Confused about vacuum chucking - Is this all I need to buy??

[Glen Blanchard]

The price on this vacuum seems too good to pass up, so I may be pulling the trigger on a vacuum chucking system now rather than later. I am a bit confused however about exactly what I need for my Delta 46-460 midi.

Here is what I have put together so far that I think I need:



The pump - http://www.veneersupplies.com/products/Vacuum-Pump---Rietschle-Thomas-315-CFM-120-VAC-Condition-Rebuilt.html
Holdfast Vacuum Adapter - http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/store/Chucks___Vacuum_Chucks___Holdfast_Vacuum_Adapter__ _holdfast_chuck_adapt?Args=
stuff to make a manifold
stuff to make the chuck itself


Is this about right? Would I need anything else?

[phil harold]

I like this chuck I got from ebay

Vacuum Drum Chuck head for wood turning lathe Jet Grizzly Delta Oneway
Item number: 190630312976

[Mike Peace]

That particular pump only pulls 3.15 CFM. I would want at least 4. The popular GAST 523 model that many woodturner supply stores sell pull 4.5 CFM. I can't tell from that pump whether you need to add a filter to keep dust out or not. You might want to look at the couple of threads on vacuum systems here. Depending on your lathe you might want a rotary adapter that is easily fits into the hand wheel and easily removed.
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?84279-Vacuum-Chuck-System-%E2%80%93-How-I-Built-Mine
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?99878-My-Vacuum-Chucking-System

[Rick Markham]

Someone has been bit by the turning bug :D Having done a fair amount of research on this (haven't taken the plunge yet) There is a small toolmaker (His name escapes me at this time, hopefully someone will chime in here) that makes a super slick adapter that goes in your handwheel.

[Eric Holmquist]

Someone has been bit by the turning bug :D Having done a fair amount of research on this (haven't taken the plunge yet) There is a small toolmaker (His name escapes me at this time, hopefully someone will chime in here) that makes a super slick adapter that goes in your handwheel.

JT Turning Tools?

[Rick Markham]

Yep that's the one! You're quick on the draw Eric!

[Glen Blanchard]

Someone has been bit by the turning bug :D .

Ya think ???? ;)

[Thom Sturgill]

I bought the holdfast system when I first started vacuum chucking on a Jet 1220. It worked OK, but the need to have my pancake compressor running constantly was an issue. No problems with the adapter though.

When I upgraded to a Jet 1642 I bought JT's adapter and replacement handwheel and left the holdfast adapter with the smaller lathe. No regrets, its a very well made unit.

As to the pump - mine is much smaller and I have had no problems with hold and have crushed a couple of bowls with it. One caveat - I seal the bowls with sanding sealer on the inside before I reverse chuck them, otherwise a larger CFM would be required.

DO check out the links Mike listed - you will need a gauge and bleed valve and some connectors and hose at a minimum and maybe filters. That pump is oilless, so probably no filter on the outlet, but still a good idea in a dusty environment to filter the intake (from the lathe side).

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

About filtering your outlet air, the Gast rotary vacuum pumps use carbon blades that wear as the pump runs. Filtering the exhaust air keeps the carbon particles out of the air and your lungs.
faust

[Tim Rinehart]

Glen,
If you plan on making some of your own chucks from MDF and PVC, you'll want one of these spindle taps that will also come in handy for making other jigs. http://www.woodcraft.com/product/2020109/19445/beall-spindle-tap-1-x-8-tpi.aspx

Also, for reversing the piece around and getting it into the vacuum chuck nice and square, this is a nice tool to have.. http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/store/Lathe_Accessories___Spindle_Accessories___Reverse_ Chucking_Alignment_Adapter___reverse_chuck?Args=

If you navigate a bit thru the veneer site, you'll come across this info that helped me when I was getting started. I ended up buying a bit of stuff from them out of convenience and being a pretty good value along with good info.
http://www.joewoodworker.com/veneering/vacuumchucking.htm

Tim

[Alan Trout]

Glen,

That pump will probably work. I have seen others use that pump and would say that is about the least amount of CFM I would want to go. The more CFM the better. I have two vacuum pumps but the one I use most is a JT Turning Tools style of pump and it works well. I got mine from Stubby Lathe USA at the time I needed mine because Tom at JT was out of pumps. It will go about 25" vacuum and it rated at 4+ CFM. Most of my turnings are pretty well sealed so I really have never had an issue with leakage. My system is very tight so leaks are a non issue, but that is a very important consideration as you are putting the system together. There are those that say the hose needs to be 3/8"in diameter but what I have found is a large percentage of the fittings that are available even for 3/8" hose is much more restrictive than that. My personal opinion is the hose/line needs to be no smaller that the smallest ID of you fittings. If possible a little larger. I use polyester line that has an ID of about .280 which is about the same size or bigger than the hole in the JT turning tools handwheel adapter. You need at least one filter for the pump and a filter for your bleed air. Bleed air is so you do not collapse the item being chucked.

Here is a couple of threads I started on my system. It was important to me to have my controls within easy reach of my hands and this is what I put together. I also built my own chuck drums and have found that they work incredibly well. Overall I have been very happy with the performance of my system. There are those that recommend a vacuum reservoir and I will leave that to your own discretion.

I highly recommend JT's handwheel adapter and vacuum pump or Oneways vacuum hand wheel also works very well depending on your lathe.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?177129-My-take-on-vacuum-pump-control&highlight=
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?177484-Vacuum-Chuck-Drums&highlight=

Good Luck

Alan

[Thomas Stegall]

For anyone interested, the Chicago Woodturners August demo (8/14/12), is on making your own vacuum system for $80. For those that can't attend we will likely have a handout/information sheet posted on the club website after the demo.

[Jim Burr]

Remember that while high CFM is great...it's only a measure of how fast you get to a level of vaccum...Not how much vaccum it pulls. My 2 CFM refridge compressor pulls great vaccum, just a bit slower.

[Bob Bergstrom]

For anyone interested, the Chicago Woodturners August demo (8/14/12), is on making your own vacuum system for $80. For those that can't attend we will likely have a handout/information sheet posted on the club website after the demo.
The Chicago web site says you can do it for $75. Can't beat that price.

[Glen Blanchard]

Well I purchased the pump. Additionally, I purchased a lot of neat stuff (including the vacuum adapter) from from JT Turning Tools. I hope to be up and vacuuming in about a week. :D

Thanks for the guidance folks!!

Next on the list is a high speed turbine handpiece for piercing work. All this while I wait for my Kobra hollowing system to be fabricated. And I thought once I bought my lathe and had a few hand tools, I was pretty much done with the expensive stuff. HA !!!!

[James Combs]

Here is the way I did mine (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?162882-My-New-Vacuum-Chuck&highlight=).