Show Off Your Bench, Organization, Workshop, And Such...

[BondoBobCustomSaddles]

I think the majority of us actually have pretty small areas to work in, it's just that most of us don't share the pictures because it isn't much to look at

It's funny that the first thing that caught my eye in your pictures was the fish-tape hanging on the wall - obvious what I do for a living!!

How do you have those hand tools attached to the wall above your bench?

most of my hand tools have a hole in them and I hang them on a finishing nail on the board. For those that don't have a hole, I built a little "tool caddy". I use it to move a lot of the tools to where I am working on a saddle stand, it makes it handy to reach for "stuff".

[billymac814]

I don't miss fish tapes at all!!

He has the sander burnisher I want. I actually just bought a thing to make my own setup that's similar to the weaver setup but isn't 500 bucks. Ill post pictures of it when its done. I just got the piece in today but I need some free time to assemble it.

[billymac814]

most of my hand tools have a hole in them and I hang them on a finishing nail on the board. For those that don't have a hole, I built a little "tool caddy". I use it to move a lot of the tools to where I am working on a saddle stand, it makes it handy to reach for "stuff".

Bob,

Do you know the approximate RPM your sander/burnisher spins at? I'm going to be using a 1725rpm motor on mine and I still have to get the pulley so I could either make it spin at the 1725 or 3250 depending on what size pulley I go with.

Thanks.

[BondoBobCustomSaddles]

Bob,

Do you know the approximate RPM your sander/burnisher spins at? I'm going to be using a 1725rpm motor on mine and I still have to get the pulley so I could either make it spin at the 1725 or 3250 depending on what size pulley I go with.

Thanks.

Billy, when I get back from the dentist tomorrow afternoon, I will go down and check it out and let you know about the RPM. Also, as for the fish tape, while I have used that one a lot over the years, like me it is now retired and it's purpose in life is to serve as an antena for my radio in the basement.!!! LOL

Bob

[billymac814]

Haha. That's a good use for the fish tape.

I see you made a roller for your Cowboy, how's it working out?

[BondoBobCustomSaddles]

Billy, the roller works just fine. I eliminates the dragging feeling when you push down on the lift pedal. Now I went down and checked out the motor/pulley arrangement and here is what I found: the motor is 1725 rpm, and the pulley on the motor is 1 7/8". The pulley on the arbor shaft is also 1 7/8" for a 1:1 or 1725 rpm final rotation on the arbor. The hard wood arbor is I think, cocabolo wood and is also 1 7/8" dia. What I can tell you for sure is that you don't want to spin it too fast or you will find yourself burning the edge of the leather rather than slicking it. Hope that helps?

Bob

[billymac814]

Yep that helps. I currently have my cocobolo burnisher chucked directly onto a motor spinning at 1725 so I figured that would be fine, it is however hard on the motor so I got a thing that is similar to the end of the Weaver setup like you have so ill be able to add a sanding drum on the one side and the burnisher on the other. The weaver set up is a little more finished looking with the covers over the pulleys and belt but I already had everything except this one piece so it was a lot cheaper. I will either need a new motor or to have this one repaired as it no longer starts on its own. I have a customer who rebuilds motors but he's having some health problems right now so I may have to just find another one.

Thanks again, I was kinda curious as to what theirs spin at.

[BondoBobCustomSaddles]

Well now you have it in writing! LOL A tip, on the left side of mine, I have the drum that has some type of material attached to it. I think it is like woven nylon fabric, you can get it from Weaver. I apply some bees wax to it and use it in the burnishing process. I also have a wood drum that accepts the sanding sleeve and I switch them out back and forth to either sand or polish/wax fill the edges as needed. The LH side of the arbor is LH thread. The RH side is RH. That way you don't have to crank it too tight to keep it from coming unscrewed while running.

Bob

[billymac814]

That's the way the mandrel type thing I got is. One side is left hand thread. Its used for buffing wheels and such. I'm going to put my burnishing wheel on one side which is the wood burnisher and below it I have a felt wheel that probably works similar to your fabric covered drum. On the other side I have a sanding drum that I drilled out to fit over the shaft. Here's a picture of my current setup.

You must have had yours for a while, it looks a little different from the ones in their new catalog. The new ones come out at a 45* angle to stick over the bench. It also looks like yours has a back shield that probably keeps some of the dust down. I may at some point get one but I think mine will work good, plus my burnisher is smaller in diameter which gets in tighter areas and it has the point for belt slots. I just need to come up with a motor to use, mine only starts if I spin it by hand first so there's no sense in using that motor.

Thanks again.

[billymac814]

This is the thing I got, not sure what its called. Ill just mount my burnisher in the chuck and a felt wheel behind it. I shouldn't need to switch anything out then. I think I'm going to mount it on the edge of my bench raised out on 2X4 blocks. I got it from Lee Valley for about 30 bucks, I had the chuck, burnisher and sanding drum so I won't have much invested depending on how patient I am for the motor, I don't want to buy a new one so I might have to wait until I find one used. There was one at a flea market that I was going to buy a few months ago as a spare, I'm going to head up there again this weekend to see if its still there, it was the last time I was there but now that I want it I'm sure it'll be gone but there might be others.