New Toy

[b.lindsey]

I have been looking at one of these for three years or so and partly because I found more of a need for it with the Briggs & Stratton build, I broke down and ordered it earlier this week. I was delighted when it arrived yesterday in time for the weekend. Set it up and gave it a test drive this morning and was amazed at the quietness, steadiness, and even the torque. Though its not a heavy duty industrial buffer, it has more than enough power for any hobby uses I can conceive of. I admit it was nice too to to know that it was from an old line American company and it is solidly built and should serve my needs for many years. I have an older Foredom flex shaft machine also and though it isn't used that often it's still ticking after probably 15-17 years.

Anyway after a few hours of use, I am very happy with it and think it will be getting a lot more use in the days and projects ahead.

 

[ChooChooMike]

Where'd you get the little guy from ? I could use a small buffer like that too. Think it'd be a bit easier then a Dremel based one ??

Mike

 

[b.lindsey]

Hi Mike,

I ordered it directly from Foredom. They call it their M-BL (meaning bench lathe). Not what I call a lathe butmaybe among jewelry makers and such it is known as a lathe. If you look around their site or download the .pdf catalogue, you will see all sorts of accessories for it....buffing wheels, polishing compounds, adapters for smaller grinding rocks, etc. Their service was good, got it the same week I ordered it, but fair warning...at $199 they are proud of it. As I noted though in the original post, I don't mind stretching some for a quality tool that I know will be backed up by the mfr. (edit)...forgot to add the link which is www.foredom.com.

I think Dremels have a place too for tighter spots using felt bobs and smaller dia buffing wheels like 1" or so. This little guy will handle up to 4" dia wheels for larger jobs when needed. Foredom has a wide variety of sizes and a few different materials and their pricing on these seems quite reasonable to me.

Insert the usual disclaimers here...

Bill

 

[ChooChooMike]

$199

Yeah that 's a bit steep for a buffing wheel setup. Hmmm, better off for the moment sticking with my already purchased years ago Dremel and a little polishing stand/drill press dohickey

Mike

 

[shred]

That's a nifty little tool.

FWIW, I have a Red Wing "polishing lathe" originally made for the dental trade that looks similar-- basically a motor with really good bearings and tapers at either end to mount arbors and wheels on. I dunno why or how the 'lathe' term got applied to them, but they're worth looking out for.

 

[Kermit]

Well, this started me searching on Ebay

and I found a Hardinge polishing lathe!

http://cgi.ebay.com/Hardinge-Polish...mdZViewItemQQptZBI_Lathes?hash=item2ea3f395a0

Price isn't to bad(yet) either,
Kermit

 

[b.lindsey]

shred,

A google seaarch turns up the Red Wings, apparently now handled by Handler Mfg. Co. (pun intended). They appear to be larger motors but its hard to tell from the pics. Going more by their weight of around 45 lbs. Do you have a pic of yours?

kermit,

That looks like a conventional hardinge or 2nd op machine. Looks like it may have a collet closer but on the 9" netbook its hard to tell...all the pics are small!! Will be interesting to see what the price goes up to.


Bill

 

[shred]

shred,

A google seaarch turns up the Red Wings, apparently now handled by Handler Mfg. Co. (pun intended). They appear to be larger motors but its hard to tell from the pics. Going more by their weight of around 45 lbs. Do you have a pic of yours?

Yeah, that's it. Looks like nothing more than a 6" dia AC motor with funny shafts (the pic isn't mine, but it looks like that). That's how I snagged it for cheap; the guy was selling it as a motor, not a $500 polishing lathe with quick-change attachment. I was a very happy camper once I realized, as I'd only gone looking for something to turn into a bench grinder . It's super smooth and quiet spinning people sometimes can't tell it's running. Even with the bizarre Dental Taper on the shafts (that's a fun one to look up in the Machinery Handbook), it's one of my prized shop possessions. It is only 2-speed however-- the variability of the Foredom could be really handy at times.

 

[b.lindsey]

Yep, that matches what i saw on the web. Quite a find for sure. I'll have to look up "dental taper" too...thats a new one for me. The rated rpm's on the foredom are 500 to 7000. With a 4" buffing wheel that converts almost directly into surface feet per minute as well. I know what you mean about the quietness too, The only noise is the whir of the buffs'. the motor itself is virtually silent. I'm very happy with the smaller footprint and light weight (7 lbs.) but if I ever need to go "industrial sized" I will know what to look for

Bill