My Vacuum Setup - Ready

[Peter Elliott]

Well, after falling behind Tony and Mike, I need to push on and get my vacuum system built. I ended up with a Gast piston pump that was oil-less, sealed and had the right Hg.

I did get a ton of info from Tony D. and Mike Cruz along with searching here on SMC and other ww boards. I bought alot of brass parts from the Surplus Store that Steve S. noted in his vac-setup-review..

I have a Jet1642EVS and decided to go with JT Turning Tools for the Vac Chuck Adapter and Vac Spindle Adapter. I added the brass T and gauge.. I use a hose with couplings to attach to the vac system. The chuck adapter is made to use 2" pvc... I have 2" to 3" and 2" to 4" for my chucks. I prob make a 2" to 6" later on.







Here she is..








I mounted pvc caps that hold my "pvc chucks" - so I have a good place to keep them.





This is where I keep my "connection hose" from the Vac to the spindle adapter.





Switch for the vac motor and accessory outlet to have on hand.




Off the front, I have a 12' cord that I plug into the wall.



Next, I need to finish up the chucks and add some closed foam seal to the ends. I got that at the craft store and found a circle cutter that hopefully will make perfect seals for my chuck..

Now it's time for a beer!

-Peter

[Roger Chandler]

Exceptionally well designed.......probably the neatest and most organized set up I have seen to date..........you really went all out on this, and I am sure it will serve you well. Really nice work, Peter!

[John Keeton]

Complete with a beautiful finish on the plywood!!!! Wow, what a setup!! Peter, that has to be the neatest arrangement to date for one of these - really a great job.

[Tony De Masi]

Real nice set up Peter. Neat, clean (for now), and well thought out. Good Job.

[Baxter Smith]

......... found a circle cutter that hopefully will make perfect ........

A circle cutter? Whats wrong with tracing the outline with a sharpie and whacking away with a pair of scissors?

Great looking setup Peter. Maybe "immaculate" is a better word!

[Peter Elliott]

Thanks all..

John K. - I had a some cut offs (from cabinet job) of pre-finish plywood in the shop and put them aside for the project. The finish from the factory is extremely tough. I plan on hitting the edges with some wipe on poly just for protection later on in life..

Tony - I hope I cover it in shavings, sawdust, etc. because that means I'm turning.. Been way too much flatwork these days.

I hit 28hg as a high and was happy both gauges are the same +/- .5Hg - I was worried that my "connection hose" spec might throw in some neg loss but in reality it gave me a better readings. The bleeder valve works great on lowering the Hg.

Cool thing about this Gast pump is it holds the vac while the motor is off. It's a piston pump so unlike the rotary vanes, it can hold it's pressure for a good amount of time.

I think one influence that made the setup come out well was I was watching re-runs of American Chopper in the shop.. I'm not a motorcycle person but like to see things fabricated and the drama is entertaining. I had only one "person" yelling at me while building in my shop.... my dog to go out!

[Peter Elliott]

Baxter, I know... That is plan B! I was in JoAnn Fabric store getting the foam sheets (that took an 1/2 hour to find it) and thought to myself, "there has to be a circle cutting device.." I found one that does up to 8" circle (at 40% off too). We'll see how it works on the foam because it's made for paper.

[Bill Bolen]

One of the cleanest fab jobs I've ever seen on a vac system! What a fine job. Did you just stumble on the vac pump? I've been watching craigs list ect. for a bit and never see the gast piston around.