New Surface King Polishing Tool Now Available from Braxton-Bragg
Joel Davis
Special Correspondent
Braxton-Bragg now distributes the new Surface King polishing tool from RYE-Corp.
The East Tennessee-based company specializes in designing dedicated, easy-to-use equipment for the stone industry. Its latest offering expands on the polishing capabilities of its well-known Fab King Work Center.
RYE-Corp. owner Rod York said the new tool was developed to meet the needs of customers wanting more polishing power than available in many tools – including the Fab King.
“The Surface King is basically for surface polishing, honing, and antiquing,” York said. “The Fab King is limited to a 5-inch polishing disc. There have been several people wanting a machine that would be able to hone, polish or antique using a larger pad. We decided to make a tool that was 7.5 horsepower and air operated. You can adjust pressure. It’s more rigid, and it’s a lot less expensive.”
Braxton-Bragg Product Manager Steve Bussell said other tools just weren’t meeting customer needs. “Some guys are grinding surfaces with very small machines, and that’s just not really getting it done.”
With the Surface King, fabricators can use up to a 10-inch diameter polishing disc. “That covers more surface area, which will speed things up,” said Braxton-Bragg salesman Jim Brewer. “You can resurface stone or any type of engineered product. One of the the strongest selling points with that machine is that you can cover a larger area of material. It is faster. It is really user-friendly as well. It does not take a rocket scientist to operate it. You just have to find the right speed, grab it, and go.”
The first firm to purchase a Surface King from Braxton-Bragg is Charleston, S.C.-based Fisher Recycling, which is the Palmetto State’s first full-circle vendor of recycled materials. The company converts recycled materials into products that can be used residentially, commercially, agriculturally and industrially — such as recycling glass bottles into new kitchen countertops.
“We’re polishing concrete and other solid surface countertops with the Surface King,” said Chris Fisher, president/owner of the firm. “It is outstanding. It is just a superior machine. It’s better than expected.”
Purchasing the Surface King has paid dividends in reduced production time and increased worker safety, Fisher said. It has cut our labor in half. It is a safer product to use. It is cleaner. It has cut our labor and improved our product all the way around.”
Fisher also praised York’s support of the tool. “His customer service has been outstanding. It’s a good machine. I’d recommend it.”
Braxton-Bragg carries several RYE-Corp. tools including:
- The Fab King Work Center, which can be used to cut out sinks, profile edges (using master/sector tooling), drill utility holes, polish back splashes, antique stone, and polish out scratches.
- The Stone Cobbler Paver Press, which can turn waste stone, originally destined for the garbage heap, into money-making pavers and tile. Shapes can range in size from ¾ inch strips all the way up to 12-inch by 12-inch blocks. Many standard dies are also available.
- The Renegade Gantry Saw, which is suited for dimensioning of stone.
- And also slabs for countertop work.
According to Bussell, each of the company’s products embody the company’s basic philosophy of dependability, ease-of-use, and durability. When York designs a product he strips out what Bussell calls “the bells and whistles” and distills it into a finely honed tool to accomplish its particular purpose as safely and efficiently as possible.
“In the stone industry, there had been a temptation for everybody to build bigger and more complicated products with all these readouts and fancy things that really do not add value to the product,” he said. “The more bells and whistles you have on a tool, the more that can go wrong. Any time you have automatic processes, you have to train someone on that equipment, and, if you switch users, it’s very difficult for someone to be brought in and then be trained anew.”
RYE-Corp. products buck this trend, Bussell said. “There are no complicated electronics to slow you down. It makes for a more reliable machine. It does not take excessive training to operate them. All of their equipment is designed so you can easily get replacement parts. That’s the premise they build these tools around. They are simple, straight-forward, easy to use, and reliable. I haven’t heard of any customers who have had problems being able to use or service this equipment.”
For additional information on these products, contact the sales reps at Braxton-Bragg. Call toll free, 1-800-575-4401.
Braxton-Bragg offers a full range of fabrication tooling and installation accessories including sinks, installation hardware, and every tool and piece of equipment needed to run a professional stone, tile, and polished concrete shop.
For more information about Braxton-Bragg and its publications and products, contact them toll-free at 800-575-4401 or visit the website www.braxton-bragg.com for current sales and new products.