Vacuum Table - piping

[tri4sale]

I'm working on setting up a vacuum table on my PRS 48x96 and have been reading up, but one thing I've not seen (may have missed it) is the size of piping to use under the table. 4" seems really big to use, so is 3" or 2" better to use?

[Brady Watson]

3" for the manifold. 2" for everything else.

Loud pipes save lives...:eek::D

-B

[Simops]

Brady, does it have to be 3" for the manifold? Can you get away with having everything 2"??

Cheers

[bleeth]

I first used 1 1/2" and it worked but the improvement when I changed all to 2" was dramatic. My blower has a 2" inlet and outlet. The all 2" has worked for me, but, for all I know, if I increased the volume of air in the pipe more with 3" lead in and manifold it might improve even more. My blower is 16' from my table so there is a pretty substantial volume involved.

[Brady Watson]

Brady, does it have to be 3" for the manifold? Can you get away with having everything 2"??


'get away with'...yes - but at the cost of airflow due to pump cavitation unless you are running a low CFM pump. If you have something that moves a decent amount of air, (Let's say over 150 CFM), then you should have the larger pipe on the manifold. The larger diameter of the 3" makes up for all of those bends & tee's that restrict flow.

If you pop the hood of your car/truck, and take a look at the intake manifold, you'll see that there is a large breadbox intake with smaller runners coming off of it. Same idea here. The form factor of the 3" also plays well with the SB frame (on gantry tools anyway) since you can run 2 hose clamps around it and the lower 3x5 crossmember to secure it pretty well. If only using 2", you'd have to come up with your own idea.

On a BT tool, 2" should be fine as there really isn't that much surface area to deal with anyway, unless you are running a long powerstick. 2 smaller vac sources, like Lighthouse et al, would be fine running 2" underneath with a longer stick. Stock 32 or 48" tables are fine with one vac source. I had good results running 1x3x1/8" wall AL rect tubing underneath to clear all the rollers + some plumbing parts (P-trap etc) on my BT48. It worked very well.

-B

[tri4sale]

Does it make a difference if you are using Fein vacs as the vacuum?

[Brady Watson]

If using a Turbo I or II with the small dia hose, probably not too much. The Turbo III uses a 2" (2.27" OD) hose & necking it down definitely does restrict airflow.

-B

[ntraub01]

Question...

I completely understand that the volume of air moved is significantly dependent upon the diameter of the piping used to move said volume of air...BUT, in a vacuum table isn't the volume of air constantly decreasing because of the fact that we are trying to establish a vacuum???

Ultimately, if we are able to establish a 100% vacuum within our system there won't be any air movement. I also know that in reality establishing a complete vacuum is very difficult and nearly impossible to maintain because the materials we typically use are porous and will allow some air into the system which will need to be evacuated to maintain the vacuum.

With that being said, yes we need to use piping of some significance just so we can easily evacuate the existing air and establish the initial vacuum. I used 2" schedule 40 PVC throughout the system and it takes no more than 2 seconds to pull a vacuum that is adequate to hold a 6"x6" piece of material. Honestly, doesn't the size of the piping depend upon how much "cut though" one is typically going to experience while milling a sheet of material? If you are going to make a significant number of smaller pieces I would guess you would need larger piping to handle the additional air entering the system.

We can also minimize the amount of air entering the vacuum system by using downcut spiral bits to help close the "cut through".

Another thing that is very important is to engineer a way to completely bypass the plenum and open the system so the motors can breath freely and cool themselves. My cut cycles typically range from 10-30 minutes each and if I don't allow my motors to breath freely between cycles they will become heat soaked and quickly reach their point of failure. I do have a relief valve plumbed into the systems to help cool the motors while they are under load, but that volume is not adequate to shed the built up heat between cut cycles.

Just by 50 cents worth!

Nicholas

[Simops]

Brady, I'm looking seriously at a 2200watt 240VAC single phase 3hp Regen blower (my power availability to the shop dictates). I only want to hook vac to my 48" x 48" buddy table to better cut al. So a penny for your thoughts on tubing size?

