flex shaft questions

[FigureLLC]

this is a good thread... this week i started considering a good flex shaft, but i guess i'll steer clear for now, especially since i don't do a whole ton of polishing. can some of you guys that use the good flex shafts say what you use them for? when you'd use it over a die grinder?

[FigureLLC]

go to Harbor Freight and get a $30 electric die grinder.

is this the kind?

- Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

[baz]

if you get one of those electric die grinders , then invest in a variable speed control you will need it . most of my tools are air tools . i think they are lighter and they respond faster to speed change when needed.
i do polishing full time for a long time (maybe too long )
and i have not used a flex shaft for a long time (many years) . most detail work is done with air sanders and die grinders and most of the larger polishing and buffing is done with my large buffers .
i also use an electric angle sander polisher , i have one from dewalt and one from makita , they are very strong , they have a built in variable speed from 0 to 3600 rpm and i can run them with 6 to 8 inch buffingwheels . they are very handy especialy now with larger wheels like 20 or 22 inches and me getting older , now i can do most of the work with the wheel mounted to my workbench

[mpierich]

is this the kind?

- Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

That's the one - I've gone thru two of them and have no complaints at that price. Yes, they're big, but I tuck it under my arm and hold it near the business end and have as good or better control as I would with a smaller one. Speed is fixed but a router controller would remedy that.

[mpierich]

this is a good thread... this week i started considering a good flex shaft, but i guess i'll steer clear for now, especially since i don't do a whole ton of polishing. can some of you guys that use the good flex shafts say what you use them for? when you'd use it over a die grinder?

I use mine for whatever's too heavy to hold up to the big wheel for polishing. Being on a slower motor it's also good for greaselss even on things I cold hold up to the big wheel.

It's dynamite for car wheels.

[mpierich]

The very first thing you should spend money on is a buffer that will allow you to really lay into it. It'll save a lot of time.

For the engine, with a shaft you are severely limited as to work angles. You can only bend the shaft to a certain radius, then you have to stop and move the workpiece to conform to the shaft's angle. Pain in the @ss. With the die grinder you can move around the piece at will. As for speed, either control the grinder speed for grinding/polishing, or use the drill for polishing. The speed of a drill is fine for polishing.

I use strictly cart rolls for intiial grinding - 20,000 - 30,000 rpm is nothing for them. You do need to go a lot slower for greaseless - in that case a drill speed is best.

Mpierich
you might be correct on the tool lust I am guilty of that ALOT !!!! I was working on the forks a little last night and wondering if I truly needed the flex shaft myself! My problem I am sure is from lack of experience and using lower quality tools. I only have a 1/2 HP 6" buffer and when I bear down it stalls. so I can not get the wheels into the tight spots. The buffer works great on flat surfces just a little slower than I like. I have already decided to upgrade to an 8" model pulling more amps ( or build one from mandrels)and I hope that will solve the problem. I am also looking at thiner ( mabe a razor) buffs so it will fit into the contors easier as well. as far as the shaft I was looking more toward when I do the engine and the fins it jst seems it would be easier and that could just be personal preference. I was unable to find an affordable model anywhere !! actually caswells price was probably the best price I found new. I have only seen one used one on ebay so far

When you do the initial sanding into the boss areas ( up to 320) are you using cartridge rolls or something else ?? do you use any speed control on the die grinder it seems like the 20+ K rpm would be a little overkill and probably cause more rippling than if it ran at say 5000 rpm !!

thanks for the feedback I appreciate the honesty and patience !

[thecorrupterx]

you could try and get a flexible drill shaft from Eastwood. 52in Flexible Shaft with 3/8in Chuck-1/4in Arbor it works fairly well, but can only take up to a 4" buff, but it is a lot cheaper than buying an air compressor with a die grinder

[berndog]

I have many flex shafts as well,I find that my 60$ die grinder with 2 inch wheels sove my problems with tight areas,I use a Baldor 3/4 hp with airway wheels to polish fork legs & I'm able to prep & polish completely without breaking out any other tools,and as for your fins on cylinder heads,,try cutting 1/2 the plys away on an airway wheel ,,I do this all the time for getting in tight spaces.