In my line of work, this is soooo handy:

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...43&cat=1,43838

Robatoy wrote:
In my line of work, this is soooo handy:

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...43&cat=1,43838

They're nice looking - for anyone whose budget doesn't stretch that far,
I put up the recipe for a DIY version at

http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/Projects/VacuumPuck/

and that recipe works for any size/shape puck of at least 16 sq in. My
tubing is 3/8" vinyl ($15/100' at Menards)

With a recycled refrigerator compressor I can pull about 25" of vacuum
almost silently.

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/

On Sep 6, 12:28*pm, Morris Dovey wrote:
Robatoy wrote:
In my line of work, this is soooo handy:

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...43&cat=1,43838

They're nice looking - for anyone whose budget doesn't stretch that far,
I put up the recipe for a DIY version at

* *http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/Projects/VacuumPuck/

and that recipe works for any size/shape puck of at least 16 sq in. My
tubing is 3/8" vinyl ($15/100' at Menards)

With a recycled refrigerator compressor I can pull about 25" of vacuum
almost silently.


I'm still going to make my own pucks like yours and I'm sure
interested in a recycled vacuum system. Any hints or suggestions in
regards to the refig units? Do keep some sort of filter to stop the
dust from going into your pump? I would also like to find some way to
make pucks on pedestals about 4" high so I can reach under the work
piece to move/locate the pucks/pedestals. The eStone boys build their
tops upside-down so that all rabbets and cut-outs are done referenced
to the finished face. Many of the cheaper acrylic solid surface sheets
vary in thickness ± 1/32. The better ones like Staron and Corian
don't.

These are exciting times.

Kohler and Franke and Blanco all publish .dxf on their sink cut-outs,
but some off-shore sinks only supply a paper template. I have to find
an efficient way to turn those into a .dxf. I get it done, but the key
word is: efficient. Now I do the photo/trace/scale routine and know
nothing about probes. The local blueprint guy has a scanner which will
do, but he's pricey. Any thoughts?

as always,

r

Robatoy wrote:

I'm still going to make my own pucks like yours and I'm sure
interested in a recycled vacuum system. Any hints or suggestions in
regards to the refig units? Do keep some sort of filter to stop the
dust from going into your pump? I would also like to find some way to
make pucks on pedestals about 4" high so I can reach under the work
piece to move/locate the pucks/pedestals. The eStone boys build their
tops upside-down so that all rabbets and cut-outs are done referenced
to the finished face. Many of the cheaper acrylic solid surface sheets
vary in thickness ± 1/32. The better ones like Staron and Corian
don't.

Type of refrigerator doesn't much matter - nearly all of the compressors
used are made by only a handful of companies.

Hmm, filter - I folded a piece of Kleenex until it was about 1x3, then
folded that over the cut end of the output tube so as to catch excess
oil being pushed out of the beast. The input side has a 10' length of
vinyl tubing which seems to catch the dust before it gets to the pump.
That's not a particularly razzle-dazzle filter, but I haven't had any
problems in the five-plus years I've been using this compressor (which
came out of a refrigerator more than 20 years old). Since I put that one
into service, friends have brought in three more compressors, so I
haven't felt any need to coddle the thing.

Pedestals should be easy - I think I'd just make 'em out of 4x6 cut-offs
(or glue up some 2x6 scraps) and screw the pucks to those.

These are exciting times.

Kohler and Franke and Blanco all publish .dxf on their sink cut-outs,
but some off-shore sinks only supply a paper template. I have to find
an efficient way to turn those into a .dxf. I get it done, but the key
word is: efficient. Now I do the photo/trace/scale routine and know
nothing about probes. The local blueprint guy has a scanner which will
do, but he's pricey. Any thoughts?

I kinda like the p/t/s approach. With practice it's fairly quick. I've
heard that Corel Draw can produce a line drawing from an image file, but
I've never tried it out.

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/

Morris Dovey wrote:

Robatoy wrote:

I'm still going to make my own pucks like yours and I'm sure
interested in a recycled vacuum system. Any hints or suggestions in
regards to the refig units? Do keep some sort of filter to stop the
dust from going into your pump? I would also like to find some way to
make pucks on pedestals about 4" high so I can reach under the work
piece to move/locate the pucks/pedestals. The eStone boys build their
tops upside-down so that all rabbets and cut-outs are done referenced
to the finished face. Many of the cheaper acrylic solid surface sheets
vary in thickness ± 1/32. The better ones like Staron and Corian
don't.

