Buffer stand/wheel advice.

[Fixall]

Hello Shop Talk,

I hope you are doing well tonight!

Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith was kind enough to send me a buffer because he’s awesome. I’ve finally gotten around to wiring and setting it up, but I would like put it on a stand so I can make it mobile and use it outside.

I was just thinking of grabbing a ~$50 cast iron Wen (heavier than the cheaper one, but I figure it’ll vibrate less), or maybe just Harbor Freights version.

Any reason I should spend more?

I’ll only be using this buffer for knife blocks, scales, and sometimes handles…. Never blades.

Any recommendations on a buffing wheel? I was thinking sewn muslin, but there are a lot more options than I was expecting.

Thanks!

 

[Scaniaman]

For that you want loosefold mops/wheels. Get one slightly stiffer and use with brown tripoli (after sanding to at least P600). Get another a bit softer and use with a gloss wax like menzerna gw16.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

I would recommend 10-12" wheels. I use matchless white or similar polish for handles and blocks.
Get a good sturdy base and if possible bolt it to the floor or wall.

 

[Scaniaman]

If you go to the polishing shop uk and check out their plastic polishing kit, you will get all the info you need. That kit will get you from p600 to glass like gloss. I don't use the last stage compound (p175) its just overkill on knife handles.

 

[Ken H>]

Harbor Freight has a neat little $30 stand that works good for my buffer. Do a search for "Universal Bench Grinder Stand" that should turn up the stand. If sitting on concrete floor you might wish to sit on a square of carpet if the stand moves during use.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

I use those same HF stands, but mount them on the wood deck with lag screws or on a sheet of 3/4" plywood for indoors. Make the wood long enough so you are standing on it when buffing. IIRC, I used a 24X48" sheet. A rubber foot/back relief mat on the wood is also nice.

TIP:
You can fit roller wheels on the back of the plywood sheet so when you tip the buffer backwards it can be rolled out of the way, or outdoors for buffing on nice days.

 

[dwaterfield]

I have one of the HF stands as well for my grinder/buffer. I filled the center tube with sand (leftovers from making my anvil stand) and it helped but isn't enough weight to stop the stand from walking around the concrete floor of my shop. I don't have a lot of room so a long "sled" like Stacey described won't work for me. Instead I am going to build a stand for it that is basically a box. The box will be tall enough to let me slide in some old weights I have laying around, so I'll get a little more height and weight at the same time. I think that will be enough; we'll see.
Temporarily I'm putting the grinder stand on an anti-vibration mat when I use it. The pad is what I stand on when at a tool station. It's not perfect because it doesn't stop the stand from tilting, but it does prevent it from walking.

 

[Fixall]

Sorry for the delay in responding! I found a nice deal on what looks like a decent setup on Craigslist and wanted to make sure it all went through before I got back to you all. It's a stand by Trick Tools, and is more or less the same kind of setup that Stacy was talking about, just without the DIY. I just picked up a couple of loose 10" buffing wheels, a rake, some white chrome, and some white diamond from K&G (thanks Signalprick ). I'm going to throw an anti-fatigue mat on the buffer stand and call it a day.





Thanks for all the help everyone!

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

That's the perfect setup.

TIP:
Add a small wire mesh basket on the pedestal to hold your polish.