Has Anyone Made Their Own Vacuum Table for Work-Holding?

[tonyfoale]

This may help Vacuum chuck for PCB milling and engraving.

If your picks are all about the same size and shape then you could make the chuck with a detent of similar size and shape with a number of small holes to the vacuum source. Because your workpieces are so small you will need a high vacuum source to get enough force. A shop-vac is OK for large surfaces such as those used on CNC routers but their vacuum is nowhere near enough for small objects. You need a fridge technician's vacuum pump which can be had quite cheaply.
If you make a form fitting chuck it would help sealing if you line it with some rubberised paint or similar. Maybe the paint used for truck beds?

If your picks vary in shape and size you could make the detent to suit the largest and for smaller picks you could seal around the edges with moulding clay or something similar.