Looking ahead ... way ahead - Vacuum Chuck (Pics)

[Steve Mathews]

I'm no where near ready for anything this sophisticated in the way of a chuck but some of the components came my way by various means and I'm curious what else is required for a vacuum chuck setup. Pictured below is what I now have. The first one shows a Oneway swivel adapter sans some type of additional adapter to mate to my Oneway lathe. The second shows a picture of a manifold with a gauge and tubing. The last shows a Robinair Model 15600 vacuum pump that was used by someone that services HVAC systems. Can this pump be used for a vacuum chuck system? What else is needed to complete the setup? And most importantly, under what circumstances do you use the darn thing?

355733

355734

355735

[Joe Bradshaw]

Steve, you will need to purchase an adapter from Oneway to fit your lathes outboard spindle threads(M33-3.5). As to your manifold, Oneway has drawing showing a setup on their website. Basically you want to have a suction line from your pump to the manifold. A line from your manifold to the rotary adapter. The manifold needs a bleed valve and a vacuum gauge.
Joe

[Tom Giacomo]

From what I see you have a complete vacuum chuck setup.

[Bill Blasic]

Looks complete to me also.

[Steve Mathews]

Good, I was concerned that the vacuum pump was not suitable for this application considering it was previously used on air conditioning systems. Now I just have to come across a situation to use it, whatever that might be.

[John Keeton]

As to your last question, folks use vacuum chucks in a variety of ways, but primarily they are used to reverse an item so the bottom can be finished without tailstock support. It is wise to always use tailstock pressure as long as possible even when using a vacuum, removing the tailstock only as needed to accomplish the desired result.

in addition to what you have and what has been suggested, you need one or more vacuum chucks in sizes appropriate for the work you do.

[Robert Edington]

Looks almost complete to me too. I have the same pump. It is not a dry rotary vane pump. So that means it makes a fine, very fine, oil mist when it runs. I took out the small black knob on top of the pump. That is the muffler/exhaust. I chucked up a piece of Sch40 3/4" pvc and turned a tenon on the end of it that will fit down into the threaded hole that the knob came out of. It has to be tight. Very tight. I almost threaded the tenon into the hole. I ran it straight up for a way and then piped it to the outside to keep the mist out of the shop. I ran it straight up so the oil would condensate and run back down into the pump. You have to keep oil in the pumps or they will burn up. There is a sight gauge with a level mark on the end of the pump where the exhaust comes out.
The pump is pretty quiet.
Order some vacuum pump oil. It's high, so shop around. Also, you might need some lamp rod to pipe through your headstock. Bruised Brothers on Youtube have plans for all this stuff.
RP

[Steve Mathews]

Looking more closely at my parts I noticed the adapter on the swivel is bored out to about 1" diameter with no threads. This originally came from a PM 3520A. The spindle on the outboard side of my Oneway 2436 is M33. I got the idea this morning that the adapter on my Stronghold chuck might work and it does with respect to fitting on the swivel allowing it to be put on the lathe. But the first adapter mentioned has a gasket and the second one doesn't. So I suspect there is a special adapter for this swivel, one that has the proper threads but also a gasket. Correct?

[Steve Mawson]

There is a vacuum diagram on Jt turning tools website if you are looking for more information.

[Greg Parrish]

Looking more closely at my parts I noticed the adapter on the swivel is bored out to about 1" diameter with no threads. This originally came from a PM 3520A. The spindle on the outboard side of my Oneway 2436 is M33. I got the idea this morning that the adapter on my Stronghold chuck might work and it does with respect to fitting on the swivel allowing it to be put on the lathe. But the first adapter mentioned has a gasket and the second one doesn't. So I suspect there is a special adapter for this swivel, one that has the proper threads but also a gasket. Correct?

I thought you were just starting out but man you had a PM3520A and now a oneway 2436? Im jelly of that for sure. Just about to get my first larger lathe with the Laguna 18" but would loved to have had a PM or Oneway if the price was the same.

i need to piece together a vacuum setup thoughts many times I have wanted to put a bowl back on after I turned off the tenon and could find a way to make it work.

[Bill Blasic]

Steve the one I had used basically the same type of part that the chucks use, there was no gasket. You will need to get that part from Oneway.

[Steve Mathews]

Greg - Don't let the equipment give you any indication of my competence in the craft. I started out buying a used 3520A while trying to put my barn/shop in order thinking that woodturning would be fun. YouTube videos made it look easier than I later realized. The first lathe was eventually sold to another beginning woodturner partly out of frustration but also because the lathe was getting in the way of organizing the shop. As efforts on the shop progressed (wiring, etc.) the Oneway became available so I jumped on it. Besides it sort of bothered me that I gave up on woodturning so relatively soon. That's the skinny on how I became a two timin' beginner. I think my expectations are more realistic this time around so I shouldn't get as frustrated and hopefully will do better.

Thanks Bill! I'm clear on the connection now.

[Pat Scott]

You'll also want to install a filter between the lathe and vacuum gauge to keep sawdust out of the pump.

[Steve Mathews]

Looks almost complete to me too. I have the same pump. It is not a dry rotary vane pump. So that means it makes a fine, very fine, oil mist when it runs. I took out the small black knob on top of the pump. That is the muffler/exhaust. I chucked up a piece of Sch40 3/4" pvc and turned a tenon on the end of it that will fit down into the threaded hole that the knob came out of. It has to be tight. Very tight. I almost threaded the tenon into the hole. I ran it straight up for a way and then piped it to the outside to keep the mist out of the shop. I ran it straight up so the oil would condensate and run back down into the pump. You have to keep oil in the pumps or they will burn up. There is a sight gauge with a level mark on the end of the pump where the exhaust comes out.
The pump is pretty quiet.
Order some vacuum pump oil. It's high, so shop around. Also, you might need some lamp rod to pipe through your headstock. Bruised Brothers on Youtube have plans for all this stuff.
RP

Just to satisfy my curiosity this morning I hooked up the manifold shown in one of my pictures above to the pump and it pulled between 25 to 26 inches of Hg. The exhaust on this pump is through a hole on the back side of the handle. I'll have to find a more permanent connection to the pump but other than that and a vacuum chuck and filter it looks like all systems are a go.

[Bruce Wrenn]

You'll also want to install a filter between the lathe and vacuum gauge to keep sawdust out of the pump.I use a metal cased fuel filter. The plastic ones don't hold up as well.

[Brad Adams]

The only bad thing about the pump is the fine oil mist. You will have a cloud in the shop if running it for any length of time. DAMHIK.

[Peter Fabricius]

To avoid the oil mist, can you not just pipe the exhaust into a jar filled with a sponge to catch the oil mist? In fact set the jar up high so any oil in the pipe will drain back down to the pump as someone said earlier.
Peter F.

[James Combs]

Steve, several folks on the forum have gone through setting up a vacuum system using a DIY approach. If you do a search such as "vacuum chuck" you will find lots of different perspectives and examples of DIY builds as well as more commercially available systems. I did one myself a few years back. If you would like to review it you can find it here (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?162882-My-New-Vacuum-Chuck).

[Brad Adams]

James, what did you end up doing to control the oil mist?