Will Vac Sys eliminate the need for a traditional vise?

[Chris Cianci]

Hi Will the vac Sys hold material well enough for hand planing , chopping w a chisel for say hand cut dove tails and other physically demanding work there by eliminating the need for a traditional wood working vise?

 

[DavidCBaker]

I have both. I'd say that as long as the piece of wood you are holding is smooth, it will be good enough for hand planing, but not for chopping/cutting w/ a chisel. Remember that the connection it makes is a pliable rubber/vinyl, and that'll move a bit. It's a remarkable piece of kit, but it doesn't replace a vise.

 

[ChuckM]

While you can certainly find a way (sometimes cumbersome) to use a vac system (e.g. more than one suction unit to hold a long board for edge planing) to handle the flat type of traditional woodworking, unless you have a concealed room and a big compressor, the compressor noise may be quite an annoying factor -- at least to me. In short, a bench vise is indispensable.

 

[Birdhunter]

Definitely not.

 

[Peter_C]

What happens when you want to work with a small piece that is say 2"x3"? A vise is good to have for metal projects and many other things along the way. Hmmm...two types of vises are good to have!

Do you have a solid work bench or an MFT?

 

[cpw]

I do not have a vice, but I have an MFT and Vac Sys and feel qualified enough to say no.  I like the Vac Sys for some operations like sanding, because it is very easy to flip things, and there is no futzing around with the ratchet clamps or clamping elements in the right holes.  However, if I could only have one, I would pick the clamping elements/ratchet clamps.  The vac sys can't hold everything.  It can be too small, too big (so there is too much leverage), have holes in the middle, not be flat.  Other clamping solutions will handle those difficulties - possibly with some annoyance, but in my experience the vac sys will not [or the work arounds would be harder than just using clamps in the first place].

 

[Chris Cianci]

What happens when you want to work with a small piece that is say 2"x3"? A vise is good to have for metal projects and many other things along the way. Hmmm...two types of vises are good to have!

Do you have a solid work bench or an MFT?

I have 2 MFTs and a 5’ x5’ MFT top  bench that I built w a Zyliss vise attached I’m a Hobbyist and so far for the projects I’ve done it’s worked for me. Perhaps I’m just looking for reasons to justify a Vac Sys purchase for myself

 

[DavidCBaker]

What happens when you want to work with a small piece that is say 2"x3"? A vise is good to have for metal projects and many other things along the way. Hmmm...two types of vises are good to have!

Do you have a solid work bench or an MFT?

I have 2 MFTs and a 5’ x5’ MFT top  bench that I built w a Zyliss vise attached I’m a Hobbyist and so far for the projects I’ve done it’s worked for me. Perhaps I’m just looking for reasons to justify a Vac Sys purchase for myself

I'm not sorry I bought mine. I absolutely love it.

 

[martin felder]

One other advantage of a vice (coupled with a workbench slave aka deadman) is that this is a nice setup for working on the edges of things like doors or a tabletop.

 

[Peter_C]

I have 2 MFTs and a 5’ x5’ MFT top  bench that I built w a Zyliss vise attached I’m a Hobbyist and so far for the projects I’ve done it’s worked for me. Perhaps I’m just looking for reasons to justify a Vac Sys purchase for myself

How about this, we work from the perspective of why you would want a Vac Sys setup. "Because it's cool". Lets say you want to take a grinder like an RAS and do some art work on a board. You don't see a painter working on their art either completely horizontal or vertical...no, their canvas has a nice angle on it. Well the Vac Sys can do that!

You already have a vise...

 

[grbmds]

The short answer, for me, is the VacSys won't replace a vise. The VacSys is a great tool. I love mine and use it to hold boards, etc. for sanding gluing, template routing, and other work that is helped by having 360 degree access to the board. It is like another set of hands. However, I don't think it would replace a vise for hand planing, chiseling out mortises and other chiseling work. For this work, you would want something that is designed to take pounding and the stress that a vise is. Just my opinion. If you already have a vise, don't get rid of it.

 

[WestMan_Canada]

In my view the Vac Sys is a "production" tool most useful for people that are doing alot of repetive work on small- to mid-size boards; the lead case for this would be building drawers using dominos esp if you are routing the pieces individually.
The holding power is depends on the smoothness / flatness of the workpiece - its very good with MDF or melmine.

 

[Jiggy Joiner]

A vice, in my opinion, is a must have in any workshop regardless of what other tools are in there.
We have woodwork and metalwork vices, and couldn’t be without them.
The Vac Sys is still an awesome piece of kit though, and one of the many extra special tools that Festool provide.

 

[Chris Cianci]

Hi
I appreciate all the FOG feedback......I love this group
Best