Also just want to clarify......when you say manifold, that's not referring to the flange that goes into the table....right? It's something additional (got a photo of one?).......in fact do I need a manifold at all?

Cheers

[Brady Watson]

Marc,
CFM is inversely proportional to suction (Hg") as the pump operates. The pump moves the most air at 0 Hg" and the least (ideally 0 CFM) at max Hg". You want to make sure that your pump can run in free-air through your plumbing with the minimal of restriction or you be building vacuum with NOTHING on the table due to restriction and or friction in the tubes before the air gets to the pump. When in doubt, go bigger. This is especially true on low CFM pumps where people use 1/8" spaghetti tubing that totally chokes airflow & prevents the pump from ever creating a good seal to pull the part down & 'get over the hump'. It is a simple matter of displacement.

Mike,
You only need a manifold if you plan on distributing the vacuum to multiple zones. Gate or ball valves are typically part of a vacuum manifold...just like your intake manifold on your car with each runner going to an individual cylinder & intake valve.

I have no idea how to advise you on your plumbing and pump from the data you provided. Please chime in with rated airflow and max suction rating - or a 'pump map' (like a turbo) - as these are the only meaningful numbers to figure out what you need & what you'll get.

-B

[carlcnc]

"just my 50 cents worth"

Dang
I even under price that !
thought I was making bank at 5cents LOL

[tri4sale]

If using a Turbo I or II with the small dia hose, probably not too much. The Turbo III uses a 2" (2.27" OD) hose & necking it down definitely does restrict airflow.

-B

Just checked, they are Fein III's and the vac hose fits right in a 2 inch PVC I had. It's loose so will need to figure a way for a tight fit.

Going to run 4 zones on a 48x96 table, with 2 zones per Fein III.

So I should be good running 2" PVC pipes for everything. Setting up table as such:

------------------
| - - - - | - - - - |
| - - - - | - - - - |
| - Z3 - | - Z4 - |
| - - - - | - - - - |
| - - - - | - - - - |
------------------
| - - - - | - - - - |
| - - - - | - - - - |
| - Z1 - | - Z2 - |
| - - - - | - - - - |
| - - - - | - - - - |
------------------

Plan having Z1 and Z2 on one Fein III, and Z3 and Z4 on the second Fein III. I plan on linking Z1 and Z2 together for when cutting smaller boards only have to use one Vac. Any reason I should not do this and link Z1 and Z3 / Z2 and Z4?

[Brady Watson]

It depends on what you are cutting. Try to make it as interchangable/dynamic as possible in the event you get a job that needs 2 Feins in a 2x4' area to make up for airflow loss. The Fein T3 hose easily connects to PVC with a rubber coupling for a secure seal.

2 Feins = 2x the airflow, but the same max suction as one Fein. So you'll have about 250 CFM and 7.3 Hg". Get yourself a gauge (cheap automotive one is fine etc) so that you can tell what is really going on with your parts on the table.

-B

[tri4sale]

It depends on what you are cutting. Try to make it as interchangable/dynamic as possible in the event you get a job that needs 2 Feins in a 2x4' area to make up for airflow loss. -B

OK, didn't think about running the 2 Feins to one zone.

So, if I run the 4 zones back to a on/off valve center, with an on/off valve for each zone, and then run that to a "T" connector to the Feins, with a valve there to shut off access to the second Fein when not in use.

Does that seem good, enables me to run 1 or 2 Fein's, and go to any or all zones as needed.

[Brady Watson]

I don't know what you are cutting - but that sounds like it will be OK. Flexibility is the key for those one-off jobs - so that you don't have to scramble to configure what you should have done from day one. There's no wrong way & no 'ideal' setup for everyone. Give it a try & make adjustments as you see fit. Get a gauge on there to give you some feedback.

