I made some vacuum clamps over the winter and I really like them. It only takes me about 3 seconds to change from one part to another.
Normally when I sand I would hold the parts with one hand while sanding/routing with the other hand. Or, I might secure the work piece between bench dogs with a vice. Or I might clamp the part to the table, but I would have to unclamp/reclamp to get to the entire edge/surface. All these methods take more time than using a vacuum clamp. And the clamp can mar the wood.
Here are some short videos showing a few setups..
Materials: I used 2" alum pipe and these clamps:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00387G1VY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004STXULU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
3/4" thick HDPE plastic was used to make various shapes of vacuum fixtures (pods). I purchased the plastic from a local source who had some small cutoffs. . Some pods have foam on both sides with a through hole so the pod vacuum clamps to the table and to the material. Some pods were screwed to a plate with a steel sleeve welded to it so the sleeve could be mounted on top of the alum pipe. I used 1/4" tubing, high density foam for gasket material, foot pedal and check vales from joewoodworker.com. I bought other quick disconnect fittings from amazon. they aren't the best quality though. I also bought a used vacuum pump but you could use a venturi vacuum pump with your air compressor.
BTW - I got the idea from the Barth vakuusyst 3.15. It is really nice but cost over $2.3K.https://rangate.com/products/barth-vakuusyst-315
Enjoy!
Normally when I sand I would hold the parts with one hand while sanding/routing with the other hand. Or, I might secure the work piece between bench dogs with a vice. Or I might clamp the part to the table, but I would have to unclamp/reclamp to get to the entire edge/surface. All these methods take more time than using a vacuum clamp. And the clamp can mar the wood.
Here are some short videos showing a few setups..
Materials: I used 2" alum pipe and these clamps:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00387G1VY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004STXULU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
3/4" thick HDPE plastic was used to make various shapes of vacuum fixtures (pods). I purchased the plastic from a local source who had some small cutoffs. . Some pods have foam on both sides with a through hole so the pod vacuum clamps to the table and to the material. Some pods were screwed to a plate with a steel sleeve welded to it so the sleeve could be mounted on top of the alum pipe. I used 1/4" tubing, high density foam for gasket material, foot pedal and check vales from joewoodworker.com. I bought other quick disconnect fittings from amazon. they aren't the best quality though. I also bought a used vacuum pump but you could use a venturi vacuum pump with your air compressor.
BTW - I got the idea from the Barth vakuusyst 3.15. It is really nice but cost over $2.3K.https://rangate.com/products/barth-vakuusyst-315
Enjoy!