Type of refrigerator doesn't much matter - nearly all of the compressors
used are made by only a handful of companies.

Hmm, filter - I folded a piece of Kleenex until it was about 1x3, then
folded that over the cut end of the output tube so as to catch excess
oil being pushed out of the beast. The input side has a 10' length of
vinyl tubing which seems to catch the dust before it gets to the pump.
That's not a particularly razzle-dazzle filter, but I haven't had any
problems in the five-plus years I've been using this compressor (which
came out of a refrigerator more than 20 years old). Since I put that one
into service, friends have brought in three more compressors, so I
haven't felt any need to coddle the thing.

Pedestals should be easy - I think I'd just make 'em out of 4x6 cut-offs
(or glue up some 2x6 scraps) and screw the pucks to those.

These are exciting times.

Kohler and Franke and Blanco all publish .dxf on their sink cut-outs,
but some off-shore sinks only supply a paper template. I have to find
an efficient way to turn those into a .dxf. I get it done, but the key
word is: efficient. Now I do the photo/trace/scale routine and know
nothing about probes. The local blueprint guy has a scanner which will
do, but he's pricey. Any thoughts?

I kinda like the p/t/s approach. With practice it's fairly quick. I've
heard that Corel Draw can produce a line drawing from an image file, but
I've never tried it out.

CorelTrace which comes with CorelDraw is very good, if you have a good clean
scan/image file. I've typically used it for customer supplied jpegs, that
we need to convert to spot colours, yes I am currently working in the
graphics industry.

Illustrator comes with similar tools, but Corel's are much faster and more
accurate and easier to clean up, if required.

--
Froz...

On Sep 6, 1:55*pm, FrozenNorth
wrote:
Morris Dovey wrote:
Robatoy wrote:

I'm still going to make my own pucks like yours and I'm sure
interested in a recycled vacuum system. Any hints or suggestions in
regards to the refig units? Do keep some sort of filter to stop the
dust from going into your pump? I would also like to find some way to
make pucks on pedestals about 4" high so I can reach under the work
piece to move/locate the pucks/pedestals. The eStone boys build their
tops upside-down so that all rabbets and cut-outs are done referenced
to the finished face. Many of the cheaper acrylic solid surface sheets
vary in thickness ± 1/32. The better ones like Staron and Corian
don't.

Type of refrigerator doesn't much matter - nearly all of the compressors
used are made by only a handful of companies.

Hmm, filter - I folded a piece of Kleenex until it was about 1x3, then
folded that over the cut end of the output tube so as to catch excess
oil being pushed out of the beast. The input side has a 10' length of
vinyl tubing which seems to catch the dust before it gets to the pump.
That's not a particularly razzle-dazzle filter, but I haven't had any
problems in the five-plus years I've been using this compressor (which
came out of a refrigerator more than 20 years old). Since I put that one
into service, friends have brought in three more compressors, so I
haven't felt any need to coddle the thing.

Pedestals should be easy - I think I'd just make 'em out of 4x6 cut-offs
(or glue up some 2x6 scraps) and screw the pucks to those.

These are exciting times.

Kohler and Franke and Blanco all publish .dxf on their sink cut-outs,
but some off-shore sinks only supply a paper template. I have to find
an efficient way to turn those into a .dxf. I get it done, but the key
word is: efficient. Now I do the photo/trace/scale routine and know
nothing about probes. The local blueprint guy has a scanner which will
do, but he's pricey. Any thoughts?

I kinda like the p/t/s approach. With practice it's fairly quick. I've
heard that Corel Draw can produce a line drawing from an image file, but
I've never tried it out.

CorelTrace which comes with CorelDraw is very good, if you have a good clean
scan/image file. *I've typically used it for customer supplied jpegs, that
we need to convert to spot colours, yes I am currently working in the
graphics industry.

Illustrator comes with similar tools, but Corel's are much faster and more
accurate and easier to clean up, if required.

--
Froz...

Yo Froz!

I used to use Adobe Streamline, years ago. The problem with most of
the software that does tracing, is that they create very detailed, but
huge vector files. Even if you set them to 'sloppy', they still create
huge files. ( not 'huge' in terms of the size of what a large image
file can be, but even a 100K file can translate into an hour of
machining on my cnc, while a 60K file created in ArtsCAM can be done
in 3 minutes. I guess it is all about data points. So much to learn
and loving it.

