DIY Vac table for vinyl sticker printing ?'s

[Shawn (EIP)]

How far apart should I drill the holes and what size drill bit? I have a piece of sheet metal glued to a peice of very flat mdf board that I found in this old building that I plan on using for a vaccum table. Picking up a ream cutter ( guillotine style) and drying rack this weekend.

[Denis Kolar]

http://www.pnwcnc.com/proddetail.php?prod=Vac18x24

I do not think it is worth the hassle of doing it yourself

[Shawn (EIP)]

That's exactly what I have minus the holes. There use to be a cabnet factory shop in this building and I found all kinds of cool stock to make shirt pallets out of. I think it may be worth coming in on a Sunday and drilling the holes myself and save a hundred. Just need to know how big and how far apart.

Also are there better clamps than Jiffy clamps? I have a set and they seem to have a lot of play.

[tpitman]

I use jiffy clamps on my flatstock press. when you load the screen push the loose top part of the "clamp" either towards the 2nd one or in the opposite direction. Takes any lateral movement out.
If you're gonna drill 'em yourself I'd do 1/16" to 1/8". No bigger. I used perforated pegboard on mine, but I was doing coroplast. On paper or sticker stock, I think holes that big would dimple the stock.

[ebscreen]

I think 3/32" on 3/4"-1" spacing is recommended.  Much smaller and you clog ('specially with MDF), much larger and you dimple.

Above poster is correct in regards to stiffening up the Jiffy's.

They do make other clamp units with micro's and everything. Expensive
new, but they show up on Ebay from time to time cheap.

If you get any kind of serious about flatstock you'll want an auto before long.
The numbers are typically much larger than textiles, the image area usually much
larger, the inks much more high inducing, etc.

At the very least incorporate an automatic vacuum on/off switch on the table. Assuming
you're using a shop vac it gets real tedious doing it manually.



Note to Andy: Get Ray from the old board over here.

[StuJohnston]

http://www.pnwcnc.com/proddetail.php?prod=Vac18x24

I do not think it is worth the hassle of doing it yourself

I made my own table, might have taken me a whole hour to make it. Not including the glue drying time of course. If I didn't have the tools or materials laying around, this premade table wouldn't be such a bad deal. Though adhesive vinyl usually comes in 20x27 sheets so this would be the one you want, http://www.pnwcnc.com/proddetail.php?prod=Vac23x30

I agree with the idea that an auto is in your future if you plan to make this a regular thing. They aren't too expensive when purchased used. I am currently on the hunt for an old cameo to tide me over until I can afford a saturn. I am currently using the nazdar 9700 inks, which I like, but I really want to get a uv cure conveyor and stop using stinky chemicals. At least cut down on the number of spontaneously combustible ones at least.

[tpitman]

Before an auto, get some drying racks. It wasn't bad for me because I had an old screen-drying rack that I could stand 50 up in for an hour or so while they dried. You'll need some flat space for sticker stock, or any thin flaststock.

[Frog]

Ditto on eb's suggestions on hole size and spacing, and on the switch for the vacuum, but I go one better and get away from the ear-splitting racket of a shop vacuum and go with a real, almost silent vacuum pump from Graingers or McMaster Carr or elsewhere.

As for Ray, I couldn't even get him over to SPOF two years ago, and more recently, he (and a few others), took great offense when I and a few other others also tried to get to the bottom of Hirsch's involvement with the Lowery debacle. This small group has really defiantly clung to the old board, even more so in light of these revelations.

[Shawn (EIP)]

Before an auto, get some drying racks. It wasn't bad for me because I had an old screen-drying rack that I could stand 50 up in for an hour or so while they dried. You'll need some flat space for sticker stock, or any thin flaststock.

A legit flat stock drying rack is on it's way!

 Theres a shop here that prints stickers and they would rather do them by hand and their cameo auto collects dust... not sure of the reasoning but they print butt loads of stickers.

[StuJohnston]

I guess it may be because I have never used one, but I cannot fathom why someone would prefer manual to auto. I have heard a couple of funny things about autos. One is that an auto press makes it easy to make over three hundred mistakes an hour and the other is that an auto press' back never gets tired.

Are they looking to sell the cameo? Actually I am really interested to hear how this shop operates.

[Frog]

Stu, you're new to the Shawn show, You have to realize that he runs with a different breed than most of us. 

He's also been hanging with us long enough to be able to take a little ribbing because since his first day, we've tried to set and keep him on a successful path. He's getting there.

[Shawn (EIP)]

Stu, you're new to the Shawn show, You have to realize that he runs with a different breed than most of us. 

He's also been hanging with us long enough to be able to take a little ribbing because since his first day, we've tried to set and keep him on a successful path. He;s getting there.

I drum to a different beat for sure, which is funny because I'm also a drummer... I feel sorry for my band.

[Shawn (EIP)]

I guess it may be because I have never used one, but I cannot fathom why someone would prefer manual to auto. I have heard a couple of funny things about autos. One is that an auto press makes it easy to make over three hundred mistakes an hour and the other is that an auto press' back never gets tired.

Are they looking to sell the cameo? Actually I am really interested to hear how this shop operates.

If they are selling it I'm on it like a emo kid to a box of tissues. 

[ebscreen]

Watch it cycle first man. There's a reason they ain't using it...