-B

[Simops]

Mike,
You only need a manifold if you plan on distributing the vacuum to multiple zones. Gate or ball valves are typically part of a vacuum manifold...just like your intake manifold on your car with each runner going to an individual cylinder & intake valve.

I have no idea how to advise you on your plumbing and pump from the data you provided. Please chime in with rated airflow and max suction rating - or a 'pump map' (like a turbo) - as these are the only meaningful numbers to figure out what you need & what you'll get.

-B

Brady......I only have metric specs on this Regen blower....
Max Flow 260 m3/hr
Max Vac -230mbar
Max Pr 290mbar

The idea is to split my 4 x 4 table into two zones horizontally although cutting my alum sheets would mainly cover about 3/4 of the full table. Reason for horizontal is that I have swapped my default X and Y so that across the buddy it's X not Y for my particular setup. This means that the flanges into the table will have to be offset to stay in the area between rollers and powerstick.

Cheers

[Brady Watson]

Max Flow 260 m3/hr = 153.030222 cubic feet per minute (CFM)
Max Vac -230mbar = 6.79 inches of mercury (Hg")

The idea is to split my 4 x 4 table into two zones horizontally although cutting my alum sheets would mainly cover about 3/4 of the full table. Reason for horizontal is that I have swapped my default X and Y so that across the buddy it's X not Y for my particular setup. This means that the flanges into the table will have to be offset to stay in the area between rollers and powerstick.



These numbers are similar to a Fein Turbo III (126 CFM; 7.3 Hg"), so it should work pretty well, although I would prefer to have at least 9 Hg" these days since vacuum diminishes quickly when you cut all the way through. Be sure to search on the 'onion skin technique'.

I would put enough zones of a 'divisible' size so that your most common materials can fit over full zones without the need for plastic block offs over areas that you can't turn off. In other words, if you had a 4x2' area and your sheet sizes run 32x24, you would have to put a 12x24" block off plate of sorts to keep vacuum from leaking out of that area.

Nobody says your table has to have symmetrical zones. I would give it careful thought and put in zones that completely cover the material you are going to cut, or multiple zones that work out to cover the same area. (E.G. - One 32x24 zone OR two 16x24 zones etc)

Make sense?

-B

[Simops]

Makes sense Brady.....very helpful.

Now that I seem to have found an appropriate motor that can be powered in my workshop without breaking the bank in case it goes belly up I'm more confident to further this project.

Brady one last question, though, before I leave you alone.
Any advantage in feeding a zone (48 x 24) with two vac outputs (2 flanges) either side of powerstick hooked up together to the one valve......or is one offset between one side of powerstick and rollers sufficient? Thinking of balance here?

Cheers

[Brady Watson]

Yes, there is an improvement in airflow to the zone if it is fed from more than one zone. However, it is important to note that your success with hold down has more to do with how you use the vacuum you have, than the vacuum source itself. Try to track down and eliminate as much leakage as you can when your material is sitting over the zone. The less leakage (airflow) you have, the better the part will be held down & the less important plumbing & multiple ports become. Suction will be strongest near the port - but there comes a point where this doesn't matter too much if you have a good seal.

Experience is the best teacher...go try it on & see what you come up with. It should be easy enough to add a couple of zones without too much fuss later on.

-B

[Simops]

Thanks Brady....I'll buy the blower and report my successes later........

Ciao!

[Simops]

Thanks Brady....I'll buy the blower and report my successes later........

Ciao!

Ok got the blower.....$USD620 delivered door to door.
Now researching and collating the plumbing......

Cheers

[scottp55]

Congrats Michael.

[Simops]

Don't congrats me yet Scott.....still a way to go.......the design is embedded in my brain but got to get the rest of the bits to make it work!! I'll start a new thread in the Buddy section when the time comes......I'm committed now to see it through...

