Top Vacuum Pumps for the Vacuum Chuck
Anne Burdick
Frequently, people inquire about the vacuum pump choice for our vacuum chuck.
Any single stage 3CFM vacuum pump will work.
We have two pumps that we use here at our shop. Both are single stage 3CFM. That is the minimum we recommend for using with our vacuum chuck. You can certainly use a larger pump. *New Update: See below for customer suggested pump!
Pump #1: Robinair 15310
*Some have reported oil mist smoke from this Robinair pump. We learned about a carbon exhaust filer from Best Value Vacs and found their p/n BVVP4F screws onto the Robinair pump 15310 nicely.
Pump #2 (this is often the preferred pump because of the oil mist filter cap that comes with it): Best Value Vacs VE115
Pro Tip: When turning with your vacuum chuck, use tailstock support as much as possible.
CUSTOMER UPDATE 1/5/2025:
We’ve found the perfect vacuum pump for this… it’s a sealed system, so there’s no oil/maintenance to deal with… avoid the ‘fog’ with the vacuum pumps that require oil, yay! It costs a bit more… but worth it to avoid the carcinogens! It is a vacuum pump originally designed for veneer work, but we’ve found it to be the perfect system to utilize with the vacuum chuck offered by Simple Woodturning Tools: Veneer Supplies Excel 5 Vacuum System
