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[afoaf]

Any guidance on vacuum pumps would be greatly appreciated.

2-stage versus 1-stage.

Oil versus oil-less pumps.

Anything a nub looking to try this whole compsand thing out should look out for when buying a pump?

Thanks.

[paul cannon]

i use an oiless rotarary pump
i think a bigger volume pump is a good call
with a manifold and vaccum controler switch
plenty of info on joe woodworker
my oiless pump ispretty loud

[jeff matsuno]

I got one off ebay for about $100.  It is a Gast pump rated 24/7, has bleeder valves and gauges (one for pressure , one for vac).  Just get the bulk of the air out with shop vac, dial in the vac setting you want and walk away.  Works fine for me. Quiet too.  I think it was made for hospital or medical use.  I'll be starting my build later this week.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Gast-DOA-P104-AA-Vacuum-Pump-115V-600mmHg_W0QQitemZ320249583875QQihZ011QQcategoryZ78222QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[Kit Sidwell]

Don't buy one that is meant for pulling full vac, usually oil rotary vane -
These pumps don't like having high air flow through them, they are only happy when they are pulling full vac. A leaky bag will kill one of these pumps pretty quick.
I honestly can't go past a fridge pump, unless you're prepared to spend some money.
I use one for vac bagging, and have a oil rotary vane for infusion

[peteuk]

hi, fridge pump for me, i have a couple of big vac pumps but they are just not needed for making a couple of boards now and then , the fridge pumps are cheap (free) quiet, and pull good vac ,there are times when i have struggled to get the vac i want because of bag leaks but if you can make sure your sealing system is good a fridge pump is ideal,
i have a spare fridge pump on stand by just in case the first goes down but up to now it has.nt been used, pete

[soulvoid]

I've got a cheap pump I got on ebay, piston based. Seems to pull good vacuum and move some air too as my bag would not hold vacuum for more than 30 seconds or so if I shut it down. I have to hook it up to my variac since it's 110v though.

Anyone running a fridge pump continuously without reservoirs and switches (as shown on joe woodworker)? If they could be run continuously that would be nice, but the assembly of reservoirs and switches seems like a lot of hassle to save the $50-100 for a used pump on ebay.

[Jarrod]

WWII-era military oiled rotary aspirator pump. 

I always tell folks to search ebay for aspirators instead of  vacuum pumps, since sometimes they are listed without the word vacuum anywhere in the description and often sell for MUCH less than an identical "vacuum" pump.   I only paid $35 for mine.   

[afoaf]

WWII-era military oiled rotary aspirator pump. 

I always tell folks to search ebay for aspirators instead of  vacuum pumps, since sometimes they are listed without the word vacuum anywhere in the description and often sell for MUCH less than an identical "vacuum" pump.   I only paid $35 for mine.   

Schwuz, I actually found that little gem of advice parsing through some swaylocks posts and gave it a try.

I did check craigslist and ebay for aspirators with little luck, but it was a good tip...there were definitely some high end aspirators
for auction available.

I wound up finding one similar to this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Gast-Vacuum-Pump-1023-101Q-G583X_W0QQitemZ220232850931QQihZ012QQcategoryZ46548QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

but for under $100

starting to tinker with connections and whatnot.

[paul cannon]

thats what i got
 a gast pump like that
with filters and switch and guage
goes great but a little loud

[afoaf]

thats what i got
 a gast pump like that
with filters and switch and guage
goes great but a little loud

I think I've done a pretty good job breaking in my neighbors the past couple of years
with routers, table saws and dust collectors.

Thankfully I've got the bits to do the Joe Woodworker EV2 with the reservoirs and
switching capabilities...hopefully that will mitigate "blowback".

[Ian]

Joe Woodworker's auto shut off and other toys work great.

[soup]

Little Gast and Barnant diaphragm pumps are (sometimes) cheap on Ebay.  I'm pretty fond of  the Barnant air cadet pumps we use at work (a chem lab) because they pretty much laugh off  the abuse we subject them  to. Ever turn a vacuum pump into an organic solvent + trifluoroacetic acid fountain? A new student in the lab did. Fun/horrific to watch,  but glad I didn't have to help clean it up. You can suck epoxy into the head of those pumps and still be OK: the motor doesn't overheat when it stalls, and a replacement diaphragm/head kit costs about $30 plus the time it takes to remove four screws.

At home I have a little gast DOA pump from Ebay for $50 for bagging,
paired with a 4 l vacuum reservoir and a DIY vacuum switch.
So far, so good.

[Karl]

I have a Gast like Paul's, bought off Trade Me in NZ for $150. But haven't seen any since.

Works well, but noisy.

I've found it doesn't pay to adjust the pressure switch while it's running - can jam it up and you have to take it apart to free up the vanes.
Karl

[afoaf]

I have a Gast like Paul's, bought off Trade Me in NZ for $150. But haven't seen any since.

Works well, but noisy.

I've found it doesn't pay to adjust the pressure switch while it's running - can jam it up and you have to take it apart to free up the vanes.
Karl

It's funny, when I heard Jeff mention his was quiet I guess I just assumed all Gasts were easy on the ears.

Thanks for the input, guys.