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Just finished my buffer. It is clamped to the table saw. Grizzly arbor with 1/2 HP motor. I post this for all the folks that are put off by the "high" price of buffing. Total cost including Grizzly arbor and motor is about $170. I found the motor on line.

Mike

That looks good Mike. What speed motor did you use ?
One suggestion would be to round off those 90° corners and soften all the edges. Less chance to put a ding in something.
Link

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Cut to size.....Beat to fit.....Paint to match.

That'll do the job, and not so expensive. If you haven't used a buffer before, Robbie Obrien has an excellent free video on LMI. Once you get the hang of it, you'll wonder why you didn't get one sooner.

Chuck

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Looks good Mike!

What Link said about sharp edges is very true...

Some other things that you may wish to consider is to double the buffs on each side for greater buffing area and I don't know how tall you are but being attached to a table saw top is pretty high for a buffer. Something else that I have seen on nice set-ups are shop-made hoods for the buffs. Buffers sling st*ff all over the place including on the operator too and the hoods will greatly reduce this.

Even with another set of buffs you have spent way less than the Stew-Mac set-up - nice job!

Nice Job. Not all commercial buffers are expensive though. I have an older version of the Caswell Buff245 kit. It was under $200 if memory serves.

http://www.caswellplating.com/buffs/34hpbuffkit.html and their canton flannel buffs rock

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

Thanks for all of the tips. I will round the corners. Also will add a belt guard. It is a 1/2 HP motor, ~1750 rpm. One inch motor pully, 1, 2, 3 or 4 inch step pully on arbor. Those are caswell wheels, two on a side. Looks like I can put 2 more on each side. Brock, I believe you were refering to the 1100 rpm model and not the 3450, right?

Mike

That looks great, Mike. Another piece of cheap insurance would be some foam pipe insulation around those edges.

Mike

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Mike Lindstrom

Yes, the 1100..

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

Well, I just buffed out the harp guitar. The buffer worked great. Plenty of room. And when you are working with beast like a HG, thats saying a lot! I do not think I would ever go over 1/2 hp. It had plenty of torque and never locked up. I do think it could handle 4 wheels on a side. Gonna think about that.

Mike

Thank you! I missed that tip and was looking for such an idea.

BTW, that pic above is with the buffer running. Modern cameras are so fast that they stop the motion.

Mike

When I built my buffer, I made a "stressed skin panel" & mounted the motor / shaft on it. I hung it on a wall with hinges, so I can fold it up, out of the way when not in use. It hangs on a chain & the weight of the rig is plenty to keep it from bouncing around.The other handy thing I did (after my first buffing session) was to cover every corner & edge with 1/2" thick foam weatherstrip tape. It prevents minor dings. I find when I'm buffing, I concentrate so hard of the finish & not catching an edge, that I tend to forget where the rest of the guitar is. The foam has prevented many a minor ding.
If I used a buffer like the one in your pic, I was gonna mount it horizontally, on a pad secured to the end of the "table".
Makes for a lot more clear space around the wheels.
The plywood overhang around your buffer looks like a dent waiting to happen. I would cut it back as far as possible & add some foam bumpers.
You're gonna love using your buffer. Once you recover from slamming your first neck onto the floor! Good Luck... Hold on tight... AND... Don't lose concentration.
Dan

Dan,

My plan now is just to use it as it is, take in the advice I get here and improve it. So far, I know I need to cut back the area around the arbor, soften the edges, cover in foam, and stiffen underneath with light framing. I do intend to hang it on the wall with a pully/cable system to put it away when not in use. I totally agree with you about losing track of other parts of the guitar while focussing on the buff area. It can be tricky and you have to stay alert.

Also, I will be adding a front access power switch with emergency paddle off (on the end of the lever arm). It is not incredibly important as the thing slows to zero in about 2 seconds... but reaching back to the motor near the belt can/will lead to errors in judgment.

Mike