Is this Gast vacuum pump a good choice for a vacuum chuck?

[Doug W Swanson]

Hey all,

I have a chance to pick up a used Gast vacuum pump for a reasonable price. The model # is: DOA-P161-AA. Here are some stats:

Lab Grade Oil-less Diaphragm Pressure/Vacuum Pumps
Model DOA-P161-AA
115VAC - 4.2A
2 x 1/4" NPTF Ports
1.55-1.90 cfm
Max. Pres. 60 PSI
Max Vac 29 inHg

Will this work for a vacuum chuck when I get around to building one?

Any help/advice is appreciated!

[Alan Zenreich]

The CFM seems pretty low for wood lathe use. I think most folk use pumps that draw 4 CFM or better.

[Josh Bowman]

If you only use it on stuff that creates a great seal, it will do fine. If you have any inleakage at all, it just will not keep up. Many bowl blanks leak some through the grain. Now having said that, I see you already bought it......it will do great. Here's my logic. I've got a gast rotary vane. It'll pull great vacuum, even with in leakage. I've found though, that the turnings that have inleakage usually won't conform to the chuck anyway, so I have to use a donut chuck or other means to reverse it. Otherwise those that do conform, seem also to seal well.
As for chucks, I built some, but mostly use this one. It's easy to use and the rotary seal problem is instantly handled by the chuck. Works great. If your interested search for vacuum chucks on the Ebay. The guy says $69 or best offer. BTW, I got mine for about $45 at best offer.
http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Vacuum-Drum-Chuck-head-wood-turning-lathe-Jet-Grizzly-Delta-Oneway-turner-/00/s/MjY0WDM1MA==/$(KGrHqN,!lkE6B066ZWZBOqWCoiPQw~~60_12.JPG

[Doug W Swanson]

Thanks for the replies. Josh, I haven't bought the vacuum pump yet. I think the guy is only asking $50 for it. Should I buy it for that price?

[Steve Schlumpf]

Doug... while the amount of air this pump can move may seem small, I do know of a few folks that use the smallest pump available from Harbor Freight and swear by it. Check with Larry Marley - he uses one of the Harbor Freight models.

[Mike Cruz]

Doug, I've bought 3 gast pumps off CL lately... a piston pump for $50, and two rotory vanes for $100 each. All are 1/2hp and pull somewhere around 6 cfm and 24-25"hg. The big thing to look at is whether it is oil less or an oil model. Oil less is much better in that you don't have to worry about oil levels and you don't have to deal with the "haze/fog" that oil models create in your shop. Not sure if this really answers your questions, but at least in my area, they've come up enough for me to find these three oil less models.

[Mike Peace]

I think you should keep looking. I think you will be happier if you find one that will pull 4CFM or more even if you have to pay a few more bucks. I bought my GAST 523 used off eBay for about $90 incl shipping and it pulls 4.5 CFM and works great.

[Doug W Swanson]

Thanks for the info. Since I'm in no hurry to build my vacuum chuck, I think I might wait until something better comes along....