Chuck Time #2

[David DeCristoforo]

Got my vacuum chuck system set up today. I used an EZVac adaptor and made the actual chucks out of MDF (one of the few things this stuff is actually good for) and plastic drain pipe. The entire rest of the system was purchased complete as pictured in 1987 and served as the heart of my veneer press. Right now it's pulling just under 25HG but that's without any teflon tape on the adaptor joints and with using closed cell weather stripping for gasketing. I've got some "proper" vacuum gasket tape on the way from Joe, the veneer guy, so when I get that and seal up the pipe joints, I might squeeze another notch or two out of it.

[Roger Chandler]

very nice setup there David. Looks like your vacuum system will work great for you!

[David E Keller]

Looks like a good setup, David. I'm starting to get vacuum envy with all of you guys posting your new toys.

[David DeCristoforo]

"I'm starting to get vacuum envy with all of you guys posting your new toys..."

Well, like I said, I already had the entire setup anyway so it was just a matter of getting the lathe adaptor. If I'd had to buy the whole thing, I probably would not have... note my "cheap out" drain pipe fittings....

[Jim Burr]

That's gonna be next. Monster hollowing system is in the mail and a vacuum is the next step!

[Greg Ketell]

Hopefully your MDF is denser than mine was. Mine leaked air through the wood. I put on nearly a full bottle of thin CA trying to seal it and finally took it off and coated the entire thing with epoxy. NOW it is airtight.

[John Keeton]

David, nice setup. I have a PVC fitting to do a larger chuck, but for now, the 3" one that came from Holdfast seems to do most of what I need.

Do you have anything on the face edge of the fitting? Seems some of the guys, including Steve S., mentioned putting closed cell foam on the face to get a better seal.

[David DeCristoforo]

"Do you have anything on the face edge of the fitting?"

I just have some closed cell weather strip. I have some vacuum gasket material ordered. This is the vacuum version of my "stick chuck":

vac_chuck_6.jpg

You can see the foam seal on the end. My idea with the ABS was that I could use fittings to change the size as needed. So the basic chuck has a 3" coupling into which I can insert a short length of pipe:

vac_chuck_7.jpg

I will add a seal to the end of that. Or I can go smaller if I need to by using a reducer:

vac_chuck_8.jpg

or bigger:

vac_chuck_9.jpg

I also got some "no residue" duct tape which does a very effective job of sealing any joints without having to permanently glue the pieces together.

These fittings make the chuck pretty long so I'm sure I will be making lots of "specialty" chucks too. But they are pretty easy and inexpensive to make. I also turned some plugs that fit the ends of the various sizes of pipe and fittings so that I can use the tailstock center to get everything aligned. Also, I can use my Jeff Nichol steady to keep the longer ones running true.