Cheers

[scottp55]

Yeah, but at least you have the physical piece now so you can start placing and trying stuff! Kind of hard to plan accurately until you got it.
"one measurement is worth a thousand opinions":)

[Ajcoholic]

Mike,
I received my blower as well. It didnt have a starter on it - and I am still waiting for the electricians to run the cable from my 3 phase panel to the vac, and mount the starter & disconnect.

I have decided to try and plumb mine with 2" ID piping. I have the PVC, and fittings, and the iron parts to get the 2 1/2" NPT input down to the PVC. I will be running two zones, but I am not sure yet where I will put my valves, etc.

I am also waiting to get EVERYTHING in before I start plumbing. Hopefully all the bits and pcs will be here in a week to two tops.

What are you doing for a relief valve? After reseaching my options, I opted for a Fuji "vacuum booster". It is designed for vac tables and lifts, where you are not going to have any air flow through the blower at first. To prevent burning out the motor I guess. Supposed to let the blower deveop a high vacuum than a simple bleeder from what they told me.

I have the blower sitting in behind my Buddy. I will run the two lines up with flexible vac hoses to the aluminum rec tubing. I am thinking to put a second valve open to atmosphere up front to release the vac to change material/sheets without turning off the pump. I dont want to have to walk around the machine each time to do it. however it might be easier to plumb it simpler at first, make sure its all working then add other things if necessary.

This is all very exciting though isnt it?? :)

AJC

[Bob Eustace]

I'll bet you had the biggest Meccano set in Canada Andrew! My dad made a press for me and we made a 10 foot model of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It was so strong you could invert it and use it as a see-saw. Andrew your enthusiasm gives new life to all us old guys!

[Ajcoholic]

I'll bet you had the biggest Meccano set in Canada Andrew! My dad made a press for me and we made a 10 foot model of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It was so strong you could invert it and use it as a see-saw. Andrew your enthusiasm gives new life to all us old guys!

Bob, I had a meccano set for sure, but I was more into playing in my dad's shop with wood. My father was too busy with work (even on weekends) but did encourage me to try things myself. He was certainly encouraging, but himself had not enough time to actually do things along side me. Although he was in the shop working when I was hanging around "playing".

This vacuum stuff is going to bring the CNC to the next level I am hoping. For the past 2 1/2 yrs I have been waiting to get this setup. I am sick of clamping sheet stock down - the more I cut the more I want this vac setup done!

I am off for a week starting tomorrow in our 28' camper. Going out to Lake Superior - the largest of the Great Lakes here in Canada. It will be our 5th trip to the same park, around 700 Km from our home. I spent all day today loading up the trailer with food, our other stuff and am just needing to get some rest for the drive tomorrow. I am bringing a sharp pocket knife, a bunch of basswood sticks and a stack of woodworking magazines. I plan to relax, whittle and read - and forget about everything for a week :) No cell phone and email, etc as we will be too far outside of range. We have a day booked on a scenic train outing as well. My son should love that.

Hopefully when we return, I can get back to getting the CNC table plumbed up. I left the electricians a key to the shop and am hoping the pump will be operational upon my return.

AJC

[Simops]

Andrew.....first enjoy your break.....everyone needs a recharge!
I'm lucky in that my employer gives me 9 weeks of annual leave (part of that is because I work on public holidays and longer days that is given to me as time off)......problem is that instead of taking time away I work on my annual leave....ah well....I'd be too bored if I took all that time off anyway:rolleyes:

I'm going basically down your path too with vac.....in my case to cut 2mm aluminium sheet, which is difficult to hold down. I'm going to have 2 zones on my 4 x 4 buddy table. My X & Y axii are reversed (purposely done) so I use the 'front' of my buddy mostly (a 2 x4 area). So 2 zones each 2 x 4 in size with 2 outlets per area going to a valve. Therefore 2 valves to a manifold then a flexible tube to the blower. That's the plan anyway??

Where I bought the blower they are also supplying me a relief valve with filter and a silencer for my model blower. Hoping that the silencer won't restrict the blower??

