You might recall that I made some hardware for a ww project just completed. I cut these drawer pulls from some scrap sheet metal and I used one of those fuzzy buffing wheels and some white buffing compound in the final finishing. I was using my 18v Dewalt driver/drill with the buffing wheel rig attached. It was a RPITA getting the job done what with changing batteries, having the workpiece catch the buff wheel and flip out and so on and so forth. Well, I figured if I'm going to be doing any more hardward crafting I need a buffer worthy of my time. I looked around the net and finally ordered a Baldor,
3/4 hp buffer( that uses industrial 8" wheels )from Amazon which had the lowest price I could find. Also, got some buffing wheels and buffing compound from another internet site. Anyhows, that big sucker(55 lb) arrived in less than a week. I mounted it on a heavy table and fired it up. The thing was sooo smooth running. I applied a left-over scrap of the sheet metal to the wheels and got it mirror-like in no time. There was NO tendency for the wheel to pull the piece out of my hand as I expected and experienced with the wheel in the drill. The metal was mirror-like in no time. There was a little problem in that some buffing wheels have a 'preferred' direction but I got that straightened out ...yaa know RTFM. I pulled my ole 'patinaed' bench square down and put a mirror finish on that and then some other Starrett tools. I know the buffer won't be good at sharpening chisels or plane irons but there is no question that it will put a mirror on the flat portions of these tools. Baldor makes good stuff just a ways south of here in Ft. Smith, Arkansas.Larry