Building A Benchtop Buffer/Polisher

Project:
Building an 8" Benchtop Buffer.

Difficulty Level (Easy, Medium, Hard, Insane):
Medium

Process:
After I completed the Collapsible Sand Blasting Cabinet, I realized I would need a buffer to take all the sandblasted parts from my 1949 Ducati Cucciolo to a nice and bright shine in preparation for chrome plating. The ones you can buy at Harbour Freight are only 3/4 hp and the shaft is not sticking out as far so you're always limited by the bench on which it sits or you'd have to get a stand for it so I decided I'd build one from scratch with a more powerful 1hp motor.

I had purchased about 15 different motors on kijiji a while back for $75 bucks because I needed one particular one for another project so I still had most of the other ones lying around. Among them was my prized 1hp motor which in itself would sell for close to $60 bucks and I decided to make good use of it and incorporate it into my buffer project.

To go on a bunny-trail, almost 10 years ago, shortly after Melanie and I had gotten married I took her to Switzerland to show her where I grew up and in visiting my cousin she showed me an ingenious contraption that allows you to store your kitchen-aid mixer in a cabinet under the counter top and pull it out with hardly any effort when needed. I figured I could incorporate this into my buffer so I could hide it away under the bench when I'm not using it.

I had taken some pictures back in 2004 but none of them really showed me the mechanism so I called my uncle Ruedi who was incredible enough to go over to my cousin's place, take tons of pictures and send them to me via email. He even took measurements and jotted it all down so I could try to duplicate (or at least understand) the mechanism.

Once I started building my mechanism though I realized that I wouldn't have enough room to make it pull out just like the kitchen-aid mixer but I took the concept and adapted it to make it work for me. Needless to say it turned out awesome and it certainly wouldn't have been that easy without my uncle's help. So here's a great THANK YOU UNCLE RUEDI for that!

To actually start the implementation of this project, I had to get some parts first: pulleys, a shaft and a base to fasten the motor on. I soon realized that step pulleys were really hard to find so I decided to try to cast one with my Home Foundry but realized that it was probably not going to work out well without a working lathe (which is a project that's currently on hold, for now anyways). Once I decided not to spend any more time on casting a step pulley I settled for some "out of the box" ones from princess auto (love that store!).

After I had finished building it I actually ended up using it right away for a secret project for the youth department at our church. I'll be posting that project once the secret has been unveiled this Wednesday night. Stay tuned...

Pictures:

My cousin's kitchen-aid mixer on the retractable shelf

The shelf retracted back into the cupboard

The shelf from below when it's out of the cupboard

My uncle Ruedi's measurements. Totally complete! He's awesome!

AutoCAD drawing of the mechanism to make sure it will work

I pulled the pulley off my drill press to try to make a copy in plastic resin that I could then use to make the mold to pour it in aluminum

First, I had to fill in the cut-out in the back of the pulley

Using some alginate I had purchased from Sial Pottery in Quebec I filled in the cavity

After 10 minutes it had solidified enough to cut with a sharp knife

Then I used the pulley and some more alginate to pour a negative of the bottom half of the pulley

This is the negative imprint of half of the pulley

I added the part I had made when filling in the back of the pulley to give me a mold for the bottom half of the pulley

Now I filled the cavity with quick setting polyurethane plastic that I had also purchased at Sial

After about 10 minutes the plastic had solidified enough to pull it out, but I decided not to go any further because it didn't turn out as nicely as I had wanted it to. Maybe I'll try it again later

The base of the buffer was made with a piece of 1-1/4" by 1-1/4" square steel tubing I had picked up when we went junking last spring

After I had cut out angles, bent, welded and ground it back down

After the part was sand blasted using my collapsible sand blasting cabinet

Dry-fitting the bearings I had picked up at Princess Auto

One of many 1/4" steel brackets I had picked up when they were doing renos at my work place was perfect for the job

I cut it half way through, then bent it in the vice

Then to strengthen it I welded along the corner

Once the brackets were welded to the base I sand blasted it all

Dry-fitting the motor on the base

Nathaniel came and helped me out. He actually cut an 8" piece of 1/4" steel with my help. I was so proud of him and he had a lot of fun doing it

Starting on the support mechanism for the base that will swing under the work bench. This was taken from an old treadmill I had disassembled and kept the metal from. The other part was made into a ball mill as seen about half way down on my Home Foundry post

The entire mechanism welded and sand blasted. This is how it will be when it's being used

This is how the mechanism will sit under the bench when storing it

Hanging the parts to dry after I painted them

Installing the mechanism under the welding bench

I had to fabricate some arbors because I just couldn't find any. I used some 1/4" plexi glass I had picked up at a garage sale for two bucks about 3 years ago

I had bought a two foot piece of 1" round steel at Tri-Province but had to get the ends turned down to 5/8" to fit the buffing wheels. I had found TRC Hydraulics, a machine shop in Dieppe when I built the splash park in my Concrete Driveway and they were so awesome that they actually did it for free!

I installed an on/off switch in the metal box (I had saved the switch from one of my old tools that died)

Almost done

Using some of the left over diamond shaped iron mesh from the blasting cabinet project as a guard over the v-belt and pulleys

After painting the guard

Another angle

This is the left pedal off the Cucciolo all rusted and cruddy

After blasting it

And after using the buffer to polish it, ready for chrome plating

Tools:
Wrenches
Drill
Drill bits
Knife
Angle grinder
Vice
Mig welder
Sand blaster
Drill press
Tap & die set
C-clamps
Dremel
Bi-metal hole saw bits
Paint gun
Pliers

Materials:
1hp motor
8' of 1-1/4" by 1-1/4" square steel tubing
Nuts, bolts & washers
Two 1/4" steel brackets to mount bearings
Two feet of 1" solid round steel for shaft
14" of 8" by 1/4" steel plate for motor mount
One 4" pulley with a 5/8"arbor
One 3" pulley with a 1" arbor
2 inches of 3/16" keystock for pulley on motor
2 inches 1/4" keystock for pulley on shaft
V-belt
Four feet of 1" by 1" square steel tubing for lifting mechanism
Two 1" bearings for shaft
Plexi glass for mounting buffing wheels
Cord for motor
Steel mesh for v-belt & pulley guard

Cost:
Motor - free
Square steel tubing - free
Nuts, bolts & washers - free
Steel brackets - free
Shaft - $7.54
Steel plate - free
4" pulley - $14.68
3" pulley with a 1" arbor - $12
V-belt - $5
Keystock - $5
Bearings for shaft - $15.80
Plexi glass - free
Cord for motor - free
Steel mesh- free
Total: $60.02

Time:
Estimated 30-35 hrs

Savings:
$939.98 (there's one on sale on ebay for $1000 and it's actually not as solid as mine)

Conclusion:
I like the shine on the one part I did so far