I'm also going to check out an irrigation supplier to see if I can find an electronic valve that can be controlled remotely......hoping that I can fit the manifold and piping behind the buddy and control the valves in the front where I stand.

Well that's the theory.......yet to realise!

Cheers

[Ajcoholic]

Well good luck with the plumbing... we might be done around the same time.

9 weeks off would kill me. Ill be itching to get back to work by the week's end I am sure.

[scottp55]

Funny that you guys are in the same boat--Half a world apart:)

[Burkhardt]

.....What are you doing for a relief valve? ....

Looks like you found one already? Anyway, I made a relief valve from plywood (on the CNC of course) for my 3hp supercharger roots vacuum gadget that I unfortunately can not use because it is so noisy. The bolt adjusts the spring tension to result in 0 to 15" vacuum. Second picture lower right hand side shows it installed in the skid. That thing was supposed to be mounted under my CNC table until I found out it could double as an air raid siren.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Si1Hc0f43Ig/UQXjhe-u8_I/AAAAAAAADtw/i-ZdSiGBLmw/w680-h853-no/DSC01306.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-uFO2H1IFdSM/UQXji3HFzSI/AAAAAAAADuA/lE2rS1hqf_U/w1024-h824-no/DSC01311.JPG

[Simops]

Mr. G you are an inventor at heart.....no doubt about it........good on ya mate!

[Simops]

Ok doing plumbing design and sourcing.....have a question about piping.

The Regen blower I have has 2" diameter inlet and exhaust. Therefore am I right to say that there is no point in getting all the piping from the table to the blower any bigger than that size? Assuming I'm right then I can source 2" PVC tubing, elbows, joiners and flexible hose (moving Buddy table)? Also getting 2" solenoid valves (should these be closed or open type with power off)?

Planned to have the 4 x 4 table with 2 zones. Each zone with two outlets (or are they inlets?) joined with a Y piece to a valve. As the blower is 2" what should each of these inlets be ......2" as well or less?

Thanks in advance for your advice....
Cheers

[Ajcoholic]

Ok doing plumbing design and sourcing.....have a question about piping.

The Regen blower I have has 2" diameter inlet and exhaust. Therefore am I right to say that there is no point in getting all the piping from the table to the blower any bigger than that size? Assuming I'm right then I can source 2" PVC tubing, elbows, joiners and flexible hose (moving Buddy table)? Also getting 2" solenoid valves (should these be closed or open type with power off)?

Planned to have the 4 x 4 table with 2 zones. Each zone with two outlets (or are they inlets?) joined with a Y piece to a valve. As the blower is 2" what should each of these inlets be ......2" as well or less?

Thanks in advance for your advice....
Cheers

Hey Mike - I am also going to use 2" for everything to try first. I have the 2 1/2" intake bushed down to 2" right at the pump on mine, since 2" fittings I can get here, and I want to try it before I start ordering everything larger.

I think we are doing the same thing, ie, going from one line to a Y, then a flex run to each zone on the moving table.

Just back from holidays...hope to work on mine possibly this week.

[Simops]

Just got my filters and exhaust silencer delivered from China but as expected no instructions.....will have to wing it.

Andrew I won't be able to get stuck into my setup for another week.....

Cheers

[Simops]

I think this is how it goes together....

First pic showing the inlet (suction side).....

Second pic the exhaust side....

[Simops]

Here is second pic.....

[Ajcoholic]

Michael, I got my vac pump operational! The electricians came today and finished wiring it up (along with a few other things they needed to finish up)

I am impressed with this thing! It sounds cool - not too loud but sure moves a ton of air.

UPS is set to deliver the bleeder within a few days... that is the last thing I need to get. Besides the flexible vac hoses. Originally I ordered clear hose with the metal internal reinforcement (which was quite costly). It was on backorder - just got an email. So I cancelled it, and will try some 2" ID vacuum hose I can get faster.

This is exciting! :)

[tri4sale]

Get a gauge on there to give you some feedback.

