Vacuum

[wberminio]

I have 16.9hp Regenerative Blower
Is the 4 zone plenum supplied by Shopbot suffiecent
or should I add more zones for versatility

I know there is much written about this/using Fein
vacs but not much for my system.I would apprecate
any in put.

I'm almost part of the club

Thanks

[Brady Watson]

Erminio,
Just to illustrate how versatile and equally nebulous the whole subject of vacuum can be, I'll ask you this: I have a pair of Levis jeans. Will they fit everyone?

So in regards to your vacuum system, the Regen is a very nice unit. Using a 4-zone grid will be adequate for many different sized parts, and ideal for most cabinet components. When you start getting down below the 1 square foot area range, you may have some difficulty keeping parts held down. This depends on how much cutting force you are excerting on the part and the square footage of the part. In many cases, making what I call a vacuum mask, you can direct the vacuum only to places where you really need it. If you read the last 'Brady's Tricks' that I posted on the main ShopBot webpage, you'll see how you can make your own fixtures for small parts, and create setups that let you cut parts faster without worrying about things breaking loose.

There is a key element in vacuum that not many really grasp. It is YOU & YOUR observation skills and research that make all the difference in the world whether or not your vacuum is going to do the job or not. I'm not sure if this is pure laziness (certainly not implying this is the case with your question), or they just didn't try hard enough to make it work. After spending hours and hours working with various vacuum setups, there are very few parts that cannot be successfully held down. I think that you have an excellent foundation for a vacuum system, just keep in mind that the biggest challenge is going to be understanding how to leverage the most you can from that unit. That will take some time to figure out.

-B

[wberminio]

Brady

Thanks for your advise.I've looked at your system
and its seems that has the versatility that I need.
I'm still not sure if I should add more zones,
at this point. before I go on.
I need to cut full sheets as well as small parts.

[wberminio]

Brady

I like the versatility of your system.
But, I'm still unclear about how many zones I need.
Are 4 zones adequate?Will more zones make my system more useful/practical?
I cut ply /solid wood in various sizes.

[Brady Watson]

Erminio,
When setting up a system like yours, just do the following:

1) Attach a support board (MDF, ply etc) to the table using carriage bolts.

2) GLUE a piece of MDF to the support board and then machine your 4-zone grid into it.

3) Lay a sheet of Trupan on top of the grid and run some foil tape around the perimeter of the Trupan & MDF as a sealant. You now have a universal vacuum setup with 4 zones.

4) If you find yourself needing to cut smaller parts, remove the Trupan bleeder and make either a vacuum 'mask' that lays right on top of the grid out of anything (masonite, MDF, acrylic etc), or construct a BradyVac II fixture that lays right on top of the grid.

Now you have the best of all worlds.

-B

[beacon14]

Erminio,

4 zones is plenty. If you keep a few scraps of 1/4" non-porous material around you can easily cover any unused areas of a zone, effectively creating whatever sized zone you need - plus the 1/4" mask can be used to help keep small parts from sliding. I made an 8 zone table and more often than not it's just twice as many valves to turn off or on. Next time I'll go with the simplicity and lower cost of 4 zones.

David B.

[wberminio]

Thanks David and Brady

I really appreciate our help as I negotiate these
new,uncharted,waters(for me anyway).
I've looked over your methods and I believe a hybrid
of both your ideas will work for me.

PS Dave-please let me know about your cams

Grazie

Erminio