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Thread: Vacuum Chuck System – How I Built Mine

  1. #16
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    HARVEY, MI. NEXT TO STEVE SCHLUMPF
    Posts
    1,735

    Hey neighbor!

    Your usual very thourough job. Thanks for al you give to the Creek and others, and thanks for a;; you do for me.
    Bob

  2. #17
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    Tacoma, Washington
    Posts
    28
    Just too outstanding of a project illustration not to copy.
    A few questions . . .
    Any thoughts to adding a small expansion tank and vacuum switch so the pump can cycle off and not run at 100% of use time?
    A common manifold to supply to a laminating bag or maybe making a set up for stabilized wood processing?
    Possibally one of the acrylic flowmeters with a brass control valve for fine control of air flow?

    A very nice clean design from the original to the recent revision with so many possiblities beyond just the vacuum chuck.

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Conway, Arkansas
    Posts
    13,181
    Most excellent writeup Steve!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    You did GOOD my friend.

    Bob,

    I've talked with a couple of folks in the vacuum industry. They state that it's best for a lathe vacuum chuck setup to be a "full time run" type setup. This is primarily due to the woodgrain allowing air through and into the vacuum setup. I'm not saying it can't be done, but you will run into times where, no matter what, you'll be running the vacuum pump full time to keep the bowl or platter "stuck" to the lathe chuck. DAMHIKT!!!!
    Thanks & Happy Wood Chips,
    Dennis -
    Get the Benefits of Being an SMC Contributor..!
    ....DEBT is nothing more than yesterday's spending taken from tomorrow's income.

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Caledonia, Ohio USA.
    Posts
    1,937
    Blog Entries
    9
    Steve that looks great. Only problem is... that was way over my head. I'm way to dyslexic to follow... I need to see it being done. Want to come down to Ohio and show me how to do it?
    Have a Nice Day!

  5. #20
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Austin, Texas
    Posts
    81
    very nice job

  6. #21
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Fort Mc Coy, FL
    Posts
    150
    Thanks Steve for taking the time to create this presentation - excellent and professionally done!

    Fred

  7. #22
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Lafayette, Indiana
    Posts
    78
    Fantastic Steve. Appreciate the time it must have taken to put all that together. Your tutorials are the best. Ron

  8. #23
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    University Place, Washington
    Posts
    1,268
    Quote Originally Posted by Andy Hoyt View Post
    Great presentation, Steve.

    Where the heck was this thing a few years ago when I needed it!

    PS: This thread will eventually get moved into the Articles Forum, but for now it's right here.
    Just a reminder before it gets lost
    Sometimes we see what we expect to see, and not what we are looking at! Scott

  9. #24

    Almost finished with mine!

    Steve,
    I have finished building my vacuum chuck based on your design and instructions... except I'm waiting on delivery of the adapter from Tom Steyer. The plans were fantastic. I did not have one bit of trouble... except in my part of the world there is no such thing as a 3/8” NPT(MIP) x ½” ID Hose Barb. It was quite amusing how many parts I ended up with to make those two connections.

    I assumed the pump from The Surplus Center would be used. It looks like a brand new out of the box rig to me. I'm also amazed at how quite it is. I may have wasted $6 on the silencer. But come to think of it, I'm pretty deaf. For my set up I don't need any where near that much vinyl tubing. Anyone looking to save a few bucks might want to do a little figuring ahead of time, or find another project to use the excess tubing.

    Many thanks for your effort and for sharing. Great set of plans!
    Chuck

  10. #25
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Harvey, Michigan
    Posts
    20,801
    Chuck - I'm glad you found the tutorial helpful in building your system! You're going to love using it!

    I understand the issue with the 1/2" Hose Barb - I also had to try and figure a way to mate the vinyl tubing off the air filter to the rest of the system. Glad you were able to find something that worked! Up here the vinyl tubing I used comes in rolls and you either get the 20' or 10' roll. I agree that leaves a lto of extra tubing. I just rolled mine up and stored it in case I decide to try vacuum veneering someday.

    Again, glad you were able to build your system with minimal hassles! Have fun with it! Looking forward to seeing some of your work real soon!
    Steve

    “You never know what you got til it's gone!”
    Please don’t let that happen!
    Become a financial Contributor today!

  11. #26
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    Tacoma, Washington
    Posts
    28
    Steve,

    Once again great instructions! Like most, I chose to modify things a bit by removing some of the hose and the hose barb joints. A bit rusty on my tubing bend layouts, but it works just fine. 20 years worth of parts laying around just waiting for a plan to assemble. So now I am set up for either full vaccum or a regulated flow via a flow meter. The surplus vacuum pump with one minor scratch is the part that put the whole plan together. Again, thanks.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  12. #27
    Chuck,

    Glad that you got your system built so quickly. Your adapter has been shipped. Sometimes deliveries take a few days longer for some orders, just due to the production cycle. Our adapters are usually shipped within two weeks of receiving your order - often more quickly. Sorry for any inconvenience to you.

  13. #28
    I got my adapter from Tom Steyer today. Everything came together and the vacuum chuck works fine. This "Chuck" has a new learning challenge. How the heck to get things centered. I've had that problem with every method of re-mounting I've tried. I think part of my problem is I glued the foam to the rims of the chucks with hot glue. I've never used hot glue much before but I'm discovering that it hardens pretty fast and I think the glue is throwing things off a bit. Gonna listen to my wife now and not use hot glue when I redo the chucks. She said the foam would stick fine without it. We'll see.

  14. #29
    Chuck,

    Try just using the self-adhesive "craft foam" sheets available at Hobby Lobby, Michael's, or most any craft store. They don't stick real tightly - I usually have to press them back down after they sit for a while, but I'm still using the original pieces on my chucks after many uses.

    Tom

  15. #30

    Excellent Tutorial

    Really nice job, start to finish. I saved it as a .pdf for my future reference as well. Thanks for posting it. Larry

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