On 1/14/2014 5:46 PM, Gramps' shop wrote:
I needed -- OK, I wanted -- a vacuum chuck for improving my bowl-bottom work. Picked up a small HF pump for $75 (list $139, sale $99 less coupon my wife found). Ordered a kit from Harrison Specialties that included the chuck, an 18-inch pipe to pass through the headstock and a gauge and connectors for the pump. Naturally, the plumbing fittings needed some connectors, but it was only one trip to Ace as I brought everything along. Fired it up and it worked great! Now the test bowl was only about 8-inches in diameter so it will be interesting to see how the pump holds up to larger projects. All told it was a $225 investment.

Larry


You should be fine as long as the item you are making is less than 14.7
pounds assuming the vacuum connection is one square inch. As you get
close to 14.7 pounds other factors will be working on the item and you
may loss it at a lesser weight.