Advise on vacuum pump

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siric

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Hi,

Started stabilising a couple of months ago and am using a pancake compressor and vacuum generator. Needless to say, the poor compressor is always going and I try to decrease the duty cycle by shutting off the vacuum when the compressor is refilling.

Am looking to purchase a vacuum pump
Amazon.com: Robinair 15115 VacuMaster 1.5 CFM Single Stage Pump: Automotive

Any advise on this 1.5CPM versus a 3CFM model Robinair 15310 VacuMaster 3 CFM Single Stage Pump : Amazon.com : Automotive


By the way, has anyone ever used a shopvac to generate vacuum when stablising???:)

Thanks

Steve
 
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If you would adapt a vacuum motor or shop vac to use for stablizing, you first of all must reduce your hose to the correct size, be able to controll the amount of pressure applied, and have some type of bleeder valve to release the vacuum. I usualy stableize my blanks with CA as I turn them on the lathe. I don't do many blanks. Lately I have used a 1 quart Ball jar with lid drilled and fitted with a grease zirk for the clear hose connecting my brake bleeding hand pump ( Harbor Freight) to the system. I can fit about 7 blanks in at a time. Because of the extreamly fridgid weather here in Wisconsin, I thought it best to wait until spring to have Curtis send me some juice. To fuel my experement, I bought several cans of Min Wax Wood Hardner. It works OK, but I wouldn't reccomend it because of it's volitility, fumes, and poisen nature. Read the lable before you buy this product!!!!! Stick to Curtis's product which is not eplosive, has no harmful vapors, can be used over again, and easily cleans up. If you want to try your hand at stableizing before you spend a larger amount of money, try my under $25 system but use something safer than MinWax!! If you plan to do a larger amount of blanks, or want a much safer system, contact Curtis at Turn Tex Woodworking. com. I have never met nor talked to Curtis, but I have read everything that he has turned out, watched his videos, and turned some of his blanks that were given to me. He freely gives out information on his and this site to anyone that has a question. I will freely give him any personal information including credit card numbers and codes in order to purchase his products, not because of the merit of his products, but on the merit of the man I have never met. You have to trust some people or you will leed a lonely life !!! Jim S
 
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Just to clear up some common misconceptions...CA is not stabilizing...it's glue. Minwax wood hardener is not stabilizing...it's adding Plexiglas or some other plastic/acrylic/derivative in very small amounts to a small percentage of the wood in an attempt to solidify it. The primary reason it was developed was for rotted fence posts. Not a good choice for pens.
 
Hi I own the Robinair 15300 3 cfm 2 stage pump I found it to be the most reasonably priced pump on amazon and with prime shipping is free. I use a chamber from turntex and ;this pump always brings me down to as close to a perfect vac as I guess you can get. I always get as close to 100 % penetration as possible but your wood needs to be as close to o moisture as you can get it. Call Curtis at turnrex he will be more than happy to answer all your questions
 
Jim Burr said:
Just to clear up some common misconceptions...CA is not stabilizing...it's glue. Minwax wood hardener is not stabilizing...it's adding Plexiglas or some other plastic/acrylic/derivative in very small amounts to a small percentage of the wood in an attempt to solidify it. The primary reason it was developed was for rotted fence posts. Not a good choice for pens.
Click to expand...

Jim; I think you took the word stabilizing in the wrong direction. Maybe "stabilizer" (as in the brand name) would have been a better choise. To stabilize; means to make or become stable, firm, or steadfast . To maintain or remain at an unfluctuating level (solidify). If you fill your punky wood with CA, Wood Hardner, Epoxy, PC, or any other substance, you have stabilized it's contents into a workable solid mass. Same would be true if you took a crapy piece of wood and cast it in PC to make a solid turnable blank. I do not know the formula in "stablizier" so I can not comment on it's makeup. It's sort of like using the word "paint". Is it laytex, acrylic, oil, or water color. They all will do the same job, cover a surface. I could also prop up a leaning wall and say I stablizied it. It's all just in one's prospective and interpratation of the word. The only differance I can see would be the removal of air from the wood, and this has nothing to do with what you replace it with, only if you use pressure or vacuum to displace the air. Jim S
 
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