Surface feet per minute on Stainless Steel

This describes the actual buffing pad speed recommended for buffing Stainless Steel. 8000ft/min is the number to shoot for. To figure your surface ft/min, take the pad diameter, multiplied by 1/4, multipied by arbor speed.

Examples:

10" airway at 3600 rpm. 10*.25*3600=9000 surface ft/min-> this is pretty close to the recommended 8000ft/min. An 8" airway on an 3600 rpm buffer (which is typically used on a 3/4hp buffer) is a little slower, at 7200 ft/min. Being a little slow is better than being too fast, especially if you are a beginner. Your work will just take a little longer. DO NOT use a 10" pad on a 3/4hp 3600 rpm buffer. There is not enough torque available from the machine to turn this pad, and it will easily bog down. An 8" pad would be a better choice here.