Vacuum Chuck: What level of value?

[Acharya Kumarswami]

I'm pondering getting a vacuum chuck for mounting pieces on the lathe for final touchup of the outside of the bowl. I would appreciate any advice you all might have on this. I'm looking at the ...... because it seems reasonably priced and is a complete unit.

Those who have used this, how much holding power can one expect? How large a piece can be held with this device? For bigger pieces, I suppose one needs to use soft jaws or a jamb chuck, right?

[John Keeton]

Acharya, it appears you have omitted some critical information on the system you are looking at.

[Acharya Kumarswami]

Woops. Sorry I forgot to include the information about the system. It is the Holdfast 6" "Complete System". It has a V810R Vacuum Generator, cacuum adapter and 60" of vacuum seal cord. I have compressed air in the shop already, but will need to run a new line over to the lathe.

[Thom Sturgill]

I have a holdfast and never had problems with holding power. I replaced it because my pancake compressor sat below my mini and was LOUD. I moved my new lathe into a back room at the house and did not want the noise. It definitely produces enough vacuum to hold anything I turned on the mini (10" bowl). Actually vacuum chucks tend to have problems with SMALL items as the holding power is related to the area and degree of vacuum (pounds per sq in - increase the diameter and the force required to remove it goes up by the square). also vacuum chucks require non-porous items - I seal bowls before attempting to chuck them with vacuum.

[Chip Sutherland]

I have a holdfast, too. I don't have any problems with it other than the hissing and the compressor cycling. So I use ear protection under my face shield which I wear religiously. I have had a couple of piece launch when I turned it too thin but luckily I don't turn the bottoms at a high speed. The dumbest thing I did was try to get a burl to hold a vacuum; I shouldn't have been allowed near power tools that day. Took me about 20 minutes to figure out the obvious.

The most functional my vacuum setup is...is when I have a bunch of projects that need the final footer touchups. It's not hard to setup but more of a nuisance so I do several projects then finish the bottoms in a batch process. Porous wood is problematic. Turning thin is problematic, too. I'm not a thin freak by my own choosing. The only advice I can give is that you will need to be able to make some custom chuck faceplates of various sizes and widths. I have on several occasions turned something only to find the 6" is too big and the 3" is a little small.

If it doesn't fit on my 3" face, then for reasons Thom Sturgill stated above...I probably shouldn't use the vaccum. So keep you skills up on making jam chucks and maybe make yourself a doughhut chuck if you don't have one.

[Jim Burr]

I'll be getting a Holdfast in another month. I really like everything about it and with no real mechanical skill, assembly from parts selectivly purchased isn't for me. My turning mentor showed me a valuable lesson though...if your fond of thin...lower negative pressure is a must. Most any pump can apply enough vaccum to fracture a thin platter or bowl. I watched it happen to a nice, solid 1/8" platter. The good news is that at -27 lbs...I couldn't pry a thicker platter off the chuck. We did some rather moderate cuts and I really felt totally safe.

[John Keeton]

I have the Holdfast system, as well, and it works great! I keep my Holdfast in a cabinet, and just use it as needed - it doesn't stay on the lathe. Only takes a minute to hook up, and I run it off the compressor hose. Keep in mind that it operates on about 70 lbs. for maximum efficiency - more is not better. So, you will need a regulator if you run a hard line to the Holdfast.

[Jeff Nicol]

I built my own from an old compressor out of a de-humidifier. It is very quite and will pull 25-27Hg but I have only used it about 10times in 6 years. It will hold anything I have tried and I even bought another vacuum pump that I have not even put oil in yet as I most always just jam the turnings between centers and carve off the nub and sand to finish. If you were doing a bunch of the same thing and you wanted to finish them all at the same time you may use it more often. Still nice to have around when and if you need it. You can never have to many tools!!

Jeff

[Rich Aldrich]

I dont have a vacuum chuck yet. I finish the bottom of my bowls with a donut chuck. They are relatively simple and inexpensive to make.

[Sid Matheny]

I use my shop vac for a vacuum chuck. Yeah I know a lot of folks don't aprove of using a shop vac but I have never had any problems with it.

Sid

[David E Keller]

It looks like a handy tool, but I've yet to purchase one... I still do everything with a jam chuck. Of course, I tend to turn a lot of things with extra holes, so the vacuum doesn't hold the same appeal for me as it would for others.

[Steve Vaughan]

I got the holdfast setup with the 3" and 6" chucks. Love it, simple to set up, and great to work with. Haven't been disappointed at all. I also got a reverse chuck adapter (I think that's what it's called) to leave the bowl in my nova chuck and put in the tailstock to center it onto the vacuum chuck. What I've figured out now is that I can center it just fine putting it on a very low pressure and little bit of trial and error.

[Chip Sutherland]

I have a reverse chuck adapter, too. I don't use it as much as I could probably because I take the piece off the chuck so I can start another project asap. But it does work well and eliminates the trial and error of getting the work centered on the vac chuck.