Do you think there is a way to attach some sort of dimmer switch to a drill press to bring the speed down to the acceptable levels for a Scotch Brite disc?
The switch would be rated for the amperage of course.
The part Frank left out is that the speed of AC motors, the type most likely on your drill press, is a product of the way the motor is wound and the frequency of the AC power. (60 hz in the US)
The only way to vary the speed then is with a variable frequency drive. Way too expensive for this application. Fogeddaboudit.
Most drill presses I've seen have a set of pulleys on the top that you can change the belt position on to vary the speed.
If yours doesn't have it, you're out of luck.
Why do you need to slow it down anyway? I use my scotchbrite wheel on my bench grinder. Turns very fast and does a great job!
I use bench grinder @ 3450 rpm. works well Once tried transformer from vari-eze days, motor turned slower, but lost power to keep speed up in use. Also high speed reduces the possibility of wheel "grabbing" sharp corner and launching 'cross shop---how do I know this ???????
I'm been running my drill press at 900 RPM with the Scotch-Brite. I started off at 570, and it was taking too long to remove material. 900 works well, but now that I'm becoming more comfortable with edge finishing, I'm probably going to bump the speed up to 1390 RPM. The faster you run the Scotch-Brite, the faster you remove material. Of course, if you make a mistake at the higher speeds...
are we talking of the 6" cut- and polishing wheel?
Since the cut and polishing wheel usually gets used with a bench grinder (turning about 3000 rpm) I also use it at 3000 rpm in my drill press. Works flawlessly, I only use it for stuff I can securely hold in my hands though. For the edges of skins etc. I use a sanding block and / or a small cut and polishing wheel in the die grinder.
I was a little worried about deburring (including best speed to run the wheel). Then I actually deburred a rib and realized it was a simple process...there's really nothing to it.
