Building a Sanding and polishing station help?

[Animeozzy]

Hi all

I'm looking to build sanding and polishing station similar to the one in this picture made by Sean at the London Pen Company but I haven't been able to find information on where I could get the parts to make it appreciate any help thank you

 

[dogcatcher]

A sewing machine motor, about $25 on eBay, a motor shaft arbor adapter, also on eBay, about $25, A drill chuck to fit the adapter arbor about $10, also on eBay. You can use the foot pedal speed controller, but I would suggest using a router speed controller from Harbor Freight, I think they are about $20 or $39.

If you have a Foredom, you can create one using a handpiece that holds a 1/4" shaft. You would need the above shaft adapter and the drill chuck.

 

[dogcatcher]

Do you have any other photos of these machines? I know they are both Taig headstocks, ways and chucks, but the motor and mounts have me baffled. They could be the same or a variation of the universal sewing machine motor I mentioned in the first post.

Unless you are set on building like machines I could come up with a cheaper solutions. A Taig headstock is $65, the bed/ways. about $70, the chuck is $72. Motor as shown now is an unknown, the speed controller about $20. Machining the fittings etc., cost is an unknown. Known is about $225. Unknown costs is a guess of another$50 to $100.

 

[Animeozzy]

Do you have any other photos of these machines? I know they are both Taig headstocks, ways and chucks, but the motor and mounts have me baffled. They could be the same or a variation of the universal sewing machine motor I mentioned in the first post.

Unless you are set on building like machines I could come up with a cheaper solutions. A Taig headstock is $65, the bed/ways. about $70, the chuck is $72. Motor as shown now is an unknown, the speed controller about $20. Machining the fittings etc., cost is an unknown. Known is about $225. Unknown costs is a guess of another$50 to $100.

This another angle

 

[Animeozzy]

Also I don't mind finding a cheaper option

 

[Curly]

How come you aren't using your lathe or is it a metal lathe and you want to keep the grunge off the ways? You could just get a cheap used wood lathe and use it. A set of Beall buffing wheels on the mandrel would take care of most of your polishing when you need that task done.

 

[Animeozzy]

How come you aren't using your lathe or is it a metal lathe and you want to keep the grunge off the ways? You could just get a cheap used wood lathe and use it. A set of Beall buffing wheels on the mandrel would take care of most of your polishing when you need that task done.

Yeah I thought of picking up used harbor freight mini lathe cheap to setup just to sand and polish. But I saw this thought it would cool options

 

[howsitwork]

You could use a cheap 6" bench grinder, remove the wheels and install pigtail spigots on the end. Only down side is you ideally want the wheels to run up over rather than down over ( as a grinder does) . To achieve this you mount the grinder backwards and turn the guards round, or remove them as you're not using grinding wheels so shattering is not a danger. Mount your mops on the pigtail spigots and you're away...

 

[dogcatcher]

That motor just bumped his rig another $75 to $100 higher than my guess.

Cheap, buy a $20 drill from Harbor Freight, a speed controller made with a dimmer switch. Build a mount for the drill. Cost less than $30.

Harbor Freight Tools – Quality Tools at Discount Prices Since 1977

Harbor Freight buys their top quality tools from the same factories that supply our competitors. We cut out the middleman and pass the savings to you!

www.harborfreight.com

drill $18
dimmer $8
extension cord $1
box $0.38
cover $0.37
wood box, scrap?

Those little brass "thingies", Make them using a lag bolt and a piece of hardwood on your lathe.

 

[dogcatcher]

How come you aren't using your lathe or is it a metal lathe and you want to keep the grunge off the ways? You could just get a cheap used wood lathe and use it. A set of Beall buffing wheels on the mandrel would take care of most of your polishing when you need that task done.

I make these type of gadgets not so much that I need them, but for the "cool" factor involved. They also save time, switching from one chuck to another, takes a few seconds, but seconds add up to minutes and minutes add up to hours. When I was actively making game calls for sale, I was making 48 to 72 at a time. Doing one at a time takes about an hour. Making in production mode and using my custom machine tooling I cut that time down to about 15 minutes for each one. A field grade call sold for $17, one at time means making $17 an hour, cutting that time to 16 minutes makes it a $68 an hour.

Yes it takes some of the fun out of it, but in turn, it left me with a lot more free time to pursue other interests.

 

[Animeozzy]

Thank you All for the help I will post when come up with something

 

[guitarchitect]

Did you end up coming up with anything?
I know Sean has since moved to a rolling tumbler, and now Jonathon brooks is as well. If you're working at a large scale you could reach out to Sean and ask what he got. I know that those specific sanding motors were a lot of money, they are professional setups for doing pool cues if I recall correctly. The biggest benefit of his setup is that he mounts it on a low bench and does it sitting down!

 

[Animeozzy]

Did you end up coming up with anything?
I know Sean has since moved to a rolling tumbler, and now Jonathon brooks is as well. If you're working at a large scale you could reach out to Sean and ask what he got. I know that those specific sanding motors were a lot of money, they are professional setups for doing pool cues if I recall correctly. The biggest benefit of his setup is that he mounts it on a low bench and does it sitting down!

Yeah I haven't found anything yet. I did the see tumbler option but that is a little cost prohibitive at moment. I was contemplating getting a used harbor freight mini lathe and modifying it by removing the lathe bed to use it as polishing station as well as adding a 3 jaw Chuck.