Vacuum Cart

Vaughn McMillan

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OK, I know this is flatwork (and quick and dirty flatwork to boot), but it was done solely in the interest of turning, so I'm posting it here.

This is what I did for the vacuum rig in my new "everything is mobile" shop. I started with the "constant run" hardware kit from Veneer Supplies, and with the exception of a bit of tubing and hardware, it was all made from stuff I had laying around.

Vaccum Cart 1 600.jpg

When it's upright, it's sitting on four rubber feet. Tilt it back a little ways, and it's mobile on the two wheels like a dolly. I ended up using a honkin' big 4-prong twist-lock plug for the power. I was having trouble finding 220v rated 3-prong locking plugs and receptacles, but I found a decent price on the 4-prongers, so I bought enough for my initial 220v needs. (Some of my 220v outlets will be in the ceiling, so I decided to make everything twist-lock.) It's overkill, but it cost me a bit less money, and I don't think it'll cause a problem.

Vaccum Cart 2 600.jpg

The motor cover is intended to keep most of the dust and chips out of the pump, but it's held on with screws so it's easily removable.

Vaccum Cart 3 600.jpg

I piped the air and power on the back so the cover wouldn't have to work around the tubing. The conduit is overkill, but I had a piece laying around, so I used it. The exhaust is also piped outside the box to keep the heat down. I'll watch things when I start using it, and if if the pump gets hot I'll enlarge the front opening to allow more airflow. (On the other hand, I may close it up more to cut back the noise a little if the external exhaust keeps things cool enough.)

Vaccum Cart 5 600.jpg Vaccum Cart 4 600.jpg

I ended up with two different filters -- one that came with the Veneer Supplies parts kit and another I ordered from Surplus Center. I decided to use both of them, for no other reason than I had them available. The big one should catch anything that comes down the hose and the smaller one should catch any dust that might get in through the breather valve (unlikely).

Vaccum Cart 6 500.jpg

Hopefully in a week or so I'll finally be able to fire this thing up (and the new lathe, too). Dang electricians and their power trips.
 
You thought things out really good Vaughn! Looking forward to finding out how your system works, what the noise level is like and if there is an issue with heat at the pump. I do like the idea of making the system portable so you can move it out of the way when not in use. Very nice work!
 
Nice unit Vaughan, could you let me know what vacum this unit pulls.
Is the suction hose wire or braided reinforced? and is the vacum pump vane or diaphragm? I have worked in the pump hire industry for 30 years and have used all types of vacum pump's to assist the priming of the unit and still try to keep up to date with the equipment.:):)
 
Nice unit Vaughan, could you let me know what vacum this unit pulls.
Is the suction hose wire or braided reinforced? and is the vacum pump vane or diaphragm? I have worked in the pump hire industry for 30 years and have used all types of vacum pump's to assist the priming of the unit and still try to keep up to date with the equipment.:):)
John, the hose is braid reinforced, and the pump is this one:

Surplus Center Link

I'm still waiting on 220v power in the shop, so I haven't seen what numbers it'll actually pull. This is my first exposure to vacuum pumps, so I'm pretty ignorant about them. This particular one seems to be pretty popular with the woodturners, so I'm assuming it'll do what I need it to do. If I ever get into vacuum press veneering or anything else where I need to maintain a constant vacuum over a substantial length of time, I'll re-do the plumbing to add vacuum storage tanks and an electronic pressure controller. Something along the lines of this one.
 
John, the hose is braid reinforced, and the pump is this one:

Surplus Center Link

I'm still waiting on 220v power in the shop, so I haven't seen what numbers it'll actually pull. This is my first exposure to vacuum pumps, so I'm pretty ignorant about them. This particular one seems to be pretty popular with the woodturners, so I'm assuming it'll do what I need it to do. If I ever get into vacuum press veneering or anything else where I need to maintain a constant vacuum over a substantial length of time, I'll re-do the plumbing to add vacuum storage tanks and an electronic pressure controller. Something along the lines of this one.

Seems like I remember someone posting a while back that "Braided" hose wasn't needed, or, the best for this application. Whoever it was that posted, said that the braided hose is meant for Pressure hoses, but that it didn't so well in a vacuum system. He said that they make a special hose intended for vacuum systems that somehow is designed so it doesn't have the tendency to collapse under negative pressure, (vacuum). Please understand, that I don't have the slightest idea if he is correct or not, but just thought I would throw this out, ......... (just in case........).:D

Are those pumps rebuilt, Vaughn, or just used surplus? Also, is there more than one size pump they sell, and how do you size a pump to what size vacuum bag, if you are going to use them for vaneering purposes? I'm not in the market yet, but a system like that is on the list, albeit quite a way down that list yet.

Very nice setup you built, Vaughn. Do you anticipate most of the noise from the pump itself, or the exiting air? If it is the pump, you might mount some rubber cushions between the pump and the cart, with rubber washers between the bolt head and the cart floor, and one between the pump housing and the washer and nut, so the mounting bolts are totally isolated and cannot transfer any sound/vibration from the motor to the wood of the cart, (which in this case would act as a large sound board). You might also add some deadening fabric like they use in some custom car door panels, inside the pump housing box. If the noise is from exhaust air, maybe a homemade "Muffler" similar in principle to those used on DC cyclone outlets or shop vacs might be helpful,:dunno:. Anyhow, It sure looks nice and I'll bet it works great too.:thumb:
 
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Thanks for the suggestions, Norman. I went with the braided hose because that's what came with the parts kit from the veneering guys.

I think these pumps are pulled out of new machinery (where the pump is being replaced with a different model). From the looks of it, it's brand new, but it does show signs of being bolted down before (but not wired). As far as sizing the pump to the task, I plead ignorance. I went with this particular pump because a lot of turners have had good results with it and it's quite a bit less expensive than the others I've seen. As I understand it, it has enough power to suck the bottom off a thin bowl if you're not careful. For veneering, I don't know what the requirements are, but based on what I've seen sold on the Veneer Supplies website, this one should be plenty.

I'm still not sure what will be the loudest -- the motor or the exhaust. I do have a muffler on the exhaust, but if the motor's noisy the rubber isolation idea sounds like a good one. (In any case, I doubt it'll be louder than my DC or shop vac.) Part of my reason for enclosing it was to keep the chips and dust out somewhat. Noise reduction will hopefully be a bonus from that.

The Joe Woodworker site (www.joewoodworker.com) has a ton of info on vacuum veneering, and links to the Veneer Supplies site.

Hopefully in a week or so I'll be able to report on how it works. ;)
 
Norman. In Vaughn's unit the braided hose will cope well with the amount of vacuum and the air flow through the hose (max vac 20ins hg and 4.5cfm.) It is in larger units that a wire or plastic reinforced is required, these units can pull up to 30ins hg and up to 100cfm and would collapse the braided hose as soon as vac was introduced.:):)
 
Norman. In Vaughn's unit the braided hose will cope well with the amount of vacuum and the air flow through the hose (max vac 20ins hg and 4.5cfm.) It is in larger units that a wire or plastic reinforced is required, these units can pull up to 30ins hg and up to 100cfm and would collapse the braided hose as soon as vac was introduced.:):)

I appreciate that info, John.
 
Vaughn - just wondering if you have been able to check out your vac system. If so, what are your thoughts about the noise level, your cart design and does the braided hose work? I am waiting for parts to arrive (UPS sayes Tuesday) and will start putting together my own system. I do like your cart idea and may make a version of it. I like the idea of being able to move it out of the way when finished.

When you have time - I would appreciate an update.

Thanks!
 
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