Sucks too much!!!

**TTIT** · 20th May 2007, 01:17 AM

As promised, here's the maiden flight of the vacuum chuck system - still much to learn and a few things to modify though.
Pic 1. Rigged a little shelf under the lathes motor so the pump would be within reach but out of the way of normal operations. Used quick connect fittings so it's a snap (pun intended) to remove the pump if necessary.

Pic 2. Got the trap/filter off eBay and used CA to cease the dump valve so it wouldn't let air in. Got the relief tap from Bunnings and the gauge from RS components - that was the difficult bit to find and tonights demo proved it will be useful. Initially had a gas type valve on thinking the fine adjustment would be helpful when trying to centre the piece but it turns out that even with the 1/4" valve wide open, there is still enough suction to hold the piece on the chuck.
Pic 3&4. The faceplate chuck is 550mm diameter simply because that was the biggest width of MDF I had at the time

Couldn't get anything to hold on it to start with because the piece of crapiata between the old faceplate and the MDF was allowing too much air through until I sealed it with a couple of coats of sanding sealer. When I mounted the bowl on it tonight to take a pic for this post, the mongrel thing pulled down so hard into the 6mm EVA foam that the next thing I heard was a very sharp 'CRACK"

- bugga! -

that thing really sucks! I'll be stripping the 6mm foam off and putting some 3mm stuff I scored instead and closing the relief valve more carefully in future.

Pic 5 (&6 on next post) The cup chuck will be getting most of the use. Proved quite handy. Welded a large washer onto a M30 nut, screwed a piece of ash to it and cut a groove on the face to suit the 90mm PVC pipe which is epoxied in place. The foam rubber 'U' section for the seal came from an old vacuum cleaner and I just cut it to length and joined it with CA to form the ring.

**TTIT** · 20th May 2007, 01:20 AM

The Leopardwood (flindersia dissosperma) bowl I decided to test it on was roughed out in December with the intention of piercing and pyroing a celtic band below the rim but being crotch-wood, it turned out a little noisy for decoration.

Pic 7. Turned it to about 3mm thick for the piercing which lets a fair bit of light through this stuff but also made it pretty flimsy - probably would not have cracked on the faceplate chuck if it had been a bit thicker.

Pic 8. Mounted on the chuck, you can see the gauge in the background at about -20 inHg - didn't close the relief valve completely which pulls it down to nearly -30 - one crack was enough!!!

Pic 9. Didn't budge at all while taking the light cuts to tidy up, sand and finish the foot.
Pic 10. The finished piece.

**Skew ChiDAMN!!** · 20th May 2007, 01:53 AM

You been told lately?

**TTIT** · 20th May 2007, 02:02 AM

Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!!

You been told lately?

Regularly!

**rsser** · 20th May 2007, 10:29 AM

Tres shmick!

**Cliff Rogers** · 20th May 2007, 11:05 AM

Yeap. Tops.

Now question time. (Sorry wasn't paying attention til I got interested & wanted one too)

What is the pump & where did you get it?

**cedar n silky** · 20th May 2007, 07:57 PM

A bit out of my league for the moment!

But I am very impressed by the bowl

oh yes and the vacum chuck!
I see the "stubby" has allowed for vacum chucking in its casitings in the headstock?

I have just made some ply extensions on my scroll chuck, and I will be attempting a Longworth soon, because it seems a lot less mucking about, and of course a vacum chuck is even LESS mucking about. Well done and thanks for the ideas. Is it easy to adapt a vacum chuck to any lathe? In particular my Vicmarc VL 175? Or do I have to save up for a Stubby?

That looks like a small tyre inflating compresor? Is it 12 volt?

**rsser** · 20th May 2007, 08:28 PM

Hi Cedar,

No drama doing the vac thing with the 175. There was a recent thread where I posted pics of the cobbled job I did with mine.

