Vacum Chucking

[paulkane1]

I want to build a Vacum Chuck System for my Gradute Lathe,What kind of Vacum/Extractor is best to give the best suction for Large Zplatters /Bowls etc,I've read somewhere ,that a basic extractor is suffice,as,long as everything is well sealed on your Vacum System,Allnhelped is appreciated.

Yours Kindly Paul

 

[Robbo3]

Ebay list
- http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from= ... p&_sacat=0

I bought a single stage oil filled vacuum pump similar to this one but it was only 1.8CFM & slightly dearer. Mine is very quiet & pulls a near perfect vacuum. I have only tried it on a saucepan used as a vacuum chamber & am in the process of building a vacuum chuck system.

- http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Single-Stage- ... SwT6pVkhFi

 

[Woodmonkey]

I made one just using my cheapo shop vac and it works great

 

[CHJ]

If you are using a shop vac. make sure that it has a separate motor cooling circuit as opposed to most house vacs. that rely on suction airflow to cool the motor.
If using a higher quality vacuum pump be aware of the suction forces on large diameters, they can collapse a weak structures, provide a provision for pressure bleed or control.
Make sure you have a vacuum reservoir or alternate precautions that will hold the vacuum long enough for the lathe to stop if you have a power cut or emergency stop of any kind.

 

[duncanh]

I want to build a Vacum Chuck System for my Gradute Lathe,What kind of Vacum/Extractor is best to give the best suction for Large Zplatters /Bowls etc,I've read somewhere ,that a basic extractor is suffice,as,long as everything is well sealed on your Vacum System,Allnhelped is appreciated.

Yours Kindly Paul

From your post asking about tools for large bowls and platters I got the impression that you didn't have any tools at all and were just starting out. I would suggest that a vacuum chuck, whilst undoubtedly a useful piece of kit, is something that a beginner really doesn't need. The vast majority of turners will produce top quality work without ever using a vacuum chuck.
You would probably be better off spending the money on a regular chuck - you'll probably need one as well as a vacuum chuck unless you're always starting off with a nice flat piece of wood.

Having said that, my system uses a pump similar to those linked to by Robbo3. It looks to be slightly bigger than the first ones in the links. I think the advantage of these pumps over a system based around a vacuum cleaner/extractor is that they're happier running for longer periods and they're a lot quieter.
The main thing though is a wide enough chuck to provide enough surface area to hold a large lump of wood. You'll probably need a couple of sizes of vacuum chuck for different sized work.

 

[Paul Hannaby]

For the pump, something with around 8cfm would be ideal. Less will work in many cases but remember wood is porous and with some pieces, you will get too much bleed for even an 8m3/hour (5cfm) pump!

You might find this article on my website useful http://www.hannaby.com/woodturning-vacuum-chuck-system.html

 

[Grahamshed]

I have also been looking for a vacuum pump to do this and I really like the price of these. Pauls suggestion of 8cfm is higher than I have seen elsewhere so I am off to have a read of his article

 

[Paul Hannaby]

Just edited my post - it should be 8m3/h (which equates to 4.7cfm) not 8cfm.

If you look at the Airpress and Oneway vacuum chuck systems, they both use pumps of this spec.