Woodturning is said to be the safest form of woodworking, that said it can still be dangerous and care should be taken at all times

The methods and procedures I show here are what I do at the moment and feel safe doing, I am not suggesting that you should do things the same way, that is up to you, if you don’t feel safe doing it one way find another way of doing it.

Above all take care and remember if this is your hobby it is supposed to be fun so enjoy it.

Before you buff a piece you need to prepare it, you can buff an untreated piece of wood but the results wont be very good.  Before buffing I prepare the wood with a coat of sanding sealer or several coat of oil.   For sanding sealer you need to leave it for about 1/2 hour before buffing and for oil at least 24 hours for it to harden properly.

Buffing with this kit is as simple as ABC but like everything it takes a bit of practice to get a good finish.   You start with wheel A and the Tripoli bar this is a high cutting combination and one I don’t use very often.   If the finish is already fairly smooth you can miss this step and start with wheel B, which is what I have done in this example but the process is the same as for wheel B.   Also if you are buffing a pale wood or one with open grain such as Ash and Oak or a burr it is best to give wheel A a miss as the compound will get into the grain and show through the finish.

I normally buff  at about 1500 rpm as this is the highest speed recommended for this kit, if I am buffing something with fine detail I turn the speed down as this allows the mop to get around the detail easier.

With wheel B mounted you now apply the white compound the trick here is to put on enough but not too much, this comes with experience but it is better to put only a little on to start with and see how it goes.   When applying any of the bars try and keep the end of the bar flat because if you get the end pointed it will break off and you will waste the compound.

Now start buffing, it is best to apply the piece to the wheel in the 7 o’clock to 8 o’clock position this gives you the most control over the piece and enables you to see what is happening.   You need firm pressure, too much and it will make it hard work and not enough will not get the results.

The areas to be careful with are the edges do not have the wheel coming down onto them like below or the wheel will grab the edge and pull the piece out of your hand.

Instead have the edge pointing away from you so the wheel goes from the flat part over the edge and away from you as shown in the second picture above.   If this is not practical have the edge vertical as below.

Gradually move the piece around until the whole piece has been buffed and you are happy with the result you are then ready to move on to the polishing wheel C.   If there is an excess of compound on the piece it is an idea to clean it off with a paper towel before starting the polishing.

With wheel C in place load the polish as before, a little goes a long way.

Hold the piece as before and go over the whole piece until you are happy with it and that is all there is too it.

As I said like everything else in turning it takes a bit of practice to get the desired result but the effort is worth it.

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