of the room. I always wear a respirator but hate the mess in the shop.

I was going to build hood for a near by buffer out of ply wood but wasn't aware of the danger.

Thanks Bill and Stacy for your input.

 

[R.Carpenter]

Buffer hood is exactly what I meant and yes over the years I have had a few blades go flying one that stuck in the side of my freezer.People don"t realize how dangerous a buffer is.Anyway thanks a bunch for the info and photos and today it looks like I have a project out of cardboard.Thanks

 

[Bufford]

I use a good ridged cardboard box to shroud the buffer. This serves two functions, firstly to funnel dust into the dust collector, and secondly to 'catch' any knives that may get away. Blades will bounce off of steel and back at you at the buffer, but the blades stand a better chance at sticking into the cardboard, or at least absorb some of the kinnetic energy of the flying blade.

 

[johnnym]

I boxed mine in with MDF and put a dust collector port in the center with buffers on both sides. It catches most of the mess and dust.

-John

 

[Leadfoot2]

I plan on mounting mine on a post stand, give the flying steel a chance to get away instead of bounce back. I do like the idea of the cardboard dust collection port.


Leadfoot

 

[Ed Fowler]

Good responses gentlemen! Yes old belts on the floor behind your buffer will snag any blade and not only that you have a use for them!