On 8 Aug 2006 21:48:02 -0700, wrote:

Does anyone know a website that would have a set of plans to make a
vaccum chuck? Have any of you had good or bad experiences using a
vaccum chuck? ............Thanks, TLC

BIll Noble!

I bought my pump and accessories from him and he's a wealth of info.. very
helpful..

http://www.wbnoble.com/

He sells used stuff at reasonable prices..

For me, the hardest part was designing the "rotary valve"... the connection
between the spinning lathe and the vacuum hose...
After several experiments, I came up with a really easy system that I'd be happy
to share if you're interested..

The chuck itself is So easy that I made it hard in my early attempts!

Making the assumption that your spindle is hollow, (that you use a rod to knock
out the taper), then anything that will screw onto your spindle and hold water
will work as a chuck... Most of mine now are just turned cylinders of different
sizes with this stuff glued to the bowl end..

http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/cg...n&key=314-1011

My first chucks were pretty much like the picture there with PVC pipe and a
round wood disk... I've found that the disk isn't needed for my use and the pipe
is good for being air tight, but you set up another bunch of problems like
seating it in the wood, etc...
I'd rather make my chucks one piece and cheap.. *g*

Once you actually get something to stay on the chuck at speed, you'll open a
whole new world of turning... I needed a better way to finish bowl bottoms, I
ended up with a way to re-turn old projects that had already been "finished"..


Mac

https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis
https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis/wood_stuff.htm