**cedar n silky** · 20th May 2007, 09:16 PM

Originally Posted by rsser

Hi Cedar,

No drama doing the vac thing with the 175. There was a recent thread where I posted pics of the cobbled job I did with mine.

Thanks Ern, I'll hunt the thread.
Cheers

**TTIT** · 20th May 2007, 11:19 PM

Originally Posted by Cliff Rogers

..........What is the pump & where did you get it?

Vacuum pump as used by auto-electricians to re-gas air-conditioning. My SIL upgraded all his to bigger capacity models to save time so he gave me this one (fair trade - I gave him my daughter!!!

) . I've seen them going on Ebay for less than $300 - look exactly like mine.

**TTIT** · 20th May 2007, 11:54 PM

Originally Posted by cedar n silky

.................and the vacum chuck!
I see the "stubby" has allowed for vacum chucking in its casitings in the headstock?............................ Is it easy to adapt a vacum chuck to any lathe? In particular my Vicmarc VL 175? Or do I have to save up for a Stubby? ...........

I don't think Stubby's are the only lathes with the vacuum adaptor built-in but you can still rig it up for any lathe. I've seen some good articles in magazines on the subject of building the adaptors but there's also a few commercial ones available. Check out links for a few different methods...
http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/pd...m_chucking.pdf
http://www.beaverpondstudio.com/Vacuum_Chuck.html
http://homepage3.nifty.com/manasan/e...iy/diygr69.htm
http://woodturners.org/tech_tips/vac...uum-chucks.pdf

**WOODbTURNER** · 21st May 2007, 05:09 PM

Originally Posted by cedar n silky

A bit out of my league for the moment! But I am very impressed by the bowl oh yes and the vacum chuck!
I see the "stubby" has allowed for vacum chucking in its casitings in the headstock? I have just made some ply extensions on my scroll chuck, and I will be attempting a Longworth soon, because it seems a lot less mucking about, and of course a vacum chuck is even LESS mucking about. Well done and thanks for the ideas. Is it easy to adapt a vacum chuck to any lathe? In particular my Vicmarc VL 175? Or do I have to save up for a Stubby? That looks like a small tyre inflating compresor? Is it 12 volt?

Hello Cedar,
Here is what I did for vacuum chucking my Vicmarc VL300. You will notice your 175 handle is similar to mine.
Photo 1. My set up.
Photo 2. I got a machinist to cut a hole to suit a double sealed bearing (Approx. 33mm dia, 4mm thick with 12mm centre hole). You won't have trouble with going thru handle as there is plenty of metal.
Photo 3. 1/4" hex nipple with thread end turned down on lathe to tight fit bearing hole. If air leaks wrap with teflon tape.
I got my Gast pump from Surplus Centre in USA. If you check out their site they are us$89.95 which is only au$125.00 approx plus freight. I paid about au$109.00 air postal freight. Not bad as I live in Darwin. If you decide to buy from them, buy all your other parts from them as they are as cheap as.
The pump is rated at 230 Vac and 50/60hz. They are brand new and work really well here in Australia.
Surplus Centre - www.surpluscenter.com (look under vacuum pump)

**rsser** · 21st May 2007, 05:17 PM

Too flash by far. An old electrolux for 30 bucks works fine and it doubles for sucking shavings out of semi-enclosed forms

Mind you I respect the mech eng talent displayed above. If I had it I wouldn't need to haunt junk shops.

**Skew ChiDAMN!!** · 21st May 2007, 05:26 PM

I'm with Ern.

My setup to connect the vac line to the spindle is just a bit of old conveyor rubber with a hole cut to snug around the spindle as a seal and a tin can tacked to the headstock for the vac line to connect to.

Pressure relief valve? Who needs one?

**TTIT** · 21st May 2007, 05:31 PM

Originally Posted by WOODbTURNER

.................Here is what I did for vacuum chucking my Vicmarc VL300.

Damn schmick looking set up Woodb - tidier and simpler arrangement than most I saw while researching the subject .................but that lathe is WAY too clean!

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