Simple Woodturning Tools - 1¼" X 8 TPI Vacuum Chuck for Woo

I'm fairly new to the world of wood turning and "new born newbie" when it comes to vacuum chicks. So if you are reading this review and you are thinking about buying this do yourself a favor and just do it!! I put in at least two weeks of research and it came down to 3 finalists the One way system, this one by Simply and lastly, making my own. There is a great book out there if you are wanting to know about all kinds of chicks and instructions on how to build your own. The books title is "Fixtures and Chicks for Woodturning by Doc Green". The only chuck I didnt make from the book was a vacuum one. This company is family owned and they are the ones who answer the phones when you call. A woman is the person you will most likely deal with and she is outstanding. About the chuck!!! The quality is as good as you can get. Your going to need the value, gauge and fittibgs. They have a complete kit with what you will need to set up the chuck. Make sure you but some more tubing there definitely isn't enough to mount the gauge more than a few inches away. As for the pump, make sure you get a good quality single stage that can move a minimum of 3 cfm. This one is capable of working with 2.5 cfm. Let me also add that their cutters are top notch tool. The also hollowing system you need to check out. Since I own a majority of their products I would recommend this chuck and would gladly buy again if I had to. If for some reason you find yourself having to call just know she will make sure you 100% happy.

I was able to use this for the first time yesterday and it worked exactly as it should. I was a little skeptical about the tail end being a solid piece of metal as I’m used to vacuum chucks with a tube coming out the back made of plastic. My tubing for my vacuum pump barely fit it, but it did end up working. It did not cause any damage to the bowl that I was working on, so I am happy with it.

There are times when a wood turner just doesn't want the hassle of piercing wood and dealing with the cleaning aftermath. Put differently: there are times when a vacuum chuck is the perfect tool. Yet these wonderful lathe accessories just seem so overpriced that many of us just shy away from the expense, adhering to more traditional methods of attachment. The vacuum drum chuck from Harrison Specialties offers a high quality alternative to more expensive chucks at an easily affordable price. The machining is wonderful, the suction developed is sufficient to hold surprisingly heavy stock, even at relatively high speeds, a function of the solid seal developed by the chuck itself, but equally dependent on the quality of the pump used to draw the vacuum (which you will have to purchase separately). I erred in placing my order (ordered 1 1/4" instead of 1") and contacted Harrison to engineer an exchange. I talked to a person (really!) who was polite, exceedingly knowledgeable, and very helpful. The exchange was managed without a hitch and the replacement arrived in less than a week. The original order was even quicker. This experience was everything we hope for in on-line purchasing: quality, pricing, expeditious shipping, flawless return/exchange policies, and a product that was true to its advertising and beyond expectations.

The chuck and all pieces seem well made but the vacuum tube has a slight kink/bend in it which is gonna cause it to wear through soon. It rubs inside the head. I tried taping the wear spot but it rubs right through. Otherwise it’s a great addition to my turning bag-of- tricks.

I'm planing to make a softer rubber gasket, the one it comes with is to hard and doesn't adapt to the surface because it looses suction. The concept is great the connection will better if it comes with a hose connector or an easy way to plug and unplug it.