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Who sells a reasonably priced comercial vacume press, not for doing boats (not yet anyway)
[ 06-12-2003, 06:05 PM: Message edited by: gert ]
Who sells a reasonably priced comercial vacume press, not for doing boats (not yet anyway)
[ 06-12-2003, 06:05 PM: Message edited by: gert ]
Who sells a reasonably priced comercial vacume press, not for doing boats (not yet anyway)
[ 06-12-2003, 06:05 PM: Message edited by: gert ]
Our sponsor's sister publication, Professional Boatbuilder, has an excellent article by Bruce Pfund on vacuum bagging in the June/July edition (Number 83). I don't believe that he lists suppliers of complete systems, but he does mention a company - E. McGrath Inc. in Salem Mass. - that sells used vacuum pumps. You wouldn't be wasting your money if you ordered an copy of this issue.
Our sponsor's sister publication, Professional Boatbuilder, has an excellent article by Bruce Pfund on vacuum bagging in the June/July edition (Number 83). I don't believe that he lists suppliers of complete systems, but he does mention a company - E. McGrath Inc. in Salem Mass. - that sells used vacuum pumps. You wouldn't be wasting your money if you ordered an copy of this issue.
Our sponsor's sister publication, Professional Boatbuilder, has an excellent article by Bruce Pfund on vacuum bagging in the June/July edition (Number 83). I don't believe that he lists suppliers of complete systems, but he does mention a company - E. McGrath Inc. in Salem Mass. - that sells used vacuum pumps. You wouldn't be wasting your money if you ordered an copy of this issue.
Mrleft8
06-13-2003, 08:04 AM
I got mine from "Wood Craft". It cost about $200, with the bag. The least expensive one I saw anywhere. I've had it for about 10 years now. It's an excellent little machine. I think it was built by the VAK-uum co. up in Maine... I've bought other size bags from them, and they're all good. The largest surface I've veneered is a 6' Dia. table top (16 piece pie, can you say nerve wracking?), and it handled that just fine.
Mrleft8
06-13-2003, 08:04 AM
I got mine from "Wood Craft". It cost about $200, with the bag. The least expensive one I saw anywhere. I've had it for about 10 years now. It's an excellent little machine. I think it was built by the VAK-uum co. up in Maine... I've bought other size bags from them, and they're all good. The largest surface I've veneered is a 6' Dia. table top (16 piece pie, can you say nerve wracking?), and it handled that just fine.
Mrleft8
06-13-2003, 08:04 AM
I got mine from "Wood Craft". It cost about $200, with the bag. The least expensive one I saw anywhere. I've had it for about 10 years now. It's an excellent little machine. I think it was built by the VAK-uum co. up in Maine... I've bought other size bags from them, and they're all good. The largest surface I've veneered is a 6' Dia. table top (16 piece pie, can you say nerve wracking?), and it handled that just fine.
Bruce Hooke
06-13-2003, 10:37 AM
I put my system together using on a used vacuum pump and supplies largely obtained from McMaster-Carr (I made my own bag), but here is a list of suppliers to look at:
http://www.qualityvak.com
http://www.vacupress.com
http://www.gougeonbrothers.com
http://www.highlandhardware.com
There have been some good articles on the subject in Fine Woodworking, and these articles generally do a better job of addressing typical furniture-making applications, as opposed to boat-building uses, than boat-oriented publications will (although both are worth looking at). The key difference is that in furniture work you usually put everything inside a bag and seal up the bag, whereas on boats you typically seal a sheet of plastic down over one side of an airtight form.
Bruce Hooke
06-13-2003, 10:37 AM
I put my system together using on a used vacuum pump and supplies largely obtained from McMaster-Carr (I made my own bag), but here is a list of suppliers to look at:
http://www.qualityvak.com
http://www.vacupress.com
http://www.gougeonbrothers.com
http://www.highlandhardware.com
There have been some good articles on the subject in Fine Woodworking, and these articles generally do a better job of addressing typical furniture-making applications, as opposed to boat-building uses, than boat-oriented publications will (although both are worth looking at). The key difference is that in furniture work you usually put everything inside a bag and seal up the bag, whereas on boats you typically seal a sheet of plastic down over one side of an airtight form.
Bruce Hooke
06-13-2003, 10:37 AM
I put my system together using on a used vacuum pump and supplies largely obtained from McMaster-Carr (I made my own bag), but here is a list of suppliers to look at:
http://www.qualityvak.com
http://www.vacupress.com
http://www.gougeonbrothers.com
http://www.highlandhardware.com
There have been some good articles on the subject in Fine Woodworking, and these articles generally do a better job of addressing typical furniture-making applications, as opposed to boat-building uses, than boat-oriented publications will (although both are worth looking at). The key difference is that in furniture work you usually put everything inside a bag and seal up the bag, whereas on boats you typically seal a sheet of plastic down over one side of an airtight form.
TomRobb
06-13-2003, 03:15 PM
On TV the other day I saw several commercials for bags into which you pack bulky items, suck out the air w/ a houshold vac or shop vac so they take up considerably less room.
They were cheap - 20$ or so?
It might be worth investigating - not much to lose. If you laminate w/ epoxy, you don't need much pressure.
TomRobb
06-13-2003, 03:15 PM
On TV the other day I saw several commercials for bags into which you pack bulky items, suck out the air w/ a houshold vac or shop vac so they take up considerably less room.
They were cheap - 20$ or so?
It might be worth investigating - not much to lose. If you laminate w/ epoxy, you don't need much pressure.
TomRobb
06-13-2003, 03:15 PM
On TV the other day I saw several commercials for bags into which you pack bulky items, suck out the air w/ a houshold vac or shop vac so they take up considerably less room.
They were cheap - 20$ or so?
It might be worth investigating - not much to lose. If you laminate w/ epoxy, you don't need much pressure.
Bruce Hooke
06-13-2003, 03:35 PM
BTW - If your time is very valuable then by all means get a pre-made bag that has some sort of a quick seal system for closing the bag. If not then know that you can make your own bag for about 1/4 the cost of the commercial ones. IIRC this was covered in detail in one of the Fine Woodworking articles. I got all the bag materials from McMaster-Carr (except the 2x4 that I cut in half so that the two halves key together with a "V-Joint" -- I place the bag mouth between the two halves of the 2x4 and clamp down with c-clamps to seal the bag).
Bruce Hooke
06-13-2003, 03:35 PM
BTW - If your time is very valuable then by all means get a pre-made bag that has some sort of a quick seal system for closing the bag. If not then know that you can make your own bag for about 1/4 the cost of the commercial ones. IIRC this was covered in detail in one of the Fine Woodworking articles. I got all the bag materials from McMaster-Carr (except the 2x4 that I cut in half so that the two halves key together with a "V-Joint" -- I place the bag mouth between the two halves of the 2x4 and clamp down with c-clamps to seal the bag).
Bruce Hooke
06-13-2003, 03:35 PM
BTW - If your time is very valuable then by all means get a pre-made bag that has some sort of a quick seal system for closing the bag. If not then know that you can make your own bag for about 1/4 the cost of the commercial ones. IIRC this was covered in detail in one of the Fine Woodworking articles. I got all the bag materials from McMaster-Carr (except the 2x4 that I cut in half so that the two halves key together with a "V-Joint" -- I place the bag mouth between the two halves of the 2x4 and clamp down with c-clamps to seal the bag).
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