I have wanted to do a project that requires a vacuum clamp but have been too broke to get the setup. I would also love to get a really serious setup that I could use for doing vacuum clamping for all my shaper projects.
So today I was wandering through a surplus yard and bought what appears to be a rebuild high end vacuum pump with a 1/2 horsepower motor still in the shipping crate. However, I am not sure if it is the right type…anyone know?
http://www.labdepotinc.com/product_details~id~100~pid~12718.aspx
It is an EXPENSIVE unit and I might try and wrangle a trade for a good smaller setup in exchange for the unit if it isn’t what I need.
Thanks for the help
Replies
You read about vacuum clamping devices, and they always seem like the best thing since sliced bread.
So, I'm walking through a woodworking show a couple of years ago, and ran into this small outfit selling a portable, smallish system that I thought would be great for my purposes. It was the type that hooks up to your compressor.
It's the last hour of the last day, and the guy says he will let the unit go for $200. I feel this wave of "tool mania" sweep over me, and the next thing I know I'm walking out the door with this thing under my arm.
Well, I get the thing back to the shop, plug it into the compressor (a small model, mainly for nail guns), and I get down to business. Yep, it does work great -- the only problem is, the compressor (about 3 feet from my bench, and about as loud as a compressor can be) is running constantly all the time the clamp is operating.
The show guy must have had his compressor located in Timbuktu, since I never even heard it during the demonstration.
I tossed it in a drawer, where it has sat idle for years.
If anyone wants to buy a vacuum clamp system, I've got one to sell (cheap).
I hope someone will post a rundown on these systems. I could still really make good use of one, but I need to be a little better informed (and rational) the next time around.
i just got the vacuclamp mid range unit. (self contained)
great.
1000$ with thick poly bag that holds a full sheet of plywood.
empties bag in less than 2-3 minutes. rarely turns itself back on after the initial suction.. even overnight!!.
thumbs up.. yet not cheap.
quiet and fast.
j
Is a unit such as you bought used only with the bag?
Could it be adapted, so it could be used like the one I bought -- to hold items to the bench, jigs to your work piece, etc. ?
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