-B

Finished hooking up the PVC lines, dry fitting everything to make sure it works, and connected to vacs. Fired it all up and can't budge the future MDF spoiler board sitting ontop of my four zoned plenum layer.

I then hooked up a Vacuum Gauge I picked up at the local auto parts store (only one any of the three I stopped at had, 2 didn't have any vacuum gauges) Same as this one off Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Sunpro-CP8213-StyleLine-Mechanical-Vacuum/dp/B000FJVO24

The gauge never moves when I turn vacs on, so not sure if I have an issue with the PVC lines somewhere, or a bad gauge, or even if I have the right type of guage. Any suggestions.

Attached are pics of the valve setup to control 4 zones and if 1 or 2 vacs are running, the connection where the vacuum gauge line connects to PVC pipes, the PVC lines under the bot (ignore the rats nest of wires, thats the next project to clean up on bot), and a picture of the valve. It always sits at the "1" mark even when not hooked to anything.

[Simops]

Andrew.....I got source a flexible 2" hose as well.....still trying....no luck yet:(
Having a non-motion deck sure makes it easier.

Daniel.....have you tried sucking on the hose from the gage to see if it responds....it should as I've done that before when I was repairing an old Link Trainer flight sim!!

Cheers

[Kyle Stapleton]

You want a different gage, one that reads hg.
http://www.amazon.com/2-Inch-Bottom-Mount-Vacuum-Gauge/dp/B002ZJ4UKU

[scottp55]

Thanks Kyle, just ordered.
Is there any 1 supplier (mail order) that might have 1/4" supplies for a Desktop set-up that has a catalog for idiots. No transport and getting tired of going to hardware store/auto supply store only to find they don't have/carry/know what I'm talking about. Does a Home Depot carry enough stuff so I could bring the little vac pump there and actually assemble start to finish with the actual items?
I always wind up returning brass as I'm kinda lost buying it piecemeal with a poor selection. Much better at hands on so I don't forget stuff or get thread adapters wrong. Thanks

[Tim Lucas]

Thanks Kyle, just ordered.
Is there any 1 supplier (mail order) that might have 1/4" supplies for a Desktop set-up that has a catalog for idiots. No transport and getting tired of going to hardware store/auto supply store only to find they don't have/carry/know what I'm talking about. Does a Home Depot carry enough stuff so I could bring the little vac pump there and actually assemble start to finish with the actual items?
I always wind up returning brass as I'm kinda lost buying it piecemeal with a poor selection. Much better at hands on so I don't forget stuff or get thread adapters wrong. Thanks

Hi Scott,
I work part time at a home depot and they do have a lot of brass and bulk hose - looks like brass goes down to 1/4"

[scottp55]

Thanks for checking Tim. Time to schedule a trip.:)

[tri4sale]

When skimming the top and bottom layer of a new sheet of MDF for the spoil board, how much should be taken off to make it porous so the vacuum will hold down material on top of MDF spoil board?

[Kyle Stapleton]

.005" on Botha, but some say you don't have to take off any.
I was cutting mdf doors today and vac table sucked my zero plate to the table through the mdf sheet I was cutting.

[Ajcoholic]

Im using standard MDF - not that light weight stuff that doesnt seem to be available here).

Speaking to others in the industry, skimming 1/32" or so off each face is all you need. Its the immediate face that gets sealed when pressed. Although plain MDF will work, skimming the surface off improves the airflow. So says the guys selling the big iron machines I talk to.

[Ajcoholic]

Just read on a technical paper on spoil boards etc, recommended skimming depth is 50 thou off each side. So, not quite a 1/16" but a little more than 1/32" :)

[Ajcoholic]

JFYI - I put some more detailed info in my thread on the Buddy MKIII table over in the Buddy forum.

The 2" PVC piping seemed to work just fine for my needs with the 10 HP regen blower.

