Extrusions & Pods for Powerstick Vac Holddown

[gerryv]

I have a Buddy 48 alpha with a 12" Z and 2', 4' and 8' power-sticks. I expect to be switching back and forth between these quite a lot at this point and my ol' ticker doesn't appreciate me trying to manoeuvre heavy, spoil board tables on and off and on again. The longest power-stick is heavy even before adding a vac. table.

I'm wondering if anyone had tried T-bolting slideable vac pods onto aluminum extrusions that would then be T-bolted to the power-stick(s) in whatever position is suitable for that job.

- The tubing could easily be run in the power-stick slots.

- Because height is not an issue with the 12" Z. I could make the pods quite tall to minimize the risk of cutting into the power-sticks or extrusions.

- The pod-extrusion assemblies would be very light by comparison and could be switched between power-sticks.

- The cost of materials and labour might well add up to less than building conventional tables for each of the power-sticks and resurfacing and table distortion should be a thing of the past.

Has anyone done this or considered it?

[Brady Watson]

I've done it both ways on my BT48. I built an aluminum manifold that bolted in from underneath for use with a Fein vac & have also made hi Hg / low CFM pods that were attached topside. It boils down to what you need. In my shop I needed both depending on the parts I needed to hold down. If I could offer any advice, it would be to keep your table setup as versatile as possible. This is why I came up with the BradyVac plenum system - so that I could still screw or bolt things down if required.

-B

[gerryv]

Yeah, the Brady Vac sure is a flexible, cost effective and proven way to go. Just wish that I was 30 years younger without a "ticker" that gives me grief! These days even a 2x4 is starting to feel heavy (chuckle).

Maybe it's time for me to say sell the big Buddy and get a desktop. That's not grumbling because the alternative to getting old is a heck of a lot worse!