• Congratulations to Phil Hamel winner of the April 2025 Turning Challenge (click here for details)
  • Congratulations to Steve Bonny for "A Book Holds What Time Lets Go" being selected as Turning of the Week for 28 April, 2025 (click here for details)
  • Welcome new registering member. Your username must be your real First and Last name (for example: John Doe). "Screen names" and "handles" are not allowed and your registration will be deleted if you don't use your real name. Also, do not use all caps nor all lower case.

Hold fast vacuum

T

Ted Pelfrey

Joined
Jan 12, 2014
Messages
191
Likes
995
Location
Crossville, TN
Went to use a cheap vacuum pump on my new lathe only to find out it has already decided to die. Was so excited to try vacuum. So looks like I’m in the market for a new pump. Has anyone experience with the hold fast or should I get something else? Never used vacuum. Btw I have a robust lathe with their vacuum adapter. Thanks
 
I have a couple of 1/4 hp Gast rotary vane vacuum pumps, <$175 off Ebay, quiet and long-lasting. The venturi units are power hogs, like most pneumatic tools.
 
Thanks guys. I guess what my mind set was is that I already have a quality air compressor and the hold fast seems to be cheaper. I don’t mind paying for quality. Thanks
 
I am using a $120.00 oils vacuum pump off Amazon. Douglass from Odd-Knot was using one at Totally Turning to demo his chucks. I reliably get 28 inches, and his chucks work like a charm.
 
Does anybody have a user manual for the Holdfast Vacuum Chuck system? I want to check something but I can't find mine and my Google fu is letting me down. Thanks!
 
Three good options are the Gast as Kevin has said, Thomas 2660 (similar to Gast but usually a little cheaper, and the one sold by Frugal vacuum systems. I have the Thomas and is almost indestructable. I ran one 24/7 for my lake areation for 4 years before I rebuilt it. You can sometimes get a good deal on eBay for the Gast or Thomas pumps.
 
like William, I have a Gast rotary vane pump and a Thomas/Reichle rocking piston pump - both work beautifully for vacuum chucking and are quiet and trouble free. Rebuild kits available online for both. Those Thomas rocking piston pumps are built for continuous duty and will go for years without a problem - and they can be found cheap on ebay.
You made a good investment on the lathe, don’t scrimp on the vac pump.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top