Thanks. I really appreciate that comment. I absolutely love sharing my projects/ideas with others. I have also benefited over the years from so many others on TH-cam and in the opensource community. I will definitely continue making videos with low cost novel CNC/Woodworking solutions.
Another option is just vacuum motors and build your own box. I purchased motors from centralvacuummotor. You can pick different motors based on vacuum power vs airflow volume. I used 4 motors going to a 12 zone 60x90 table. I used one way valves on each motor so I can use the amount of motors to get the levels of hold down I need. Most of the time I only need 1 motor running. I use LDF plywood as the bleederboard on top of a waffle plenum similar to yours. I built a baffle surround over the motors for sound reduction with a little fan blowing air over the motors for cooling. Been running about 3 years without a problem.
Wow. Sounds like a sweet setup. How much did each of the four vacuum motors cost? I am thinking about modding my CNC to accept a full 4' x 8' sheet of plywood and am pondering whether to make the vacuum table the main spoil board/hold down rather than just a strap on accessory. Any thoughts on whether that is a good idea based upon your experience?
@Simplifycnc at the time it was around $180 a motor. They've gone I since. I used the ametek 122177-00, I could have easily only used 1 or 2 motors. They have a 120v and 220v model of the same motor I used. I built up the bed of my cnc using 1 solid layer of 3/4" mdf, one 3/4" layer of the plenum waffle board with the vacuum piping routed from under the table. Then the 3/4" LDF bleeder board/sacrificial table. I painted the bottom and sides of the mdf assembly with an air sealing goup to keep the airflow through the bleeder board. When the LDF gets too thin I surface it off and glue down a new sheet of LDF (using the vacuum table to hold it down until the glue sets) no gasketing between zones necessity. It's been a great system that I can still screw things into the table if I need to but the vacuum handles almost everything now. I also never use tabs when cutting things out
Just go on Amazon and search for Fein Turbo I or Fein Turbo II. They have a description section (and both models have approximately the same strength). Here is a snippet I found on prefloortools regarding the Fein Turbo II "Two-stage bypass motor has a sealed fan for dust and debris suction, and a second fan to blow cooling air across the motor. Powerful 1100w motor gives a 98.4" static water lift rating, an air flow of 151 cfm and a 66 decibel sound level rating." You might want to give that site a look as well because there is a lot more information there. Hope that helps.
Thanks! I will give it a try and test that out. That would be great if there is no diminishing holding power as it would make the initial machining time of making the vacuum table drop down to maybe 5 or 6 minutes for the grid channel, sprinkler hole, and air channel.
1:09 "the downside of not using rubber sealing..." Why not just use rubber sealing in the outer perimeter of the channel? Wouldn't this make a superior clamp?
It will work. I omitted using it for reason of keeping cost down and convenience in building the table with supplies readily available. If you want to try a rubber seal for more friction and reducing down grid size then try Orgthin 20FT Backer Rod 1/4 inch, Black Rubber Caulk Saver, Concrete Expansion Joint Filler, Weather Strip Seal for Gaps and Joints about $9 on Amazon for 20 ft (or $12 for 40 ft). I found for me it didn't give a huge improvement in friction. However, it would allow you to weave a smaller boundary than your grid to custom fit smaller parts that otherwise wouldn't be able to be fixed down (without needing to a new smaller grid outline). Hope that helps. Thanks for the question.
@@SimplifycncYou're not looking to create friction, you're looking to seal air leaks. I have also used 1/4" backer rod, embedded in a 3/16" deep groove, made with a 1/4" round nose endmill. It works amazingly well, as long as you have zero air leaks, so that means pushing the ends of the backer rod tightly together, using round backer rod in a round groove, using flat and smooth material to cut/carve on the cnc. I have a year and a half of research into vacuum tables, and was developing the same system as Air Weights, before they released their version to the public. PS: ditch the shop vac and Fein turbo vac, and buy an oil-less vacuum pump 😉 Happy creating!
I agree. Thanks for the comment. I tested out the rubber seal and found it did little to change the friction (but it would allow you to change the channel size if you had a larger grid that you wanted to put a smaller board upon).
I appreciate your innovative exploration of less expensive alternatives to a vacuum table.
Thanks. I really appreciate that comment. I absolutely love sharing my projects/ideas with others. I have also benefited over the years from so many others on TH-cam and in the opensource community. I will definitely continue making videos with low cost novel CNC/Woodworking solutions.
