Vacuum Hold-Down Systems

hand tools

sharpening

vacuum clamping

routing accessories

Clamping Obstruction: Problems & Solutions

Do you have that same love/hate relationship with your clamps that we do? They're that extra hand that you often need, and that irritating little nuisance that's in the way every time you need to do something, right? We're pretty sure that we can call agree that when routing, sanding or planing a workpiece or component, the last thing you want is to have to work around your clamping, constantly re-adjusting the clamp positions on each workpiece. It's time consuming and frustrating. We know, and as usual, we've done something about it!

M.POWER Tools's solution to this age-old problem is to use vacuum instead of clamps to hold your workpiece in place while you finesse the shape and finish. We have developed a series of products to meet the varying needs of woodworking professionals and enthusiasts, with workbeds available in portable, workshop and industrial sizes. All Mach family vacuum workbeds have been designed to use your standard shop vacuum-cleaner (1000 watt cylinder vacuum-cleaner or vacuum pump with a rating of 6 cubic meters per hour).

The clamping ability and strength of hold from these vacuum work beds cannot be underestimated once you have seen it in action. On the right you can see the Mini Mach holding the weight of twelve house bricks vertically. This isn't the limit of what it can hold (it's just all the bricks we could stack on that little platform!), and its base is in fact clamped to porous MDF board, and it is using only nine of the twelve available cells to achieve this hold. One of our more colorful American customers (yep, Doc Jackson again!) said, "This thing'll suck a golf ball through a garden hose!" We don't know about that, but we do know we've built in a lot of really good features:

• Clamp-Free Hold-Down
• Suitable for Routing, Machining, Belt Sanding, Electric Planing, CNC Applications, Hand Tools and More
• Will run from standard 1000W shop extractor or vacuum source/pump/venturi with a rating of 6 cubic meters per hour.
• Portable Vacuum Clamping System
• Industrial Scale Vacuum Clamping System
• Self Build Kits for Bespoke Designs Available
• Fastest Manual Templating System Available

We're proud of our vacuum products listed below. We use them, and they work well. More detailed information on each product can be found by following the appropriate link.

Mini Mach - Portable Vacuum Clamping Workbed

Need vacuuM.POWER at the job-site? In your house? On your tailgate somewhere? The Mini Mach is a self-adjusting, lightweight version of the Mach-2 that grips itself to your work-surface and is powered by your workshop or domestic vacuum cleaner and gives you all the power and much of the capacity of the Mach-2. If you can get a vacuum hose to it, the Mini Mach will work there. For more information on this product click here

U-Mach Kit - Vacuum Workbed Self-Build Kit

A real “do-it-yourselfer” are you? Want to get that testosterone pumping? Build your own Mini Mach vacuum clamp workbed with this M.POWER kit. The U-Mach Kit contains all the parts you will require to construct a Mini Mach from Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) or marine plywood as the bed material. The construction guide gives you step-by-step instructions on how to assemble the workbed, and includes a scale plan that can be used as a template. Don’t just tell your friends you’ve bought one, tell ‘em you’ve built it! For more information on this product click here

Big Mach Kit - Industrial Sized Vacuum Workbed Kit

Oh, so you’re one of those guys who can’t do anything in a small way? If you can’t go for the gusto, why bother getting in the car, right? Have we got a deal for you! The Big Mach is an industrial-sized vacuum bed that can hold components ranging in size from as small as 100mm (3.93 inches) square to a substantial 2440mm (96 inches/8 foot) square. The Big Mach Kit contains all the parts required to construct this industrial-sized vacuum clamping work bed so you can really have a monster tool tale to tell. Mount it as an integral section of a workshop bench or worktable or with the addition of a cramping bar, to be used "on site" mounted on a portable workbench. Another great product limited only by your imagination and ingenuity (and, well, maybe the size of your vacuum source!) For more information on this product click here

Mach Templating - Template Routing Made Easy

Cramped for space and no room for a router table, huh? Hey, free-handing a router is not a bad way to go, especially for larger pieces, if you have a good eye and a steady hand; as you’ve no doubt noticed in woodworking magazines, European woodworkers do it every day, and so can anybody else who can’t fit a router table into their current workspace. Do you spend more time clamping and moving clamps when trying to make a template than you spend milling it? What if you could just flip a switch and go to work? Vacuum clamping hold-down workbeds are a boon to template fabrication. Why spend all that time using the traditional method of pinning your workpiece to the template or double side taping the two together, then clamping the two components to your bench before routing only to have to move them around seconds later?. To learn how M.POWER vacuum workbeds can take the hard work out of templating with your hand-held router click here

Gasket Material - Vacuum Cell Rubber Gasket

If you buy or build one of our vacuum workbeds, you’re going to find all sorts of uses for this stuff. Our self-adhesive closed-cell expanded neoprene is an ideal gasket material. It is both airtight and durable while form-fitting enough to produce a seal against irregular surfaces, and firm enough not to move when holding a workpiece. We sell three different sized rolls of gasket material. All come with self-adhesive backing and are 2.3 meters (7' 6") in length. The templating gasket dimensions are 3x10x2300mm, the top gasket are 3x20x2300mm, and the bottom gasket are 6x25x2300mm. For more information about our gasket tapes click here

Mach Valves - Pressure Activated Ball Valves

Want to kick it up a notch? Several notches? Yes, you’re right. You can’t build the U-Mach or Big Mach your buddy just built without customizing a bit to trump him, now can you? Set of six pressure activated ball valves that allows you to expand and customize our vacuum clamping bed kits for the U-Mach and Big-Mach or even your own project. Each ball valve controls airflow to a vacuum-sealed gasket cell. Actuation of airflow occurs when downward pressure is applied from the workpiece on to the counter-sprung ball bearing. This releases the seal between the ball bearing and the valve body and a vacuum seal is then formed. Boom! Maximum vacuum applied where you need it. Did we hear you say “tricked out”? We thought so. For more information regarding Mach Valves click here