Official Luthiers Forum!

Been thinking about buying a vacuum clamp system. The one I've been looking at is from Lee Valley. http://www.leevalley.com/en/Wood/page.a ... at=1,43838

Just looking for some advice on what to buy, and if there's even really a need for such a system, and what everyone uses theirs for.

Reading their blurb always sounds nice & then the pic shows you some example that can easily be done in a vice. I think you have to really imagine how you would use them before you buy.
I do a fair bit of vac bag veneering and have from time to time needed some kind of a vac clamp but that is not the one I could use. I have the vac bridge clamp & like it.
MM

_________________
Mike McNerney

Another clamp system that I was looking at was on http://www.clampusystems.com/SS-Venturi.html

The problem is that I don't think they'll ship to Canada, and if they do, by the time I get it shipped it will probably be well over $100.

I was hoping to use the vac clamps to hold the guitar while scraping, routing binding, etc. After watching Robbie O'Briens tip du jour, it seems a vacuum clamp would take a lot of aggravation out of working alone and always rigging clamps to hold my guitar.

Has anyone used such a clamp for these jobs? Will the vacuum keep suction on wood with the pores?

Pores- yes, holes- no.

It's much cheaper to get vacuum gasket from somewhere like Allstar Adhesives, or McMaster Carr, and make your own clamps. They're just a piece of wood/mdf/acrylic/ABS/whatever's in the shop with a hole in it and a slot for the gasket. You don't even need fittings, you can drill a vacuum hole a bit bigger than your hose and just use an o-ring around the hose to make a seal (good tip from Stuart Gort, there).

I like the Venturis from Vaccon, I think they're the best. They ship to Canada, or have a distributor here. I don't remember how the pricing was, but I thought I was really low when I bought my Venturis from them.

_________________
Bob Garrish
Former Canonized Purveyor of Fine CNC Luthier Services

My Acme Leaks-A-Lot Vac rig requires a lot of clamps around the frame and a continually running pump but It gets the job done with plenty of squeeze out.
Btw, first time I fired it up to see what it would do, I wrecked the bathroom scale.

I tried searching but can't find Stuart Gort's hose connection tip.
I like the price point.
Can you elaborate Bob?

If you put an o-ring on your hose and push it into a hole, it'll make a good enough seal to hold your vacuum. Because it's vacuum, the hose will pull itself into the hole and hold itself there alright.

All you need is a hose, an o-ring that fits on it, and a drill just a bit smaller than the outer diameter of the O-ring.

I'm a big fan of push-fit connectors, and they're really cheap at Princess Auto (~$1 apiece), but I do hate having to tap NPT threads for them. Inside those, though, it's just an O-ring and a ring of 'teeth' that hold the hose in.

_________________
Bob Garrish
Former Canonized Purveyor of Fine CNC Luthier Services