Another option is just vacuum motors and build your own box. I purchased motors from centralvacuummotor. You can pick different motors based on vacuum power vs airflow volume. I used 4 motors going to a 12 zone 60x90 table. I used one way valves on each motor so I can use the amount of motors to get the levels of hold down I need. Most of the time I only need 1 motor running. I use LDF plywood as the bleederboard on top of a waffle plenum similar to yours. I built a baffle surround over the motors for sound reduction with a little fan blowing air over the motors for cooling. Been running about 3 years without a problem.
Wow. Sounds like a sweet setup. How much did each of the four vacuum motors cost? I am thinking about modding my CNC to accept a full 4' x 8' sheet of plywood and am pondering whether to make the vacuum table the main spoil board/hold down rather than just a strap on accessory. Any thoughts on whether that is a good idea based upon your experience?
@Simplifycnc at the time it was around $180 a motor. They've gone I since. I used the ametek 122177-00, I could have easily only used 1 or 2 motors. They have a 120v and 220v model of the same motor I used. I built up the bed of my cnc using 1 solid layer of 3/4" mdf, one 3/4" layer of the plenum waffle board with the vacuum piping routed from under the table. Then the 3/4" LDF bleeder board/sacrificial table. I painted the bottom and sides of the mdf assembly with an air sealing goup to keep the airflow through the bleeder board. When the LDF gets too thin I surface it off and glue down a new sheet of LDF (using the vacuum table to hold it down until the glue sets) no gasketing between zones necessity. It's been a great system that I can still screw things into the table if I need to but the vacuum handles almost everything now. I also never use tabs when cutting things out
@@InspiredCraftsman Thanks for sharing the info with everyone. It sounds like a winning combination.
Do you have a link to more information about the self-cooling vacuum?
Just go on Amazon and search for Fein Turbo I or Fein Turbo II. They have a description section (and both models have approximately the same strength). Here is a snippet I found on prefloortools regarding the Fein Turbo II
"Two-stage bypass motor has a sealed fan for dust and debris suction, and a second fan to blow cooling air across the motor.
Powerful 1100w motor gives a 98.4" static water lift rating, an air flow of 151 cfm and a 66 decibel sound level rating." You might want to give that site a look as well because there is a lot more information there. Hope that helps.
Your grid depth only needs to be 1/16".
Thanks! I will give it a try and test that out. That would be great if there is no diminishing holding power as it would make the initial machining time of making the vacuum table drop down to maybe 5 or 6 minutes for the grid channel, sprinkler hole, and air channel.
1:09 "the downside of not using rubber sealing..."
Why not just use rubber sealing in the outer perimeter of the channel? Wouldn't this make a superior clamp?
It will work. I omitted using it for reason of keeping cost down and convenience in building the table with supplies readily available. If you want to try a rubber seal for more friction and reducing down grid size then try Orgthin 20FT Backer Rod 1/4 inch, Black Rubber Caulk Saver, Concrete Expansion Joint Filler, Weather Strip Seal for Gaps and Joints about $9 on Amazon for 20 ft (or $12 for 40 ft). I found for me it didn't give a huge improvement in friction. However, it would allow you to weave a smaller boundary than your grid to custom fit smaller parts that otherwise wouldn't be able to be fixed down (without needing to a new smaller grid outline). Hope that helps. Thanks for the question.
@@Simplifycnc Yes and thank you for the detailed response
@@jeremiahbullfrog9288 Glad to help. Thanks for leaving the comment.
@@SimplifycncYou're not looking to create friction, you're looking to seal air leaks. I have also used 1/4" backer rod, embedded in a 3/16" deep groove, made with a 1/4" round nose endmill. It works amazingly well, as long as you have zero air leaks, so that means pushing the ends of the backer rod tightly together, using round backer rod in a round groove, using flat and smooth material to cut/carve on the cnc.
I have a year and a half of research into vacuum tables, and was developing the same system as Air Weights, before they released their version to the public.
PS: ditch the shop vac and Fein turbo vac, and buy an oil-less vacuum pump 😉
Happy creating!
I agree. Thanks for the comment. I tested out the rubber seal and found it did little to change the friction (but it would allow you to change the channel size if you had a larger grid that you wanted to put a smaller board upon).