Any recommendation for a veneer press (vacuum pump, bag, etc.)

[Fidel Fernandez]

I am going to buy a veneer press for a project that I am working on.

Could you recommend some providers? I have some providers that I won't work with them, personal reasons and I won't make business with Veneer supplies. Please don't ask why.

So I need a reputable business that can sell to individuals and not pros.

I was looking vac-u-clamp. Any recommendations?

[Jamie Buxton]

www.joewoodworker.com

[Dave Bonde]

I agree, joewoodworker I build one from Joe's plans and parts and it has served me well for several years.

[Bill Orbine]

https://www.vacupress.com/products.htm

[Dan Clark]

I've been pondering a veneer press press kit for a couple of years. www.joewoodworker.com is definitely my first choice. They are an excellent source for kits, components, and veneer. This is their PDF comparing the kits: http://www.joewoodworker.com/docs/vacuumpresschart.pdf

Details on their kits:
http://www.veneersupplies.com/catego...m__Press__Kits

Plans for building a press:
http://www.joewoodworker.com/veneering/downloads.htm

General tips and tricks:
http://www.joewoodworker.com/veneering/welcome.htm

Who's Joe?
http://www.veneersupplies.com/pages/About__Us.html

Cruise the site for awhile. Lots of good info there.

Regards,

Dan.

[Jason Beam]

Since you refuse to do business with a very reliable and reputable vendor like Veneer Supplies, without telling us why, all I can suggest is vacupress ... but they're my 2nd choice.

[Mike Henderson]

I have two vacuum pumps built with Joe's kit. They work well.

When buying a bag you have a decision to make. One choice is to buy a big bag (4x8) so that you can do large work as well as small work - you can always put small things into a big bag.

But a big bag is expensive and if you don't have any plans to make something large, it's a waste.

The other approach is to buy a small bag (2x4) for small work. That bag will be a lot less expensive and when you have a large project, you can spring for a big bag. I use my 2x4 bag a lot more than my 4x8 bag. Also note that the bag size is the size of what you can put into it, not the size of the bag.

Then you have to decide between vinyl and polyurethane bags. Vinyl bags are usually thicker than poly bags. People say that poly bags last longer. I only have poly bags so I can't compare them to vinyl bags.

Whatever bag you buy, it's nice to have breather mesh in the bag (or a platen with grooves cut into it). You can buy breather mesh from Joe, but you can also use plain old screen (the stuff you have on your windows). The disadvantage of screen is that it can bunch up when you're putting stuff into the bag (or taking stuff out). The commercial breather mesh is stiffer and doesn't do that very easily.

Mike

[Fidel Fernandez]

I always believe that any problem between two parties should be managed between them.
Yes, I had some problems with Joe woodworker and Veneer supplies. It is something we are handling it between us.
I hope you guys will understand my way to not place more strain to a dire business relationship
I will check Vacupress, thanks for the advise.

Fidel

[David Ragan]

Joe Woodworker been responsive and good to me.

I have a vacuum pump and the poly bags that have lasted for years.

[Jim Becker]

Joe Woodworker for sure...

[Susumu Mori]

Hi Mike,

How important to have the auto-cycle capability? It seems some of the pump is only 45db and if clamping time is 1-2 hours, continuous pumping sounds enough for average hobbyist?

[Bill Adamsen]

Timely question ... I was looking at JW and about to start a build. Some of the units leverage small (3 to 5 gallon) air tanks instead of the schedule 40/80 pvc. Has anyone tried that, and are there opinions one way or another?

The other question was about just how well the Venturi models work. I'm impressed that it can generate 27.5" of Hg ... but how many cubic feet of air are required? I have a reasonable sized (80 gallon Champion) compressor, but how long will it need to run ... what is the ratio of air pressure to vacuum?

[Brian Holcombe]

I put together the Kit from Joewoodworker (veneer supplies) and use his bags/veneers and I've been using them for 3-4 years with success. Joe has been fantastic....

[John TenEyck]

I would buy a Gast or equivalent vacuum pump. You don't need many CFM, a smaller one just takes longer to evacuate the bag. Once the bag is collapsed it doesn't take but a fraction of CFM to keep it at whatever vacuum you want. You don't need 27" of Hg either. Anything over 20" is plenty. My pump only pulls about 22". I let it cycle down to 18" or so before coming back on. I've never had a failure. You can buy vacuum pumps from lots of places. I got mine from McMaster Carr 15 or more years ago.

Build your own bag. You can make it any size you want, it's easy to do, and it's cheap. I use 20 or 30 mil vinyl that I buy from a local boat window and awning place. You can glue vinyl with PVC pipe cement; it's stupid simple. Buy a bag penetration and you are in business. To seal it just roll the end over a large dowel or piece of wood; it will seal to itself. I've been using the same bag for over 10 years, and had just a couple of small leaks that I patched with a scrap of vinyl.

People make vacuum laminating/veneering out to be more complicated and expensive than it has to be. Keep it simple, keep it cheap. It works just as well.

John

[Max Neu]

I have dealt with veneer systems and vacu press quite a bit.They are geared towards the professional side, as opposed to veneer supplies that is more of a hobby level type products.I think they are all good at what they do, they are just better suited for different crowds.