disc sander option

[JHowell]

FWIW, a slow speed grinder (Woodcraft has a Delta for $75) runs at 1725 rpm and the right hand side has a normal 5/8-11 thread. This is the size that many threaded arbor-mount grinding/sanding wheels use. Auto body tool supply shops carry a wide range of pads and sanding discs that will spin right onto the right side of said grinder. You can also make a backing plate with a 5/8" hole in the middle and use it with the resin-backed discs Todd has mentioned, using the washers and nut that come with the grinder. I'm not saying that this is the intended use for said grinder, or that side loads are the best thing for bearings that are designed primarily for radial loads, or that you don't have to watch out for the shaft on the other side, I'm just saying it's a relatively cheap way to get a variety of sanding discs to spin.

[Nick]

You know, I just got a disk sander. I wonder if its possible to pull off the disk and add some sort of arbor for a buffing wheel?

Too fun!

[BriarBrian]

Hey random try wholesaletool.com they will probably have an arbor that will fit that sander. I got a bunch of them to use on my double shaft grinder i have.

[Nick]

Actually, Random, that's the exact sander I have. Let me know how your conversion goes. Kinda bummed to hear its a PIA to work with, but hey, with a little practice it might become easy. I'd done it on my (father-in-law's) drill press too, but I'm not terribly fond of that sideways thing. What I've been doing lately is just tossing my hand drill into the vice and using a clamp to hold the trigger at the appropriate speed. Works great, and its easy.

I did see a really cool lathe attachment in a catalogue the otherday. It was essentiall a bar that ran from the headstock to the tail stock that you could mount 3 buffing wheels to. Way cool little gadget. You could do a complete buffing with out ever changing a buff. Here's the link http://www.bealltool.com/threeon.htm. Too much fun!

[ToddJohnson]

I did see a really cool lathe attachment in a catalogue the otherday. It was essentiall a bar that ran from the headstock to the tail stock that you could mount 3 buffing wheels to. Way cool little gadget. You could do a complete buffing with out ever changing a buff. Here's the link http://www.bealltool.com/threeon.htm. Too much fun!

Hey Guys,

As cool as that set-up might look I've found it entirely impractical for buffing pipes. The biggest problem for me was the fixed arbor which was constantly in the way. In order to buff the face of the bowl for instance (the area "facing" the smoker) you're going to require an average of 6+ inches of clearance to keep the stem off the arbor. Nothing is more frustrating than being in the very final stages of completing a pipe and nicking the button or some such thing. If you move to larger wheels (say 14-16" diameter) you don't have enough swing over bed clearance to accomodate the larger wheels (at least with the mini-lathe set-up). I eventually moved to a dedicated variable speed motor with a quick-change arbor. Believe it or not, I use brass compression fittings with teflon O-rings. Changing wheels takes less than 5 seconds and I never have anything getting in my way--especially for those long delicate bamboos. Perhaps the arbor set-up will work for you, I can't say, but in my experience, it was a real disappointment. Hope that's helpful, or at least appropriately cautionary.

Best,

Todd

[Tyler]

Todd,

Could you explain more on the quick change arbor? I am ready to move to a dedicated buffing rig (instead of the 6" wheels in the lathe) and yours sounds like what I am after.

Thanks.

Tyler

[ToddJohnson]

Todd,

Could you explain more on the quick change arbor? I am ready to move to a dedicated buffing rig (instead of the 6" wheels in the lathe) and yours sounds like what I am after.

Thanks.

Tyler

Tyler,

Basically I've used a female, brass, quick-change pneumatic fitting on the shaft of an adjustable Baldor motor. I've used threaded arbors on all 6 of my buffing wheels and threaded those studs onto a male pneumatic fitting. The motor looks like it has an air hose hook-up and the buffing wheels essentially look like the end of air tools. When I want to change them out, I just pull back on the spring loaded release and pop one wheel off and another one on. You do have to use a special type of pneumatic fittings designed so that the male end cannot spin around in the female end. I had a number of them on hand, but you can probably get them at a dedicated auto body supply warehouse. You want the ones with little notched grooves and teflon O-rings.

Best,

Todd

[Tyler]

Thanks Todd, I think I understand now.

What size wheels do you use, and what is a good source for them?

Also, any recommendations on buffing compound? I have used a few different brands of compound, and found them to vary dramatically in their performance. The problem is I got the compounds in a coffee can full of all varieties of compounds, and I have no idea what brand or type I have been using.

Thanks!

Tyler

[Nick]

BLEECH!

I think I'll just stick with whats on there.