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This is a design I whipped up this evening for a buffing machine and cabinet. I have priced it out, and I should be able to build it all for about $150. Granite, I had some parts already laying around the shop. Any thoughts on the design?



I would use lag bolts through the back to attach directly into the 2x4s in the wall.

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I would move the shaft forward, away from the cabinet. Also make the shaft as long as possible with the pulley cover padded....looks like a nice idea.

Chuck

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Chuck,
Thanks for the speedy reply. The padding is a great idea- and something I can't draw in SketchUP.

The shaft is a 7/8" thick 36" long piece of steel. The wheels are going to be 16" or 17". I am using a 1/2 hp motor- the same size that stew mac sells. I know it is kinda hard to get those dimensions from looking at the drawing. So, I thought I would clarify.

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Version 2 has the riser blocks moved in for more access. I had to leave the cabinet out that far simply to accommodate mounting the motor on center of the drive shaft.

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I suspect you'll have access problems with this configuration. Assuming you'll use different grades of buffing compound on each wheel, it won't simply be a case of switching to the other wheel to gain access to hard-to-reach surfaces. Might be worth grabbing a guitar and simulating the buffing process with all the angles involved to identify potential problems.

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Pete

Is it completely necessary to have the driven pulley in the middle of the shaft?

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This is v3. Any better?

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What happens if you put the pillow blocks on the front?

You really will want as little clutter around the buffing wheels as you can get. That built in cabinet would drive you nuts the first time you tried to use your buffer.
My buffer is hinged to a wall, so I can fasten it up out of the way when it's not in use. The shaft bearings are bolted through the bottom of a hinged "stressed skin" deck, as close to the end as I could get them. There is no other structure above or below the deck, except a chain to support it in the down position & the guard around the drive pulley.
If I was building it again, I'd mount the bearings on the end of the panel, to get even more clearance around the wheels.
Every surface that I could bump a guitar on is covered with 1/2" thick self adhesive foam tape.
(I also mounted a small fluorescent light to the wall below the buffer. Very handy for watching your progress.)
As drawn, you simply couldn't buff a guitar on your rig without bumping into the deck & the cabinet... IMHO

What are you going to do with the granite?

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Billy Dean Thomas
Covina, CA

"Multi famam, conscientiam, pauci verentur."
(Many fear their reputation, few their conscience)

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What everybody's trying to tell you is to lose the cabinet altogether. I know you want to keep it, but trust those who have built and/or used one. Mine is about as simple as they come - essentially two 2X8's hinged at the bottom. One mounted to the wall with a motor toward the top and the other mounted with the buffer to the top with a v-belt in between them. The weight of the buffer assembly provides the belt tension. So I have absolutely nothing in front of or around the bearing housing - it is bolted to the 2X8 on the back side. There is some additional blocking, as necessary, but hopefully you get what I'm saying. I'm half way across the country, so I don't have pictures.

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Wes McMillian
Santo, TX
http://www.wesmcmillian.com

Chris that's even worse. Picture buffing a guitar. You can't with that setup.

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So, are you guys say clearance is an issue...?

I hear you loud and clear. But some pictures of your set ups would really help. I want as much clearance as possible, but finding a good way to mount the motor and get clearance is my issue. So, post some pictures please!

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Here's mine, really simple. Based on the same dimensions as the new Stew Mac buffer.

See how there is nothing below the buffs? When buffing, I hold the guitar body below the shaft center about 3" that way I get a good look at the progress of buffing when looking down on the surface and I have nothing in my way when buffing.



and here are the Stew Mac dimensions, and actually I'm pretty sure I have more than 7-1/2" between my bearings and the inside edge of the buffs.

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Hey Filippo, no that's just a 1" shaft I got from a local machine shop I use to work at. It's threaded righthand on both ends and I'm using lock nuts on each end to hold the buffs tight. No issues so far after buffing 2 guitars and necks with it.

The motor is 1/4HP I picked up at a thrift store.

All in, I'm under $60 for the shaft, bearings and motor. I got the buffs from LMI, they are 12". Menzerna from Shane at High Mountain.

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"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

I see what you mean Rod. I think I will just simplify things a bit.

Here are my parts:

7/8" steel rod- local metal supplier- $10
Threading the rod- one left hand, one right hand- $20 local machine shop
Pillow Blocks: http://www.thebigbearingstore.com/servlet/the-7/7-fdsh-8%22-Pillow-Block-Bearing/Detail ~20 for 2
Pulley for Rod w/ 7/8" bore: http://www.grizzly.com/products/Single-V-Groove-Pulley-4-Pitch-Dia-7-8-Bore/G5431 $11
Pulley on Motor- already have- maybe $5
Pulley Belt-http://www.grizzly.com/products/Power-Twist-V-Belt-1-2-x-4-/T21992 $30 (but may be able to get a non v-twist for about $5)
1/2hp motor- Already had (paid maybe $20 from a friend)
Flanges: http://www.grizzly.com/products/Buffing-Flanges-4-Diameter-x-7-8-/H2798 $20 for 2

That totals up the machine (minus compounds and wheels at a grand total of $136ish including the motor i already had.

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Filippo, Thanks for the fair warning. I will get the pillow blocks first and then make sure the rod I get fits just right. I don't think I care for the idea of wet sanding it down to fit.

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Here's the buffer I built this spring using Grizzly's arbor as the base. It clamps to the top
of my workshop when I'm using it and slips underneath when not.

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Gene

Politicians and diapers must be changed often, and for the same reason- Mark Twain

Yep....that's what I was thinking too.

The more room you have to work around the wheel the better it's going to be.

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Gene, what size wheels are those? When I called shop fox about that arbor, they said it would not support anything larger than a 10" wheel!

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