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Information
Type: Adjustable Auto-Cycling
Vacuum: Electric Pump
Page: 7 of 11 |
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Build the Carrier
The carrier is made of 4 pieces of wood and consists of three assembly steps.
| Parts used in this section: |
Time: |
Tools: |
3/4" Plywood (2'x4')
1 Board ft. of hardwood
#8 x 1.5" Wood screws (8) |
30 minutes |
Saw
Tape measure
Drill
3/16" Drill bit |
Step 1: Build the Main Carrier Section
You will need to do some measuring to make the carrier. You will need to adjust the measurements based on the size of your pump (with the pressure-release assembly attached) and the size of the main reservoirs. The measurements below are for the vacuum press system that I built for my shop.
There are only two pieces of 3/4" plywood needed for the main part of the carrier. The bottom piece is 13" wide and 14" long. The upright piece is 14" wide and 14" long. I centered the upright piece over the bottom and glued and screwed these two pieces together. Since the whole system is well balanced on the carrier, it doesn't need much more support than this.
 Step 2: Build the T Clamp
The simplest way to attach the reservoirs to the carrier is with a basic "T" clamp made from two pieces of hardwood or plywood. When made correctly, the clamp will securely hold the reservoirs to the carrier.
Measuring for the T clamps is an easy process. There are two parts to the T clamp. We'll call these pieces a "top" and "bottom". Use the measuring instructions below to build a T clamp that will fit your reservoir system.
| Top |
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Width: |
 The distance between the top centers of the reservoirs (when attached to the manifold) plus 1/2". This is an important measurement. Check out the picture. |
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The distance between the ends of the PVC caps on a reservoir. |
Thickness: |
3/4" will work fine. |
| Bottom |
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Width: |
 The measurement between the top of the PVC body and the bottom of the PVC cap minus 1/16". There is an easy way to measure this accurately. See the picture on the right. |
Length: |
The same as the top piece length. |
Thickness: |
3/4" will work fine. |
Screw the top and bottom of the T clamp together.
Step 3: Attach the Reservoirs to the Carrier
Rest the reservoirs and manifold assembly against the upright piece of the carrier. Insert the T clamp between the two PVC bodies and centered between the PVC caps. The bottom of the T should just touch the main upright on the carrier. If the fit is too loose, you can trim the bottom of the T clamp. On the other hand, if the fit is too tight, you'll need to make another piece of the bottom of the T clamp.
You can now attach the T clamp to the upright on the carrier by screwing through the upright into the bottom of the T clamp. This takes a bit of careful marking and measuring but it only takes a minute to get it down right. The reservoir and manifold system should now be securely residing on the carrier (held snugly against the carrier upright).
T Clamp Attached
(shown from reservoir side) |
T Clamp Attached
(shown from pump side) |
The picture of my carrier shows four rubber feet attached to the bottom. These feet came with my Gast vacuum pump. Since I couldn't use them on the pump, I simply drilled four 7/32" holes in the bottom of the carrier and screwed them in. They are not needed to make the system run smoothly but I thought it was a nice touch.
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