How to Make DIY Leather Burnishing Machine

I made a leather burnishing machine using a ryobi bench grinder and a wooden burnisher attachment from aliexpress. I modified the attachment using a drill press at a local tool library woodshop. Schools, woodshops, tool libraries, or friends might have a drill press if you don't have one. It's important to use a drill press and not a hand drill to make sure the cut is straight so the burnisher doesnt wobble.

I made a sanding attachment with a piece of plywood, a drill press, and a table skill. The project cost $110CAD in total and now I can burnish a leather edge in seconds! :)

When I started this project I was worried that a bench grinder would burn the edges because it's not meant for leather. Most bench grinders run at 3,500BPM, the Tandy Pro burnishing machine runs from 0-6,000BPM. The grinder I made doesn't have variable speeds but it works great.

• Bench grinder
• Burnisher attachment
• Sanding attachement

tools:

• Drill press (go to a community tool workshop if you dont own one or know someone who does)

Find one used or buy them online, Tandy leather has wooden burnishing attachments and aliexpress has them as well.

This step depends on what burnisher you're using and what bench press.

I had to modify the piece to create a hole so the nut could screw back on, use a socket wrench to secure it in place.