I did the same thing you did, go from a Handibot to that exact same machine. Here's how this is going to go:

You'll go without a vacuum table and you'll find all kinds of ways to hold stuff down.. I was using carpet tape, clamps along the edge, and even using the spindle to mark out where I wanted screw holes so I could screw sheets down. That'll get you so far until you realize that you're spending so much time fighting to hold down warped material, cutting and sanding off tabs, and chasing screws (I know you said you won't use them, but you will, trust me.)

Then you'll finally but the bullet and build/buy a vacuum table. I did after a year of fighting with hold downs and I wish I had built my vacuum table from day one. It would have saved me a lot of hassle and frustration. Hassle and frustration=lost time and money.

Now, I'm saying all of this with the assumption that you're cutting a lot of full size sheet goods like I do. And based on that "super track" thing you posted, it looks like you're trying to figure out ways to hold down full sheets. I wouldn't bother spending the money on that track, just get a pile of cheap pump clamps, they'll work just as well and cost a fraction. That'll get you started on day 1 and you'll always use clamps like that for something so it's not money wasted.

There are a lot of people on here doing a lot of different things. If you're jigging up special things, like for instance logs, mouldings, or other hard to vacuum items a lot of users have made T track or other physical hold downs. For people who only do things like that, a vacuum probably isn't for them. If you're going to be doing primarily sheet goods (plywood) a vacuum is the way to go.

I do some smaller work to that requires the use of vices, T tracks, and other physical hold downs that a vacuum can't work on. What I do is build these on sheets of plywood I call "carrier boards". I can drop these jigs anywhere on to my table, flip on the vacuum and I've got an instant setup. As soon as I'm done I can just pull it off and I'm ready for sheet goods again.

Check out my vacuum build guide here: http://www.talkshopbot.com/forum/sho...esign-thoughts . Just ignore Joe.

Mine's a little more complex, and there are some simpler designs and frankly some better ones than mine. I've got mine fully documented so if you want the files I'm happy to share.