I splurged on a luxury purchase to see if the vac-sys will transform my work-holding as it has for some people.
I'm planning on using it with the Excel 5 pump, but in the meantime I had a venturi-based kit from veneersupplies/JoeWW that I built several years ago. It is the V2, which is relatively small (1.2 cfm) but does pull a max. of 25.5" of Hg. I used it with my Rolair JC10, and as has been mentioned here before, the only part needed was a Parker RF-254-4MP fitting ($4) to attach the vac-sys SE1 clamp push-pull fitting to the venturi system.
Holding power is excellent. While holding a piece of melamine in the clamp and the clamp suctioning itself to a melamine base, the venturi switches on approximately every 3 minutes for 10 seconds to recharge the vacuum (I may have a small leak in my kit as well). This was much less if the clamp was clamped down to the bench instead of using suction. Since the venturi used in the JoeWW kits is extremely quiet, the recharge is hardly bothersome. Just a bit of air/radio static that feels to my ears much less than the advertised 68db. Way less bothersome than my Fein vacs at lowest setting or the Rolair. The Rolair also comes on occasionally, maybe once every 5-10 minutes for 10-20 seconds.
After switching off the venturi (to simulate loss of power), I couldn't yank off a piece of sanded pine until 8 minutes had elapsed. This is presumably due to the reservoirs used in the JoeWW kits.
All in all, it seems these auto-cycling venturi-based kits are a budget-friendly option to use with the Festool vac-sys clamps. The V2 Plus kit uses a higher airflow venturi for a very similar price if your compressor can handle it, but the Rolair JC10 is too small for that one.
I'm planning on using it with the Excel 5 pump, but in the meantime I had a venturi-based kit from veneersupplies/JoeWW that I built several years ago. It is the V2, which is relatively small (1.2 cfm) but does pull a max. of 25.5" of Hg. I used it with my Rolair JC10, and as has been mentioned here before, the only part needed was a Parker RF-254-4MP fitting ($4) to attach the vac-sys SE1 clamp push-pull fitting to the venturi system.
Holding power is excellent. While holding a piece of melamine in the clamp and the clamp suctioning itself to a melamine base, the venturi switches on approximately every 3 minutes for 10 seconds to recharge the vacuum (I may have a small leak in my kit as well). This was much less if the clamp was clamped down to the bench instead of using suction. Since the venturi used in the JoeWW kits is extremely quiet, the recharge is hardly bothersome. Just a bit of air/radio static that feels to my ears much less than the advertised 68db. Way less bothersome than my Fein vacs at lowest setting or the Rolair. The Rolair also comes on occasionally, maybe once every 5-10 minutes for 10-20 seconds.
After switching off the venturi (to simulate loss of power), I couldn't yank off a piece of sanded pine until 8 minutes had elapsed. This is presumably due to the reservoirs used in the JoeWW kits.
All in all, it seems these auto-cycling venturi-based kits are a budget-friendly option to use with the Festool vac-sys clamps. The V2 Plus kit uses a higher airflow venturi for a very similar price if your compressor can handle it, but the Rolair JC10 is too small for that one.
