In the Buff !

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EdM

Member
Joined
Dec 24, 2018
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130
Location
Boynton Beach, Fl.
I recently set up my 3 wheel buffing system from Peachtree Woodworking, and promptly found several of my blanks flying through the shop, never to be retrieved again. The rudimentary tool I created out of oak to hold the blanks while buffing just didn't cut it...

so... I emailed Rick Herrell (Rick's Custom Tools), asking if he could make something for me (and us!) that would hold the blank while buffing. He suggested that i simply use a mandrell and knurled nut, but I use a mandrel saver, and had nothing here that could be used to secure the blank.

Here's what he came up with. It's 10" in length, with a 1/4"x20 thread on both ends (Rick, please confirm.)

Can't wait to get in to the shop this weekend and try it out!


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EdM
 
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Don't be surprised when the wheel grabs a hold of that, and snatches it from your hands. That's much more dangerous, and it will cause some damage if it collides with you.

The reason the blank is yanked from your hand, is because of a catch. A catch is when the wheel grabs the top edge of the object running against it. Never let the wheel get higher than the top edge.

This can be overcome by using a transition piece above the blank. Using metal can cause transference of material. Metals turn the wheel black with particles. This can transfer not only the black but, also create scratches on the surface.
 
As already pointed out, if your pieces are flying then there is something wrong with your technique. I've buffed items of all sizes, pens to bowls, and I've never had a piece leave my hands.

I only let my wheels near wood and the finishes.... never metal, for the reasons mentioned by Terredax.
 
Another thing to keep in mind. The wheel should run off of the blank. This happens at the bottom. If the wheel runs across the top edge, the edge will roll, and there goes the time spent squaring it to fit the hardware.
Run the palm of your hand off the edge of your counter top. It slides across smooth, and will keep a crisp edge. Now pull it up across the edge. It digs in, there is more friction. Unless your counter top has a radius but, I'm sure you get the idea. If this was done with sand paper, the edge of the counter top would round over. The same happens to the blank against the wheel.

A good spot on the wheel is about 8 o'clock. Try to stay between 7 and 8. Getting too low will invite a catch, and it's harder to see where you're buffing. Getting too high, is awkward, and hard to see also. Keep the top edge of the blank out away from the wheel, and try to only touch the bottom 2/3 of the blank against the wheel, with the proper strokes. Then flip end for end, and do the same thing.

You will be shining blanks in no time.:wink:
 
larryc said:
If the top of the buffing wheel is moving toward you it can't send the blank flying.
Click to expand...

That is incorrect. If the wheel touches the top of the blank, it will wrap around the edge, and grab it. It will pull it from your hands, and either slam it to the ground, against whatever is behind the buffer, or in the worst case, it can come all the way around, and fling out at you.

If the wheel were to spin in the opposite direction, the catch would happen at the bottom of the blank, and throw the blank at you. The same is true if trying to buff on the top of the wheel. You become the target for the shrapnel.
 
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Terredax said:
larryc said:
If the top of the buffing wheel is moving toward you it can't send the blank flying.
Click to expand...

That is incorrect. If the wheel touches the top of the blank, it will wrap around the edge, and grab it. It will pull it from your hands, and either slam it to the ground, against whatever is behind the buffer, or in the worst case, it can come all the way around, and fling out at you.

If the wheel were to spin in the opposite direction, the catch would happen at the bottom of the blank, and throw the blank at you. The same is true if trying to buff on the top of the wheel. You become the target for the shrapnel.
Click to expand...


Well, I have been doing about 500 pens a year for many years this way and I can tell you I have never had one thrown (in any direction).

Yes, it can catch the top of the blank and slam the blank and the tapered wooden stick that is holding down (usually on the lathe bed), but you soon learn how to hold the blank properly so this doesn't happen more than once or twice a year.


PS: I use the Beal buffing system and I have NEVER had the edges of the blank "rolled over" where the blank did not set properly to the components.
 
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larryc said:
Well, I have been doing about 500 pens a year for many years this way and I can tell you I have never had one thrown (in any direction).

Yes, it can catch the top of the blank and slam the blank and the tapered wooden stick that is holding down (usually on the lathe bed), but you soon learn how to hold the blank properly so this doesn't happen more than once or twice a year.


PS: I use the Beal buffing system and I have NEVER had the edges of the blank "rolled over" where the blank did not set properly to the components.
Click to expand...

You are contradictory in your statements. First you state that it can't happen, in your above post.

Then here you state you have never had one thrown in any direction, and in the next sentence, you state that it happens once or twice a year.

