Originally Posted by
ger21
Vacuum holding power is proportional to the contact area of the pod and the part. So, the smaller the part, the less holding power you'll get. You're correct that the pods are designed to hold flat panels, and from my experience do not work well with smaller hardwoods parts. We're currently building some hardwood furniture, and have made some clamping fixtures to hold the parts. The pods hold the fixtures, and the fixture holds the parts with toggle clamps. I've seen that some manufacturers offer alternative pods for different applications, including pods with clamping functions. Not sure if they are available for Biesse's, though.