Vacuum Generator???

Gord Rock

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Location
Red Deer, Alberta, Canada
Does anyone have any experience with, or know anything about, this Vacuum Generator that I just spotted in the new Woodturner's Catalog?

HoldFast Vacuum Generator.jpg

It's on page 46 of the catalog or check it out at:

http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/s...V810R_Vacuum_Generator___holdfast_v810r?Args=

If it is an effective unit I think it would be much less expensive than a dedicated Vacuum Pump, wouldn't it?

Any thoughts on this would be appreciated as my next step will hopefully be a vacuum chuck system. :D :thumb: :)
Thanks,
.....Gord
 
The venturi is a powerful little bugger, if you have the compressor to drive it. Be sure your air compressor puts out enough CFM for that thing and you'll get a full vacuum pretty quickly if it's anything like the venturi pump I have on my veneer press. :)
 
Like Jason said, if. "your compressor puts out enough CFM". :dunno: That little unit is going to end up costing you a whole lot more in the long run if you need a larger compressor, and the expense of running the compressor too, as opposed to running a vac pump.

Personally, I would prefer a stand-alone vac pump. And then have a decent size reservoir, just to hold a little vac in reserve if the pump accidentally turns off.

There's been lots of discussion on this and good info has been put forth.

JMHO. Have fun.

Aloha, Tony
 
My venturi doesn't do too bad as a vacuum press ... i think as a vacuum chuck for turning it'd be quite a bit more costly to run than a regular pump would ... Tony makes a good point. For my press, it only asks for air about every 10 minutes for 3-5 seconds, tops .... as a chuck, i think it may use a bleeder valve which means it's asking for air all the time to maintain a constant vacuum. Might be good to know if this device uses a bleeder valve before ya take the plunge...

For the record, I have a 60gal compressor that puts out plenty of CFM ... but i got it so i could one day spray finishes and do air sanding - the venturi pump and several other uses I've found for it are bonuses :D
 
I've seen others post good comments about that generator on various forums. At 19+ inches of vacuum, it's a bit on the lower side (20+ is often recommended), but I know lots of people use them successfully. The CFM requirement is relatively low, but a small compressor will likely be running quite a bit to keep up with it. You might also check on the AAW site and Woodturners Resource to see if anyone who has one can offer opinions.

A good vacuum chuck may not be cheap, but it can be priceless at times. :)
 
Gord, I picked up one of these venturi units (in full 1"x8tpi kit form) a couple months ago, at the Clearance sale that CSUSA always has on the day before the Utah Woodturning Symposium.

A day or two later, on the vendor floor at the Symposium, I got to see one of them in action on a (Jet?) mini lathe. I was assured that it would work just fine with my Porter Cable pancake compressor.

The kit is still in the box, but I'm looking forward to breaking it out one of these days. One of the delays is that the kit included the larger vacuum chuck size, and I tend to make smaller stuff. (Have I ever mentioned that before? :rolleyes:) The smaller chuck is available separately, but the sticker shock always takes me by surprise, and then I forget to go back and order it anyway....
 
Kerry I made mine out of PVC. Here are pictures of them from the front and back side. I used 1 X 8 nut with a hole drilled slightly smaller than the nut. Then used a wood chisel to make it fit. I coated the wood with epoxy to seal it in case it had any voids or leaked. Once the nuts were epoxied in place I put them on the lathe to true them up and cut the slot for the PVC. Epoxied them in and like I said coated the wood also with epoxy to seal. Used foam from CSUSA glued to the lips.

Cost was about $3 each.
 

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Thanks Bernie! That actually looks do-able. :thumb:

I'm pretty sure that I've got some 1" x 8 tpi nuts around here. Have some epoxy on hand, too. Now I just need the PVC ... and the foam (which I could probably pick up at next month's club meeting). :rolleyes:
 
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