On Sep 6, 9:58*am, Robatoy wrote:


I have to find
an efficient way to turn those into a .dxf.



digitizer.

On Sep 7, 3:03*am, wrote:
On Sep 6, 9:58*am, Robatoy wrote:

I have to find
an efficient way to turn those into a .dxf.

digitizer.

Did I forget to add: economically?

On Sep 6, 12:28*pm, Morris Dovey wrote:
"I put up the recipe for a DIY version at http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/Projects/VacuumPuck/
and that recipe works for any size/shape puck of at least 16 sq in. My
tubing is 3/8" vinyl ($15/100' at Menards) With a recycled
refrigerator compressor I can pull about 25" of vacuum almost
silently. -- Morris Dovey DeSoto Solar DeSoto, Iowa USA http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/
"

And, thank you very much for sharing. But I have a question regarding
the "ball/button catch (valve)" you used - SOURCE, ITEM NUMBER and a
request fot an instructable on converting my olf fridgerator into a
vacuum pump - maybe a picture of yours. Not trying to be a smart ass
here, seriously interested.

Hoosierpopi wrote:

And, thank you very much for sharing. But I have a question regarding
the "ball/button catch (valve)" you used - SOURCE, ITEM NUMBER and a
request fot an instructable on converting my olf fridgerator into a
vacuum pump - maybe a picture of yours. Not trying to be a smart ass
here, seriously interested.

They're also called "bullet catches".

The source was a (now defunct) Woodcraft Supply store in West Des
Moines. I bought the remainder of their supply and (I think) I still
have the bag in the shop. I tried to order more from Woodcraft but they
were never a stock item - so I tried to order from the manufacturer and
they wouldn't respond either letter or e-mail. I'll try to get the
manufacturer and part number and post here. Those I bought from
Woodcraft were priced at $0.50/each.

To make a local search easier, I think they were metric-sized. They
consisted of a swaged tube with a captured ball-bearing and spring. In
short, they are the cheapest kind of bullet catch imaginable - but they
were exactly what I wanted for this application. :-)

I'd suggest having the refrigerator compressor removed by a pro who has
the equipment to capture the Freon coolant, and who can dispose of it
properly. If you have an HVAC-capable friend, it's worth a six-pack to
not abuse the planet more than it's already been. I suspect that my
"extra" compressors weren't removed by pros, but that wasn't my choice.
I understand that Freon is one of the causes of the polar "ozone holes"
and not a good thing to let loose.

Next time I'm in the shop I'll make compressor photos.

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/

On Sep 7, 12:17*pm, Morris Dovey wrote:


Next time I'm in the shop I'll make compressor photos.


That would be cool!
TIA

r

On Sep 7, 12:17*pm, Morris Dovey wrote:
Hoosierpopi wrote:
And, thank you very much for sharing. But I have a question regarding
the "ball/button catch (valve)" you used - SOURCE, ITEM NUMBER and a
request fot an instructable on converting my olf fridgerator into a
vacuum pump - maybe a picture of yours. Not trying to be a smart ass
here, seriously interested.

They're also called "bullet catches".

The source was a (now defunct) Woodcraft Supply store in West Des
Moines. I bought the remainder of their supply and (I think) I still
have the bag in the shop. I tried to order more from Woodcraft but they
were never a stock item - so I tried to order from the manufacturer and
they wouldn't respond either letter or e-mail. I'll try to get the
manufacturer and part number and post here. Those I bought from
Woodcraft were priced at $0.50/each.

To make a local search easier, I think they were metric-sized. They
consisted of a swaged tube with a captured ball-bearing and spring. In
short, they are the cheapest kind of bullet catch imaginable - but they
were exactly what I wanted for this application. :-)

I'd suggest having the refrigerator compressor removed by a pro who has
the equipment to capture the Freon coolant, and who can dispose of it
properly. If you have an HVAC-capable friend, it's worth a six-pack to
not abuse the planet more than it's already been. I suspect that my
"extra" compressors weren't removed by pros, but that wasn't my choice.
I understand that Freon is one of the causes of the polar "ozone holes"
and not a good thing to let loose.

Next time I'm in the shop I'll make compressor photos.

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USAhttp://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/

Would these work?

On Sep 7, 12:17*pm, Morris Dovey wrote:
Hoosierpopi wrote:
And, thank you very much for sharing. But I have a question regarding
the "ball/button catch (valve)" you used - SOURCE, ITEM NUMBER and a
request fot an instructable on converting my olf fridgerator into a
vacuum pump - maybe a picture of yours. Not trying to be a smart ass
here, seriously interested.