[Ger21]

On our "big iron" machine, we tale .01" off both sides of the spoilboard. This is for use with two 10HP Beckers on a 5x12 table.

Our nesting cuts are .005" into the spoilboard, and we take another .01" each time we surface it.

[tri4sale]

Just read on a technical paper on spoil boards etc, recommended skimming depth is 50 thou off each side. So, not quite a 1/16" but a little more than 1/32" :)

I ended up going with .05 on each side, and my test tonight held a 4x4 sheet of oak to the table and couldn't get it to budge. Nothing glued down yet and PVC loose fit still, but that was a good sign so far.

[Ajcoholic]

Andrew.....I got source a flexible 2" hose as well.....still trying....no luck yet:(
Having a non-motion deck sure makes it easier.

Daniel.....have you tried sucking on the hose from the gage to see if it responds....it should as I've done that before when I was repairing an old Link Trainer flight sim!!

Cheers

Michael, if the Festool Vacuum hose suits my needs (find out tomorrow!) you should be able to source that in Australia?

Hows your installation going?

[Ajcoholic]

Any work on your vac table yet Mike?

Mine is working great. Im still hankering to try some sort of plastic for my plenum though. With a groove for a perimeter seal that you can just throw a sheet of 3/4" MDF on. And a means to bolt it to the aluminum table to make sure it stays flat down.

Like what you see on the big iron stuff like the Thermwoods.

[Simops]

Hey Andrew.....been too busy to find time yet to do the table. As I'm using the Buddy I didn't want to dismantle things, then find I hit a snag and then not be able to use the machine when I needed to.....so keep putting it off.

Anyhow still chasing bits and pieces.....one thing I want is a electrical valve to turn the flow on and off.....so that I have just two switches near where I stand for each zone. To plumb valves would be a pain as I have the main buddy control box right where I stand. Sourcing specific stuff is a nightmare here:mad:

The Festool 2 inch anti-static hose is available here on order but anything Festool is roughly 40% dearer then in N. America ......economies of scale.....so looking for alternatives.

I did hookup the blower and try it but found that a 15amp power switch was arching badly and would not be long before switch contacts where burnt out. So electrical guy said to get a contactor......this allows a small toggle switch to power a bigger switch that then turns on the motor....or something like that. He is sourcing one for me.

Will get there eventually......I'm a bit like a Government department.....nothing happens quickly:D

Cheers

[Ajcoholic]

Hey Andrew.....been too busy to find time yet to do the table. As I'm using the Buddy I didn't want to dismantle things, then find I hit a snag and then not be able to use the machine when I needed to.....so keep putting it off.

Anyhow still chasing bits and pieces.....one thing I want is a electrical valve to turn the flow on and off.....so that I have just two switches near where I stand for each zone. To plumb valves would be a pain as I have the main buddy control box right where I stand. Sourcing specific stuff is a nightmare here:mad:

The Festool 2 inch anti-static hose is available here on order but anything Festool is roughly 40% dearer then in N. America ......economies of scale.....so looking for alternatives.

I did hookup the blower and try it but found that a 15amp power switch was arching badly and would not be long before switch contacts where burnt out. So electrical guy said to get a contactor......this allows a small toggle switch to power a bigger switch that then turns on the motor....or something like that. He is sourcing one for me.

Will get there eventually......I'm a bit like a Government department.....nothing happens quickly:D

Cheers

Nothing here is on a simple switch. All my machinery - even the smaller stuff - is on a magnetic contactor/starter.

If you are using a switch, make sure it isn't just a light switch. It has to be rated for inductive loads and for motors.

[danhamm]

[QUOTE=
I did hookup the blower and try it but found that a 15amp power switch was arching badly and would not be long before switch contacts where burnt out. So electrical guy said to get a contactor......this allows a small toggle switch to power a bigger switch that then turns on the motor....or something like that. He is sourcing one for me.



Cheers[/QUOTE]

That's what I have done Mike, Have them in a handy place...the "little switches" are just handling coil voltage and current.