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I received them yesterday, along with a 7 CFM vacuum pump I ordered from Amazon. I installed the system today. So far it works great as long as all 4 daisy chained are covered and sealed (a slight push down usually accomplishes this).
My plan now is to build a 4 port valve manifold, so I can use each pod individually. Here are some photos of the setup I have now.
So I made a manifold out of PVC parts from the local Big Box. Of course I paid a little too much for parts, which were cheaper online, but I didn’t have to wait.
that is way better than buying it on amazon. How about sharing some photos of them in use. I was about to built a vacuum table or t track table since I am making signs.
I have gone back and forth on vacuum clamps a few times, my biggest question is how level the top surface of the clamp will be. I go to a lot of trouble to skim the top of the wasteboard so that it is as close to perpendicular to the spindle and as flat as possible. If I use a vacuum pod, how much variance am I introducing?
The extra cost for live edge lumber comes in the drying part, not really in the sawing part. It is much tougher to stack in the kiln and because the edges aren’t straight end up taking up lots more volume in the kiln. You’ve got to be careful not to bang the edges together while tossing boards around, or you knock the bark off and waste all your effort up to that point. And then you have the many times where you do everything right, but when you open the kiln, all the bark has fallen off anyway!
–Rick
I like the idea of the vacuum clamps. I believe if I were using those or others, I would make a spacer with matching holes or slots for each vacuum chamber or table out of 1/4" plywood. The plywood spacers are disposable and can be replaced when too many through cuts are made on them. I checked these vacuum systems out and they are too expensive for me, but they appear to be very nice to have.
wow. thanks for posting the video. I generally make 12 by 14 signs out of PVC and these would allow me to cut stock which is very close to the final size. Anything you have learned using these?
i just ordered them at $27 and then went to Amazon for the pump. That is the pricey part at $120. I am figuring I will pay for it with stock savings since I will have less PVC waste which is $100 per sheet.
Second upgrade to the vacuum system. As originally designed, the vacuum clamp pods were to be daisy chained together. I wanted more flexibility, so using some PVC components, I made a vacuum manifold with individual valves. I found that there were too many leaks in the system and that the pods would not maintain a strong vacuum. I came across an item on Amazon, normally used in aquariums, but was perfect for my needs. Best part is that it cost less than $4.00. It is a steel manifold with built in valves. I replaced the PVC manifold with this one, and ran several tests. It works perfectly, and I can now control each clamp pod individually while maintaining a strong vacuum on each pod. Here are a couple of photos:
