Searching for Tom Steyer

[Dave Schell]

Now that I just about have my Vicmarc up and running, it won't be long before I will need some vacuum chucking capabilities. Found a good gast pump on Craigslist and have read all of the posts here on the great vacuum adapters that Tom builds. But can't find any reference on how to contact him? Does he have a website? email? How much are the adapters? Thanks.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Dave - Tom is a member of the Creek - so you can PM him. Here is his personal profile page: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/member.php?u=24017

[Dave Schell]

Thanks Steve. After looking at his profile, I see that he actually posted to my thread on the Vicmarc barebones build. He said the spindle on that lathe is internally threaded, thereby limiting my choices of vacuum adapters. Since his is a push-in style, I'm assuming by "limited", he meant that his adapter will not work on my lathe. I've emailed him for a response.

[John Shuk]

This is a good read that a friend has put together regarding Vacuum chucking.
http://carlford.info/assets/demos_classes/vaccum_chucks_demo/Vacuum_Chucks_Demo.pdf

[Dave Schell]

John, that is a fantastic article! Thanks for sharing.

I have been able to exchange emails with Tom on the topic. Turns out that the Vicmarc VL300 has internal threading on the outboard side of the spindle. So, Tom's spindle adapter will not work on my lathe.

I'm going to make an attempt at crafting my own and will then probably end up buying the Oneway adapter :o

[John Shuk]

Carl is a great turner and is very generous with the knowledge he has gained.
I'm lucky enough to have him as a member of the same turning club.

[Steve Schlumpf]

John - for what it's worth - please pass on to Carl that his PDF on vacuum systems is excellent! I can really appreciate all the time and effort he put into the article!

Next turning club meeting you go to - when you see Carl - be sure to invite him to stop in here at SMC as there are a lot of folks who would benefit from and welcome his knowledge!

[Don Carter]

John:
That is an excellent article. I hope you and Carl do no mind me keeping a copy of that for future reference. It is very well done.

All the best.

Don

[John Shuk]

There are other articles on his site. Carlford.info He also did an article for American Woodturner about making custom centering cones for the Oneway live center. The time and effort he puts into his handouts is amazing. He is a very thorough guy by nature.