Paul Edgar Posted October 26, 2015 Report Share Posted October 26, 2015 Anyone using a vacuum chuck? Is the hold, significant or do you need to turn very lightly when using vacuum? What brands are being used and how satisfied are you with the quality? How about the finish on the vacuum side of the work, must it be pretty smooth to hold the vacuum? Thanks, Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted October 26, 2015 Report Share Posted October 26, 2015 I do.a.lot with vacuum but,don't have a Chuck . The,surface needs to,be smooth and sealed. Red,oak is too pourus , if not sealed it will leak and loose vacuum.the swivel is the key component. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger T Posted October 28, 2015 Report Share Posted October 28, 2015 I use the OneWay Vacuum adaptor on my lathe as well as their Vac Chucks. The medium sized one at about 5" provides tons of holding power. I've had issues with using the small one, at about 3" diameter or so providing enough suction and have lost pieces off of it. The medium one is the most often used for me and I have sucked the bottom out of more than a couple pieces when they were thinner than I had wanted. When using them, I always try and cut towards the headstock when possible, and I do use lighter cuts. Turning some porous woods you sometimes have to get creative with either taping or using shrink wrap to seal up the wood a bit to get enough vacuum to hold the piece. It's a great tool to have in my arsenal. Roger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Gilbert Posted October 28, 2015 Report Share Posted October 28, 2015 I do.a.lot with vacuum but,don't have a Chuck . The,surface needs to,be smooth and sealed. Red,oak is too pourus , if not sealed it will leak and loose vacuum.the swivel is the key component.Steve , What do you seal yours with? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted October 29, 2015 Report Share Posted October 29, 2015 Sanding sealer, oak takes multiple coats. Sanded Baltic birch doesn't need to be sealed.i use vacuum clamping to hold parts for production runs. Less than a second to clamp. I got faster stronger clamping by adding a vacuum resivour .Lots of vacuum parts and info on "Joe woodworker " website. The actual vacuum Chuck I don't have much info on but I saw one at a trade show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike M Posted October 29, 2015 Report Share Posted October 29, 2015 I have a home made vacuum chucking system. I use three chucks for a variety of applications.1. A 14" diameter flat chuck made from two layers of BB plywood covered in craft foam. I use this any time I have a bowl or platter with a smooth rim. 2. A 4" diameter deep chuck made from a 4" to 2" PVC reducer with the edge covered in craft foam. I use this if I have a bowl or platter that does not have a rim that will seal such as natural edge or square rim. I also use this chuck if I have to mount a bowl to work on the inside.3. A 3" diameter deep chuck made from a 3" to 2" PVC reducer. I use this for smaller projects.I find with porous woods I do better if I use a coat or two of finish to seal the grain. In most cases, doing the inside of the bowl is sufficient. I generally use a shellac and oil blend or a lacquer based sanding sealer.I tried a 2" deep chuck but found that I didn't get enough holding power to do much beyond sanding. Smaller pieces haven't seemed to be a problem since the foot is also smaller,hence less force. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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