As for rolling the edge, you will have to read my post. I state that if the wheel runs across the top edge of the blank, it can cause a radius/rolled edge. If the wheel doesn't touch the top edge (which can cause a catch), then the edge will not get rolled.

Pens are child's play, when you graduate to intakes, heads, valve covers, wheels, casket hardware, wind instruments, injection molds, or any other item someone would like to reflect like a mirror, then color me impressed.
 
Terredax said:
larryc said:
Well, I have been doing about 500 pens a year for many years this way and I can tell you I have never had one thrown (in any direction).

Yes, it can catch the top of the blank and slam the blank and the tapered wooden stick that is holding down (usually on the lathe bed), but you soon learn how to hold the blank properly so this doesn't happen more than once or twice a year.


PS: I use the Beal buffing system and I have NEVER had the edges of the blank "rolled over" where the blank did not set properly to the components.
Click to expand...

You are contradictory in your statements. First you state that it can't happen, in your above post.

Then here you state you have never had one thrown in any direction, and in the next sentence, you state that it happens once or twice a year.

As for rolling the edge, you will have to read my post. I state that if the wheel runs across the top edge of the blank, it can cause a radius/rolled edge. If the wheel doesn't touch the top edge (which can cause a catch), then the edge will not get rolled.

Pens are child's play, when you graduate to intakes, heads, valve covers, wheels, casket hardware, wind instruments, injection molds, or any other item someone would like to reflect like a mirror, then color me impressed.
Click to expand...




There's a difference between "thrown" and "slam".
 
Now, now boys. Let's keep this informational and friendly!!!
In my case, blanks I was buffing were thrown down, and they bounced against my bench.
I modeled the new tool based on the videos where I saw turners buffing with blanks on a standard mandrel with the blank secured by a knurled nut.
As always, there's more that one way to skin the proverbial cat, so I'll try this out, very slowly and carefully!



Sent from my iPhone using Penturners.org mobile app
 
Be careful of the nut also. The wheel can catch it the same as the blank. Chances are, it will only bounce the tool away from the wheel since it's at the bottom but, if you aren't expecting it, it could cause damage to the blank.
Not to mention needing clean shorts. :wink:
 
EdM said:
Now, now boys. Let's keep this informational and friendly!!!
In my case, blanks I was buffing were thrown down, and they bounced against my bench.
I modeled the new tool based on the videos where I saw turners buffing with blanks on a standard mandrel with the blank secured by a knurled nut.
As always, there's more that one way to skin the proverbial cat, so I'll try this out, very slowly and carefully!



Sent from my iPhone using Penturners.org mobile app
Click to expand...



Let us know how it works. As far as transfer, I would think you could have a couple of non-metallic spacers at each end of the blank to prevent contact with the metal.


Sent from my iPhone using Penturners.org mobile app
 
Terredax said:
larryc said:
If the top of the buffing wheel is moving toward you it can't send the blank flying.
Click to expand...

That is incorrect. If the wheel touches the top of the blank, it will wrap around the edge, and grab it. It will pull it from your hands, and either slam it to the ground, against whatever is behind the buffer, or in the worst case, it can come all the way around, and fling out at you.

If the wheel were to spin in the opposite direction, the catch would happen at the bottom of the blank, and throw the blank at you. The same is true if trying to buff on the top of the wheel. You become the target for the shrapnel.
Click to expand...

John's right on this one. There have been several knife makers that I know of that have "caught" the top edge of handle and had it fling around to the front. Some of these have almost been fatal as the blade comes around and buries the blade in their leg. It's never happened to me, but in the past I've shot stuff across my shop by catching the top. Gets the heart pumping for sure.
 
I guess it's semantics. I don't consider something thrown unless it's airborne. In my case the blank never leaves the tapered stick it's on so I don't consider it "thrown".
 
I've sent a few pen sections flying, never broke a window, not yet. I've lost a few, don't know where they went. I almost always buff on a wood dowel. If you buff 3-4 sections at once you can do the bottom half first, then turn the sections around and do them on the bottom. That way you are never getting a top edge in contact with the wheel.

I don't know if the metal rod will do the job or not, but what I would be most concerned with is the metal touching the buffing wheels. My experience is that the buffing wheels turn black when I buff metal, then when I use them on resins they turn the resin dark. I have a second set of buffing wheels that I use when I'm buffing metal
 
I used a 1/4" all thread about 5" long, on each end I had a wood handle that screwed on that was about 6" long and about 3/4" in diameter. I put the blank in the middle and screwed the handles up tight to the finished blank. That gave me a good hand hold on both ends.

For game calls, I found that paint ball bore cleaners that look like giant pipe cleaners were perfect, slide the call on the cleaner, and then biff.
 
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