Thread: Buffer RPM questions

Originally Posted by Muirtach

Just as a note, I have been getting good results for plastic and acrylic with the tumbler.

Wow I would have never thought of that, gonna give it a try Thanks....Corncob I assume???

I am new to buffers, I got the 1/4 hp 1800 rpm Baldor and can say its just perfect for a newby. You do not want to go into the 3650 rpm ones until you have good deal of experience with something slower, the wheels will grab the blade and spin it down so fast that you would have next to zero time to react at those speeds.
I quickly learned to hold the blade at the right wheel position so it does not get caught (for me its slightly above the horizontal level of the diameter of the wheel). Heat generation is not only dependent on the SFM but the pressure you apply on the wheel with the blade, the more pressure the more heat. For me I do not get a lot of heat on greaseless, and I am sure because I apply a little bit less pressure than what would be optimal judging by my current results. On polishing compounds on the contrary I get a lot of heat because of more pressure. As many already stated above its all about experimentation what works and how to do it.
The Baldor I use is not big by the way ~15" from wheel to wheel so it does not take too much space, if you have to use shaft extenders then it becomes more space consuming but they can be mounted/dismounted fast and easy. I find the extenders very useful especially with 4" wheels.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Wow I would have never thought of that, gonna give it a try Thanks....Corncob I assume???

I've been using it just like a blade progression, but with less time. I've been getting pretty good results from just an overnight run. Also working quite well on CA finished woods (corn seems a bit too soft for initial runs, need to hit the walnut first for sure) and the horn I tumbled last night came out great as well.

On the Safety related note, while I have not yet gotten into the razor resto process, I have worked plenty on grinders.

basic rules apply!

1) TAKE OFF ALL JEWELRY! no rings, no bracelets, no necklaces.

2) SNUG FITTING clothing only! no loose sleeves, no wide collar gloves, and great googly moogely, TAKE OFF THAT TIE!

3) SAFETY GLASSES! and no, your eye glasses dont cut it! unless they are made of saftey glass. Otherwise the lenses will become embeded with fine grit, and you will be replacing them before you know it.

4) Long Haired hippy freak? (like myself) TIE YOUR HAIR BACK! preferably use a hair net to keep it well contained. Ever see a guy get his hair caught in moving parts? it aint pretty!

I wont get into the actually usage of the grinder/buffer. This is just the obvious stuff, which often gets overlooked.

Good luck kids!

I actually like the 3/4 hp with the 1100 and 1800 rpm. The reason is that this is where I do most of my polish work and I can put a fair amount of pressure on the wheel if I want to and it definitely will not be slowing down, but its really not going that fast where I worry about overheating as quickly. I can feel the metal get warm and do occasionally have to dunk in water when using the 1800 rpm. I use a lighter touch on the higher speed 3600 on the 1/2 hp motor when I am using the more cutting compounds. This gets hottest the quickest and I am dunking all the time after just a few seconds. The 1100 rpm works very nicely on acrylics for me.

Lot of personal preference here.

Lynn

I think it's all about knowing how to use what you have or can lay your hands on...or that's how I understand what the "go to" guys have said.

Originally Posted by shooter74743

I think it's all about knowing how to use what you have or can lay your hands on...or that's how I understand what the "go to" guys have said.

Now that I've reread Max's post, it does seem to me that I could get away with a 3450 RPM buffer if I use smaller wheels like 4 inch and 6 inch ones.
I did the rough calculations for the SMF and it comes out to be, respectively, 3450 smf/min and 5175 smf/min.

On the other hand, if most of you are using lower RPM buffers with smaller wheels, the SMF you're working at is much lower than 3450 even. It'd be in the 1800 to low two thousands.

One other question I have is if lower RPMs are better for the final polish as opposed to the earlier stages. Glen already said that he finds that they are, and I inferred it from Lynn's post that he uses lower RPMs for his final polish, but I just wanted to make sure that I'm not just inferring randomly.

For you guys up north around the NJ area, please check this buffer out...he won't ship by the way, I tried before bidding. Grizzly 1750 rpm 1 1/2 hp buffer, less than 24 hrs left, last check it's at $15.00: Grizzly Heavy Duty / Buffer / Grinder / Unused Mint ! - eBay (item 170462740128 end time Mar-24-10 20:02:14 PDT)

If someone wins it, I deserve at least a thank you...Talk about a score...

Originally Posted by shooter74743

For you guys up north around the NJ area, please check this buffer out...he won't ship by the way, I tried before bidding. Grizzly 1750 rpm 1 1/2 hp buffer, less than 24 hrs left, last check it's at $15.00: Grizzly Heavy Duty / Buffer / Grinder / Unused Mint ! - eBay (item 170462740128 end time Mar-24-10 20:02:14 PDT)

If someone wins it, I deserve at least a thank you...Talk about a score...

Woah! Thank you big time on this. I will definitely try to get this one if it doesn't skyrocket in price.

Originally Posted by heirkb

Now that I've reread Max's post, it does seem to me that I could get away with a 3450 RPM buffer if I use smaller wheels like 4 inch and 6 inch ones.
I did the rough calculations for the SMF and it comes out to be, respectively, 3450 smf/min and 5175 smf/min.

On the other hand, if most of you are using lower RPM buffers with smaller wheels, the SMF you're working at is much lower than 3450 even. It'd be in the 1800 to low two thousands.

One other question I have is if lower RPMs are better for the final polish as opposed to the earlier stages. Glen already said that he finds that they are, and I inferred it from Lynn's post that he uses lower RPMs for his final polish, but I just wanted to make sure that I'm not just inferring randomly.

I also fine that the lower SFM gives a better polish. I'm sure that there are other techniques that can give the same results at a higher surface speed. Be sure to check the Caswell link I posted to this thread earlier for the best 'Cut' and 'polish' methods.