Vacuum Chuck Foam

[Emiliano Achaval]

I just got the complete set up for the Frugal Vacuum Guy. Very happy with the system. What do you guys use for the foamie for the chuck? I dont mind spending some money, not necessarily want the cheapest thing that works, but rather the best available. The ones that comes with it are rather on the small side, and maybe a hair too thin.. Aloha

 

[hockenbery]

You will enjoy using the vacuum. You can do a lot with it.

I use a variety of chucks and gaskets.
I use the rubber chucky seals on PVC chucks these last a long time
On wooden chucks I use mostly use fun foam it lasts 4-10 bowls then I replace it.
Fun foam comes in sheets with peel off adhesive backing.

There is a basic trade off among sealing materials
Thick spongy foams seal well on slightly out of round pieces but it gives a spongy feel to the turning.
The thin foam gives a nice solid feel to the turning but needs a true form to seal well.

I also have a few chucks made with sonatube (cardboard concrete forms) and cardboard fabric rollers.
These are flexible and hold out of round pieces well but the turning must be very light as pressure cause the work to move.

 

[Mark Hepburn]

I'll echo what Al said. I like the rubber Chucky Products, but I also use the foam sheets from Hobby lobby. About a dollar a sheet or less and to get multiple seals from one sheet depending on the size of your chuck of course.

 

[john lucas]

I use the foam sheets from Hobby Lobby also. Some Walmarts have them. They come in 8x10 sheets that are about 1/8" thick. I bought some commercial vacuum sealer tubing and it works really great to seal but it's so thick it often pulls the bowl off center. Usually not enough to make a big difference but you do end up blending the mildly off center areas outside the foot with the rest of the bowl. No one knows but me after sanding but it's frustrating. I don't have that problem often with the thinner foam but sometimes if a bowl warps just a little too much it won't seal. In those cases I have a square of the foam that is a little bigger than my chuck and has a hole cut in the middle. I simply put this over the existing foam and chuck and put my bowl over it and turn on the vacuum. This always works. Leaving the square corners on helps you align it when placing the bowl on.

 

[hockenbery]

One additional quality you will want in the gasket is to be sure it does not transfer any unwanted color to the work piece.

 

[Mark Hepburn]

White seems to be the best so far in my brief and limited experience

 

[Emiliano Achaval]

Thank you everyone!! I will search for rubber Chukie products. Just ordered some bigger pieces of foam 1/8 from Amazon. Is there anything better than the AAW forum when you have a question?? Very grateful to everyone here. When are you visiting Maui??

 

[Bill Boehme]

Al did a great job of summing everything up. Thick gaskets would be great or so I thought in the beginning of my search for the ideal gasket material. The problem with thick gaskets is that they allow the turning to squirm around as vacuum is applied. Thin gaskets require perfectly round pieces. I use a vinyl door seal gasket material somewhat similar to THIS ONE. I have also used the Funny Foam sheets that can be found at craft stores. I use the type that doesn't have adhesive on one side. I also have used several different drawer liners. They are good, but don't use the black colored liner that is made for tool chests because they sometimes leave a black ring.

Another option that hasn't been mentioned yet is Oogoo. There was a great article in American Woodturner describing how to make a mold to create a gasket for a vacuum chuck. You can also get more information about Oogoo at: http://www.instructables.com.