segovia
Established Member
is there an equivalent system on the market to the festool Vacuum clamp?
Is it worth the money ?
John
Is it worth the money ?
John
Festool Vacuum Clamping
- Thread starter segovia
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Steve Maskery
Established Member
There are a number of companies offering similar technology. I went to the Nuremburg show a couple of years ago before Festool launched theirs and the place was awash with equivalent systems. Just how many have a presence in the UK, I don't know, and I can't remember their names, but there certainly are others.
They do what they say on the tin. I visited a place that did a lot of doors, big doors. They were road-testing the Festool one and swore by it. I had a go. Easy to use, would hold a house.
As to whether they are worth the money, only you can answer that.
Cheers
Steve
They do what they say on the tin. I visited a place that did a lot of doors, big doors. They were road-testing the Festool one and swore by it. I had a go. Easy to use, would hold a house.
As to whether they are worth the money, only you can answer that.
Cheers
Steve
Chems
Established Member
What are you meant to use them for exactly?
You can make your own if you are keen. There is also a guy on the festool owners group for um who has started a thread about making his own.
I have the Festool vacsys - it was a big investment as I am a one man shop but it is absolutely fantastic - I am so used to it now I would not be without it - it saves me a huge amount of time for many tasks. If you can afford it I don't think you would regret it but I have too many euros invested in the system to really give you a fair appraisal - two vac base units plus 6 suction pads - but I just completed a rush job for a set of 30 + cupboard doors on which the time I saved easily paid for it all.
Richard
I have the Festool vacsys - it was a big investment as I am a one man shop but it is absolutely fantastic - I am so used to it now I would not be without it - it saves me a huge amount of time for many tasks. If you can afford it I don't think you would regret it but I have too many euros invested in the system to really give you a fair appraisal - two vac base units plus 6 suction pads - but I just completed a rush job for a set of 30 + cupboard doors on which the time I saved easily paid for it all.
Richard
segovia
Established Member
richard.selwyn":4hyuje6h said:
Holding work on the bench for scraping - sanding - planing whatever
segovia
Established Member
Steve Maskery":1jv5t7x8 said:
Doscornio nice system but more of less same price as Festool - thanks
segovia
Established Member
If I could get a vacuum pump at a reasonable price it would be worth looking at making my own clamps - should be easy enough to convert it into a movable jig like festool - if only I could find a pumps supplier in the UK - practically non existent.
J
J
chipchaser
Established Member
Hi John,
Are you looking for something like this?
Siemens ELMO-G Vacuum Pump £235 plus delivery on ebay Item number: 160476574965
Aidan, The Tiddles, had one on here a year or so ago for £100 and I found a 0.5kw one at the same time local to me for £50 so they are about. Mine was s/h from a dental surgery but it runs quietly and will probably outlast me. When I get a bigger workshop I intend to use it to power a vacuum work table and a vacuum chuck for my lathe. The spigots on mine are 1.1/2” and accept standard push fit plastic waste pipe. The person I bought mine from also had new, made in Taiwan or thereabouts, furnace blowers the turbine/fan part of which looked very similar but were made in yellow plastic and had a connection for the outlet only. No idea whether it would be worth the trouble of adapting one.
If you Google for vacuum chucks you should find a couple of folks who have used vacuum cleaners or shopvacs to provide the “suck”. I believe most of these appliances use the air sucked in to cool the motor so they need a bleed to allow enough through to stop the motor melting. My shopvac easily picks up pieces of wood but it is very noisy and after sacrificing some of the suction to the cooling bleed may not be satisfactory for continuous use? If there is one that takes in cooling air separately from the vacuum part it might be worth trying. However, the Elmo-G pumps appear on ebay fairly often.
Graham
Are you looking for something like this?
Siemens ELMO-G Vacuum Pump £235 plus delivery on ebay Item number: 160476574965
Aidan, The Tiddles, had one on here a year or so ago for £100 and I found a 0.5kw one at the same time local to me for £50 so they are about. Mine was s/h from a dental surgery but it runs quietly and will probably outlast me. When I get a bigger workshop I intend to use it to power a vacuum work table and a vacuum chuck for my lathe. The spigots on mine are 1.1/2” and accept standard push fit plastic waste pipe. The person I bought mine from also had new, made in Taiwan or thereabouts, furnace blowers the turbine/fan part of which looked very similar but were made in yellow plastic and had a connection for the outlet only. No idea whether it would be worth the trouble of adapting one.
If you Google for vacuum chucks you should find a couple of folks who have used vacuum cleaners or shopvacs to provide the “suck”. I believe most of these appliances use the air sucked in to cool the motor so they need a bleed to allow enough through to stop the motor melting. My shopvac easily picks up pieces of wood but it is very noisy and after sacrificing some of the suction to the cooling bleed may not be satisfactory for continuous use? If there is one that takes in cooling air separately from the vacuum part it might be worth trying. However, the Elmo-G pumps appear on ebay fairly often.
Graham
