Wanted to see if any Hold Fast users had ever switched over to a real vacuum pump (instead of the vac generator) but still continued using the HF adapter and chucks with a "real" vacuum pump. I have the Hold Fast and really like it and their chucks seem to work well for me also but I came into possession of a Oneway system with gauge, adapter & Gast pump along with the drum chucks. Only things I need to make a complete Oneway system are the adapter for my lathe (3520B) and their drum chuck adapter for 1 1/4" which would be 75 bucks + shipping.

I think just hooking up the pump to the Hold Fast components I have now would work just fine but have 1 concern. Is the curtain-rod that goes thru the headstock in any danger of collapsing from the lesser ID of the rod versus using the entire ID of the headstock itself that the Oneway uses.