Vacuum Clamp System
Compressor
This small compressor is exceptionally quiet and will pull 30" of vacuum! Amazing. All hoses and wires are mounted to the underside of my bench, as it is a stationary tool in my shop. I finally added a power strip to the bench; I should have done that decades ago!
Controls
This panel at the front of the bench holds the vacuum release button and two pull-out zone switches, one for the top of the bench and one for the side. Behind is a manifold that provides a vacuum to both zones. I am still experimenting with how to deal with the stiff vacuum tubes!
Vacuum Clamps
I do not have dog holes drilled in standard MFT patterns, so I opted to mount the pods to ¾" Baltic Birch so they can be clamped down as needed.
Before the pods arrived, I experimented with the vacuum's holding power at the end of the tube. The result was not much, and I wondered how effective it would be with pods. My concerns were dismissed the first time I placed a board on the pod with a vacuum. Wow! Amazing holding power. I am delighted to have this clamping option in the shop!
Clamps
Clamsps
The Internet meme says, "You can never have enough clamps." I suppose this is true; it really depends on what you plan to build. This rack holds most of my most-used clamps. I have another half dozen really long pipe clamps and several F-style clamps in the box in my truck.
Corner Clamps
In this shop, I added a couple of sets of corner squares. These really help to get a carcass squared up and ready for final assembly.