I have an adapter for vacuum chucking on my DVR. The thing is basically a sealed bearing and a shaft which fit into the handwheel. The included information states that it is to be used with a vacuum cleaner as a vacuum source. Has anyone rigged one up to use a proper vacuum pump and what are the specific requirements/alterations to do, if it can be done?
Thanks
I haven't. I use a high-lift vacuum. But others have, it has been discussed on the MSN Nova e-mail group. As I recall, you attach the vacuum to the shaft, but COVER the holes (most vacuums use air-flow to cool the motor). I'm fairly certain it's also touched on someplace in the Teknatool documentation
The first time I read the subject, I pictured a digital video recorder spinning on a lathe, thinking... "wow, that's a strong vacuum chuck."
I use a vacuum pump on mine. I epoxied a fitting into the hollow shaft, filled in the holes on the shaft and screwed a quick-connect male fitting into the fitting. The vacuum tube ends in a "T". one side with the female quick-connect fitting and a fine tuning valve on the outer side. This allows me to bleed in air to adjust the amount of vacuum I want for the particular item being chucked. It works very well. I only remove the fitting if I have to knock out a tapered fitting from the headstock.
BTW, do you have the sheet metal stand? It sucks. Chips cannot fall through and I have to constantly clean out between the ways. I'm thinking about making cutouts to allow them to fall through.
Thanks. That's what I wanted to know.
No, I don't have the stand. I'm making my own.
Good. My 3000 sits up on doubled 3/4 plywood pads at the mounting points. Makes cleaning a _lot_ easier. I tried rigging my dust collection between the ways, but found out it worked better for me to attach the hood with magnets where I was generating dust. My hand and the crevice tool handle underneath.
Hi Ralph, I don't want to use a vacuum cleaner. They are too noisy. I already have a pump and fittings so I just want to use those. Gerald says he has done this successfully so that's the way I'll go.
Hi Bill, I was in the process of building a system for my old lathe which is now sold. I've gone through your site before and found it very helpfull. I'll be checking it out again to make sure I get things right.
Gerald, That's exactly what I did for my Craftsman. I also like to slide my tools down there for convenience at times. The DVR seems to have even less clearance than the Craftsman so I'll be jacking it up some for sure. I'm taking my time (somewhat) to build a proper bench that will be stable, useable, and will not twist the bed of the lathe. My Craftsman was my first big lathe on which I experimented, if you will, with bench height, etc. My DVR is the "good" lathe that will hopefully benefit from what I've learned on the Craftsman.
I think I've got all the information I needed. Thanks to all of you for your help.
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