Izzy Swan demonstrated the test featured in this video.
The video introduces a new brushless Grabo vacuum tool, a set of vac pucks and plates, and a portable workholding station that together reframe how small shops and job sites handle material safely and efficiently.
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The new brushless Grabo: power, control, and battery flexibility
The updated Grabo brings a brushless motor, higher airflow, an LCD control panel, and a remote that together make vacuum holding faster and more durable for repeated jobsite use.
Conversion plates let users swap the Grabo to their preferred battery platform—Milwaukee, Makita, Flex, Bosch, or DeWalt—so one tool can fit existing battery ecosystems without extra chargers or adapters.
How the vac plate and vac pucks work
The vac plate converts the Grabo into a portable vacuum pump and pairs with rugged vac pucks that use a non-marring, non-slip red surface to hold stock securely without clamps or tape.
Holding force is a function of contact area and pressure; a puck with roughly 25 square inches at modest PSI can yield hundreds of pounds of holding force, and multiple pucks multiply that capacity for larger or awkward pieces.
Vacuum sawhorses: safer cutting and routing on the job
Screw the vac pucks to a sawhorse, attach a vac plate, and the sawhorse becomes a powered hold-down that secures boards for angled cuts, routering, and other operations without clamps getting in the way.
This setup reduces the need to manipulate parts while cutting, keeps hands away from guards and blades, and speeds repetitive work by letting operators turn the vacuum on and off with a remote.
OS360 workholding station: portability and accessibility
The OS360 pairs with vac pucks for a compact, portable workholding solution that can be clamped down, bolted to a bench, or taken to the job site for on-the-fly operations.
Its 360° pivoting platform and locking pin let users position material at comfortable angles, and the non-marring face provides grip for parts that are 3 inches and wider while lateral slots allow narrower stock to be held as well.
Router templates and safer routing workflow
Using a vac puck to attach a template to a workpiece lets operators keep hands well away from large router bits while maintaining excellent control via added handles and an elevated grip point.
This approach removes tape, glue, or mechanical fasteners from the template workflow and allows quick swaps between parts, making template routing both faster and safer for repetitive profiling tasks.
Practical notes, limitations, and adaptability
Not every material bonds to vacuum equally: smooth S3S or S4S stock, plywood, and many hardwoods work well, while porous or highly cracked boards and some MDF may leak air and hold less effectively.
Accessories like handles, alternate airline routing, and small manifolds allow individualized control of each puck, letting users isolate single pucks for small parts or combine multiple pucks for heavy-duty holds.
Overall takeaways
This suite of tools emphasizes safety, repeatability, and portability—replacing many clamp-based setups with a flexible vacuum system that adapts to routing, cutting, and material handling tasks across shop and site use.
For builders looking to speed workflow and reduce risky hand positions, the combined Grabo, vac plate, pucks, and OS360 offer a practical platform that scales from small shop tasks to more complex, repeat operations.
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Matt’s Take
These are my personal thoughts and tips based on my own experience in the shop. This section is not written, reviewed, or endorsed by the original creator of this project.
What really strikes me about this vacuum holding system is how it addresses one of the biggest challenges in smaller shops: workholding without taking up permanent bench space. The ability to turn sawhorses into temporary clamping stations is brilliant for shops where every square foot matters. I’ve always found that the biggest bottleneck in project workflow isn’t cutting or sanding—it’s constantly setting up and breaking down workholding for each operation.
The safety aspect here can’t be overstated. Keeping your hands away from router bits while maintaining control is huge, especially when doing template work. That elevated grip point means you’re not reaching over spinning cutters, and the remote control lets you release the hold without getting close to the action. For anyone doing repetitive routing operations, this could be a real game-changer.
The battery platform flexibility is smart too. Nothing’s more frustrating than having great tools that don’t play nice with your existing battery ecosystem. Being able to swap between Milwaukee, DeWalt, Makita, and others means you’re not locked into buying yet another charger and battery set. At around $200-300 for the basic setup, that compatibility could easily save you another $100-150 in battery costs.
One thing to keep in mind is surface prep—even small amounts of dust or finish can affect vacuum performance. A quick wipe-down before clamping will give you much better holding power and more consistent results across different materials.