Vacuum table

[John T]

Hi Art
I would suppose that nobody likes clamping material to the CNC table. I decided to make my own vacuum table. The top and bottom are 3/4 inch particle board with a 1/4 inch spacer around the perimeter the bottom has a hole for my shop vac and the top cutting area is drill 1/8 inch on one inch centres.

With a workpiece that covers the work area and the vac on there is no way you can move the workpiece.

No more difficult clamping!!

I had tried a 1.6 cfm vacuum pump but I couldn't get enough seal to make it work.

[ArtF]

Ive been meaningf to do that for a long time.. another of those things I never get to ..

Good job.. I can see where its handy as hell...

Art

[drezal]

This past weekend I put together a very simple vacuum table using pegboard for my Solsylva CNC.  I haven't cut anything on it yet but it seems to hold extremely well.  Here's the video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUN1B7xjeN8

Dan

[marklazarz]

I was thinking about making a small vacuum hold down fixture like the one in the following video at 2:45 minutes.  It looks like it's double sided and can be placed anywhere on a smooth surface.  Not sure what kind of pump to use, perhaps a tiny $25.00 shop vac?

Mark
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIv8Wq-ywlI&t=93s

[BobL]

Mark;

I does work for shorter cut times, however make sure you allow some air back into your shop vac line. Failure to do so will likely burn out your shop vac prematurely.


Cheers
Bob

[John T]

Hi Guys,
I did some searching on the web and discovered other guys were using a Rigid branch shop vac for their vacuum tables.  My Rigid  WD14500 is warranted for life.  If you burn out the motor they'll simply replace it.  So I thought it would be worth the price.

So far my cuts have been 60 minutes or less and the unit doesn't "feel" overly hot.

John

[drezal]

I was thinking about making a small vacuum hold down fixture like the one in the following video at 2:45 minutes.  It looks like it's double sided and can be placed anywhere on a smooth surface.  Not sure what kind of pump to use, perhaps a tiny $25.00 shop vac?

Mark
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIv8Wq-ywlI&t=93s

Clever solution.

Dan

[drezal]

Mark;

I does work for shorter cut times, however make sure you allow some air back into your shop vac line. Failure to do so will likely burn out your shop vac prematurely.


Cheers
Bob

Mine isn't that tight, but I was thinking about an adjustable valve to regulate it a bit.  Good point though.  And didn't know that Rigid had a warranty like that.  Nice.

[Mooselake]

I've burned/worn out a number of different brand shop vacs over the years, and my Ridgid WD14500 is the best I've had; saying it sucks is not an insult.  It's also the quietest, and not just because my hearing isn't as good as it was before I bought the first one.  I didn't know (or forgot) it had a lifetime warranty; I'd replace it without question even if it didn't.

You can recycle those old shop vacs into something handy, or stick your 5 gallon bucket mounted dust deputy inside the base so it doesn't fall over as often. Maybe a trash can would fit inside the burned out ShopVac.  Could be a point against Ridgid

I supported the Maslow CNC on Kickstarter (yes, I know KS's like playing the lotto), and they recommend the Ridgid R2200 router.  Looks like the brand has an overall good reputation, guess they're not just pipe wrenches any more.

Kirk