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Burt Alcantara
03-11-2009, 5:59 PM
Today was bottoms day. Tried to finish some old and some new pieces. Put them on the vacuum chuck. Most wouldn't hold but a few went with no complaints so I know the HoldFast is working.

One of the bowls is very hold and very thick. Can't get it to stick to the chuck. I'm using a 3" stock HoldFast chuck which works well when it works at all. The other pieces are all hardwoods so no porousity issues but still no stick.

What are some of your tricks to get difficult pieces to "stick?"

Thanks,
Burt
Steve Schlumpf
03-11-2009, 6:15 PM
Burt - my first thought was about the size of the chuck you are using. Depends on the size of the bowl - but I use a 4" or 5" whenever I can because of the additional pressure that will be applied. Do you have a slightly larger diameter chuck?
Harvey M. Taylor
03-11-2009, 6:28 PM
Burt, the first thing that came to mind was:advance the tail-stock and press against the work. Sometimes that puts enough pressure to seal it. You can always leave the tailstock there till the last minute.Hopefully helpful, Max
alex carey
03-11-2009, 6:34 PM
If you can get it to stick at all You could also tape it to the chuck. Tape chucks seems to work well for me. I like using the white or blue masking tape.
Ryan Baker
03-11-2009, 6:36 PM
The bowl probably warped enough that you aren't getting a seal. Either that or you just don't have enough vacuum. A larger chuck would help significantly.
Harvey M. Taylor
03-11-2009, 6:38 PM
Burt, the first thing that comes to mind is:advance the tailstock against the work. Sometimes the pressure from that will seal it. Then, leave the tailstock in place against it till the last minute and finish the bottom.It should hold. Hopefully helpful, Max.
Bernie Weishapl
03-11-2009, 9:47 PM
Burt I have the holdfast and I use the 6" chuck most times. If your bowl has a uneven surface it won't hold well. Just ask me. I have had to take a couple and put them back in the chuck so I could get the inside smooth and level from bottom to top.
Burt Alcantara
03-12-2009, 10:13 AM
Since I couldn't get a seal on a baby's butt finished bowl I'm guessing the problem might be the vacuum chuck. At the moment I only have a 3" but as per Steve and Bernie I think I should get a 6".

Will let you know the results.
Thanks for all of your replies.
Burt