They're also called "bullet catches".

The source was a (now defunct) Woodcraft Supply store in West Des
Moines. I bought the remainder of their supply and (I think) I still
have the bag in the shop. I tried to order more from Woodcraft but they
were never a stock item - so I tried to order from the manufacturer and
they wouldn't respond either letter or e-mail. I'll try to get the
manufacturer and part number and post here. Those I bought from
Woodcraft were priced at $0.50/each.

To make a local search easier, I think they were metric-sized. They
consisted of a swaged tube with a captured ball-bearing and spring. In
short, they are the cheapest kind of bullet catch imaginable - but they
were exactly what I wanted for this application. :-)

I'd suggest having the refrigerator compressor removed by a pro who has
the equipment to capture the Freon coolant, and who can dispose of it
properly. If you have an HVAC-capable friend, it's worth a six-pack to
not abuse the planet more than it's already been. I suspect that my
"extra" compressors weren't removed by pros, but that wasn't my choice.
I understand that Freon is one of the causes of the polar "ozone holes"
and not a good thing to let loose.

Next time I'm in the shop I'll make compressor photos.

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USAhttp://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/

Okay..next time I will add the link *slaps forehead*

http://www.leevalley.com/hardware/pa...=3,41399,41405

Robatoy wrote:

Okay..next time I will add the link *slaps forehead*

http://www.leevalley.com/hardware/pa...=3,41399,41405

They'd be better without the mounting flange.

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/

On Sep 7, 12:17*pm, Morris Dovey wrote:
Hoosierpopi wrote:
And, thank you very much for sharing. But I have a question regarding
the "ball/button catch (valve)" you used - SOURCE, ITEM NUMBER and a
request fot an instructable on converting my olf fridgerator into a
vacuum pump - maybe a picture of yours. Not trying to be a smart ass
here, seriously interested.

They're also called "bullet catches".

The source was a (now defunct) Woodcraft Supply store in West Des
Moines. I bought the remainder of their supply and (I think) I still
have the bag in the shop. I tried to order more from Woodcraft but they
were never a stock item - so I tried to order from the manufacturer and
they wouldn't respond either letter or e-mail. I'll try to get the
manufacturer and part number and post here. Those I bought from
Woodcraft were priced at $0.50/each.

To make a local search easier, I think they were metric-sized. They
consisted of a swaged tube with a captured ball-bearing and spring. In
short, they are the cheapest kind of bullet catch imaginable - but they
were exactly what I wanted for this application. :-)

I'd suggest having the refrigerator compressor removed by a pro who has
the equipment to capture the Freon coolant, and who can dispose of it
properly. If you have an HVAC-capable friend, it's worth a six-pack to
not abuse the planet more than it's already been. I suspect that my
"extra" compressors weren't removed by pros, but that wasn't my choice.
I understand that Freon is one of the causes of the polar "ozone holes"
and not a good thing to let loose.

Next time I'm in the shop I'll make compressor photos.

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USAhttp://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/

here's some as well
http://www.leevalley.com/hardware/pa...04&cat=3,41399

Robatoy wrote:

here's some as well
http://www.leevalley.com/hardware/pa...04&cat=3,41399

If the hole goes all the way through the bottom, the small bullet catch
might be a good choice. If there isn't an air passage all the way
through when the ball is depressed, the clamp can't work...

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/

Morris Dovey wrote:

Next time I'm in the shop I'll make compressor photos.

Photos are at http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/Misc/Compressor1.jpg and
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/Misc/Compressor2.jpg

(The dust is there to make them more visible. g)

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/

On Sep 8, 7:50*pm, Morris Dovey wrote:
Morris Dovey wrote:
Next time I'm in the shop I'll make compressor photos.

Photos are athttp://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/Misc/Compressor1.jpgand
* * * * * * * *http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/Misc/Compressor2.jpg

(The dust is there to make them more visible. g)

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USAhttp://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/

Thanks for that Morris.

25" of Hg you say....that is lots, and once you're sucked down, the
CFM no longer matters much either, eh?

