Buffs; stitching? ply?

[Dixie_piper]

I'm about to order my buffs, but am a little confused. I've heard some on here mention multi-stitched pads, and PIMO's book suggests single stitch.
To make sure I've got my thinking in order here (and to avoid wasting $$$)

1) 40 ply muslin for tripoli
2) ??? for carnuba
3) 20 ply flannel for the final buff?

And out of curiosity, does anyone use the face of the buff as PIMO suggests? That's also their reasoning behind the single stitch theory, because the extra stitches can scratch the finish. Just a thought, wouldn't you want more stitches toward the outer diameter for cutting compounds and tripoli for more sturdiness?
Another dumb question, is there any preference to the center for buffs? i.e. leather, shellac, etc, etc.
Thanks in advance for any help!

[Sasquatch]

I've used both the stitched and unstitched wheels that pimo sells for tripoli, and the results were fine on both. The unstitched wheel gets into crevices better and is less aggressive overall than the stitched. I would not use the "face" for ANYTHING because it will either scratch the pipe or send it flying. Dumb idea imho.

[Dixie_piper]

Thanks!
That's why I asked here, I know that book was written a good while back, but that still didn't seem right to me.
I've finally got a setup offering all the RPM ranges I think I'll need. Granted, it's on a drill press, but already having a drill chuck arbor for the 6" buffing pads that fit it, I figure it'll still work. Vertical or horizontal shouldn't change things because holding the stummel @ 90 degrees from the norm, it's an identical process.
Thanks again Sas!