My experience – When I began having an interest in mechanical things dad had arbor. I used one up till the 70’s. + Changing pulleys would change the speed. – Not enough power. Belt slips. Takes up a lot of room. I put the motor under the bench and cut a slot for the belt but made changing pulleys difficult and its always there. Bought a grinder from Sears. Too slow and not enough power for buffing. Struggled with it till about 15 years ago. When a Harbor Freight open a store near me I bought a lot of stuff and it was mostly all junk. I buy my rubber cloves there and my polishing compound but that’s about it. However I still look around. I got a 3 ton aluminum jack out the door for $69.00 +, and its been OK. They had this buffer on sale for $40.00 and for that price I thought I would give it a try. Better than anything I have had in the past but – not nearly enough power for the size buffing wheel that comes on it. It does better with a 5″ wheel and the best with a 4″ wheel, but you cant find them. You cant find ( or I cant anyway) wheels that fit the shaft, but most wheels come with adapters where you can get something to work. I left the grinding stone on as the rotating mass helps. I make a pile through the winter of stuff that needs polishing. Then on a nice day I’ll put the buffer on my bench and roll it outside. It’s dirty work and I often look like a coal miner when I’m done for the day. In the 15 +/- years I have had it, I run it for 4 to 6 hrs.,2 to 4 days a year. Its worth the $40.00 paid for it IMO. They want a lot more for them today. Are they better – same – or worse? How long will mine last? Real buffers are $500.00 on up and I just don’t do enough of it to justify that kind of expense. Tubs
A "Boathouse Repair" is one thats done without having tools or the skills to do it properly.