I dunny why, but I want some of THESE:

http://www.nemi.com/round_modular_pods.htm

"Hoosierpopi" wrote in message
...
On Sep 6, 12:28 pm, Morris Dovey wrote:
"I put up the recipe for a DIY version at
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/Projects/VacuumPuck/
and that recipe works for any size/shape puck of at least 16 sq in. My
tubing is 3/8" vinyl ($15/100' at Menards) With a recycled
refrigerator compressor I can pull about 25" of vacuum almost
silently. -- Morris Dovey DeSoto Solar DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/
"

And, thank you very much for sharing. But I have a question regarding
the "ball/button catch (valve)" you used - SOURCE, ITEM NUMBER and a
request fot an instructable on converting my olf fridgerator into a
vacuum pump - maybe a picture of yours. Not trying to be a smart ass
here, seriously interested.

Ace Hardware has a bullet catch. SKU # 998004145 Call local one and see if
they have in stock. Found this on a search. Will post photo on ABPW. WW

"Robatoy" wrote in message
...
In my line of work, this is soooo handy:

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...43&cat=1,43838


How much noise do they make?

On Sep 7, 7:19*pm, "Leon" wrote:
"Robatoy" wrote in message

...

In my line of work, this is soooo handy:

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...43&cat=1,43838

How much noise do they make?

An audible hiss. similar to a pinhole in an air hose. Nothing
offensive or loud.
And BOY does that thing have holding power! Even on MDF. Now, stuff
like unfinished oak with big grain paterns, I'm not so sure. But stuff
like solid surface sticks like dog-snot on a screen door.

"Robatoy" wrote in message
...
On Sep 7, 7:19 pm, "Leon" wrote:
"Robatoy" wrote in message

...

In my line of work, this is soooo handy:

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...43&cat=1,43838

How much noise do they make?

An audible hiss. similar to a pinhole in an air hose. Nothing
offensive or loud.
And BOY does that thing have holding power! Even on MDF. Now, stuff
like unfinished oak with big grain paterns, I'm not so sure. But stuff
like solid surface sticks like dog-snot on a screen door.


Good, because the new Festool sanders use a vacuum and because the Rotex
can be extremely aggressive I find that the wood that I sand needs to be
clamped in place or it moves around. For years I have used the rubber
"Router Pads" to hold the wood in place and to cushion the bottom side but
they are no longer suitably effective. I was looking at the Festool clamps
that clamp from the side edge but they are basically $90 for 2. I think
this clamp that you have will fill the ticket well and will clamp and
release more quickly. I'll probably have several supports blocks of similar
size to help support larger panels.

Did you buy the screw down version or the one that uses vacuum to also hold
the clamp to the work surface. I am leaning to the latter.

On Sep 8, 9:18*am, "Leon" wrote:
"Robatoy" wrote in message

...
On Sep 7, 7:19 pm, "Leon" wrote:

"Robatoy" wrote in message

...

In my line of work, this is soooo handy:

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...43&cat=1,43838

How much noise do they make?

An audible hiss. similar to a pinhole in an air hose. Nothing
offensive or loud.
And BOY does that thing have holding power! Even on MDF. Now, stuff
like unfinished oak with big grain paterns, I'm not so sure. But stuff
like solid surface sticks like dog-snot on a screen door.

Good, * because the new Festool sanders use a vacuum and because the Rotex
can be extremely aggressive I find that the wood that I sand needs to be
clamped in place or it moves around. *For years I have used the rubber
"Router Pads" to hold the wood in place and to cushion the bottom side but
they are no longer suitably effective. *I was looking at the Festool clamps
that clamp from the side edge but they are basically $90 for 2. *I think
this clamp that you have will fill the ticket well and will clamp and
release more quickly. *I'll probably have several supports blocks of similar
size to help support larger panels.

Did you buy the screw down version or the one that *uses vacuum to also hold
the clamp to the work surface. *I am leaning to the latter.

I am machining the entire table surface (4 x 8) with a flat bottomed
bit and adhering a sheet of glossy white GP laminate onto it. The
'test puck' really, really sticks well to shiny stuff... MDF sticks as
well, but nothing like the glossy surface.
Therefore, the two-sided pucks is what I'm going with..either LV's or
shop-built Morristech ones. The shop-built ones would work off a pump,
the ready-made LV's are up and running the second you take them out of
the box.

For a 'holder' for sanding small pieces, the screw-down version would
be my choice as you'd only need to keep one surface clean as opposed
to two.

I'll take a few pics when I do some trials at the shop today.

Being a happy Rotexer myself, that would certainly fit the bill for
you as well.

I am also building a shooting board-type saw fence which will stick to
my work rather than using clamps.