Woodturning Tool Review: Beall Buffing System

Hi, Alan Stratton, from As Wood Turns. (www.AsWoodTurns.com)

I’ve had a lot of questions from viewers since I started using this Beall triple buffing system on my projects.

I like the results it is producing but there’s a mistake that I made that you may well want to avoid if you decide to get a buffing system.

This system, as is, consists of a steel shaft with a number two Morse taper on this end which fits, of course my headstock.

Then, a shaft that has spacers and threaded so that each buffing wheel is put onto the shaft.

Then for use, it goes into there, and pull up the tail stock, and you’re ready to go.

And it works fine for the outside of projects or for spindle projects.

If it is a very tight corner, there’s a little bit of a problem – you may run into the shaft if you get too rambunchous.

In use, use three separate wheels.

It’s important not to apply the wrong compound to the wrong wheel.

This compound is Tripoli, for use on one wheel that is dedicated to Tripoli.

After using the Tripoli, move to another wheel which is for white diamond which has an even finer grit to polish it up.

Then finally, when you’re done, this is carnauba wax on the final wheel of this system.

Now the mistake I made was in thinking I could use this for bowls.

But actually with the buffing wheels with the shaft do not go into the inside of a bowl very well, or it has to be a very shallow bowl.

So what I then had to get, was a different setup that I could use for bowls.

I keep this up on my wall on a hanger so I don’t have to dismantle it each time.

For bowls, there’s an extender that goes on the headstock.

Then three buffs.

This is for Tripoli – you can see the residual compound on it – that is threaded in.

And you’re ready to buff the inside of a bowl or,

with the small diameter, the outside.

Of course, with a smaller diameter wheel on here, you need to run this at a higher speed to have the equivalent results.

When you’re done with the Tripoli, it’s fairly easy to take it off and switch to the white diamond.

And when you’re done with that, to switch to the carnauba wax.

So it’s essentially the same thing.

But what I realized afterwards, after buying the triple buff system, is that they also sell 8 inch wheels that are the same diameter as these that go on to the end of this extender.

So that, instead of being on one system, I would have the extender and individual buffing wheels.

Now the advantage of that, in my opinion, is that you have complete freedom around the front to be able to maneuver your project.

So, my mistake was I bought this system, thinking it could do all of the job.

It can’t.

It cannot do the inside.

Then I bought this system which enables me to do the inside of bowls.

What I think I should have done, is to buy the bowl buffing system and then the wheels that go onto this extender.

I think I would be money ahead with that option.

Although there is a lot of convenience to having the three wheels on one shaft for just spindle projects or the exterior of bowls.

So that’s my experience.

Beyond that, make sure you have wheels dedicated to each respective compound.

You don’t want Tripoli on your white diamond, nor white diamond on your carnauba wax.

I don’t think you’d appreciate the results.

In use, the final reminder is to wear a face shield.

There are all kinds of fibers that are coming off the wheel as it spins and as you apply it to your surface.

And make sure that you wear a dust mask because the particles are very fine.

No sense taking any chances.

So that’s my experience with the Beall buffing system.

I hope you make a good decision.