| Project by Lee A. Jesberger | posted 866 days ago | 1075 views | 1 time favorited | 21 comments |  |
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When gluing up panels in a vacuum bag, it is important to have a substrate under the parts. This substrate is called a platten. The platten is supporting the parts, much like a bench top. The platten is inserted into the bag along with the project being glued up.
The more important purpose though, is to permit air evacuation from all areas of the bag. In the picture showing one of our plattens, you can see 1/8” saw kerfs, about an 1/8” inch deep. These permit air to be removed from under the flat panels, with no obstructions. It is important to keep these airways, or saw kerfs free of glue build up. Also, cured urea resin glue is hard, brittle, and quite sharp, so keeping the platten free of dried glue is important to prevent it from cutting your bag, or interferering with your projects laying flat .
The tops of projects must also have a platten, but this can be a 1/4” thick piece of M.D.F., and cut about 1/4” larger in both directions, than the panel being glued. It dosen’t need kerfs.
The bags themselves must be kept clean of dried glue for the same reason.
Notice also, that it is a piece of Mellamine, which prevents the glue from sticking to it. It has all corners and edges rounded with a 1/4 round bit, which prevents the sharp corners of the platten from puncturing the bag.
If your bag should get punctured, it is repairable, much like a pool liner.
It is also possible to make your own bags if desired. There are several sites on the net that offer both the supplies and instructions to do this.
We don’t make our own bags, but this is due to a lack of time as much as anything else.
Lee
-- by Lee A. Jesberger http://www.prowoodworkingtips.com http://www.ezee-feed.com
21 comments so far
woodspar
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705 posts in 992 days
posted 866 days ago
Thanks Lee, good information. This is an area I really know little about so I appreciate your writing about it.
-- John
Max
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posted 866 days ago
Great info. I am going to have to try my hand at this at some point…
-- Max "Desperado", Salt Lake City, UT
WayneC
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posted 866 days ago
Thanks before long we will all be veneering…
-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov
Karson
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posted 866 days ago
Great info Lee.
-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †
Lee A. Jesberger
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3710 posts in 872 days
posted 866 days ago
Hi John,
My pleasure. I hope it leads to an expanded woodworking arsenal for you!
Lee
-- by Lee A. Jesberger http://www.prowoodworkingtips.com http://www.ezee-feed.com
Lee A. Jesberger
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3710 posts in 872 days
posted 866 days ago
Hi Max,
Go for it!
Lee
-- by Lee A. Jesberger http://www.prowoodworkingtips.com http://www.ezee-feed.com
Lee A. Jesberger
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3710 posts in 872 days
posted 866 days ago
Wayne,
Your on to me huh!
Lee
-- by Lee A. Jesberger http://www.prowoodworkingtips.com http://www.ezee-feed.com
Lee A. Jesberger
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3710 posts in 872 days
posted 866 days ago
Thanks Karson.
I hope it helps expose everyone to a great asset to us wood workers.
Lee
-- by Lee A. Jesberger http://www.prowoodworkingtips.com http://www.ezee-feed.com
Don
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2590 posts in 1070 days
posted 865 days ago
Lee, you won’t believe what I use for vacuum molding. This was developed by a company in Canada for home-made skate-board manufacturing by a company called Thin Air press Technology. The vacuum is created with a hand pump. It looks rather amateurish, but it really works quite well. The bag is 26” x 28”.
-- CanuckDon "I just love small wooden boxes!" http://www.hilsbiblechurch.org/
Lee A. Jesberger
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3710 posts in 872 days
posted 865 days ago
Hey Don,
I’ve seen these advertised, but have never seen one in use. I imagine they are perfect for small boxes and the like.
Lee
-- by Lee A. Jesberger http://www.prowoodworkingtips.com http://www.ezee-feed.com
MsDebbieP
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14156 posts in 1054 days
posted 865 days ago
oooooh small boxes!!
Don loves small boxes
-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
CharlieM1958
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7608 posts in 1111 days
posted 865 days ago
I smell an internet search in my future….
-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"
Lee A. Jesberger
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3710 posts in 872 days
posted 865 days ago
Hi Debbie,
Can you blame him?
Lee
-- by Lee A. Jesberger http://www.prowoodworkingtips.com http://www.ezee-feed.com
Lee A. Jesberger
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3710 posts in 872 days
posted 865 days ago
Hi Charlie,
Should be a small button on your computer that takes you to the internet! LOL
Lee
-- by Lee A. Jesberger http://www.prowoodworkingtips.com http://www.ezee-feed.com
mot
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4901 posts in 929 days
posted 865 days ago
Any information I can read and watch on this topic is useful. With your descriptions, Neil’s videos and Davids primer, I can’t help but get interested. Funny, in all the stuff I’ve watched, and forgive me if it’s been mentioned and I just missed it, I did not know why the plattens had the kerfs in them until now. I’m sure that it’s been mentioned, but I’m in a bit of information overload with veneering.
Thanks Lee!
-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)
Lee A. Jesberger
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3710 posts in 872 days
posted 865 days ago
Tom;
Well I’m a slow learner, and I’ve picked it up fairly well , so I’m certain Spid-ato Man can do wonders!
Lee
-- by Lee A. Jesberger http://www.prowoodworkingtips.com http://www.ezee-feed.com
David
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posted 865 days ago
Lee -
Thanks for this great info. I think you will have stimulated some fellow LumberJocks to test the veneering waters!
-- http://foldingrule.blogspot.com
Karson
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25792 posts in 1293 days
posted 865 days ago
It’s Raorocket and its available at Rockler
here is the order button
Mark Its big enough to do your chess board.
Rockler is offering free shipping until July 22 according to an e-mail I received from them.
-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †
Lee A. Jesberger
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3710 posts in 872 days
posted 865 days ago
David;
No need not to. It provides an excellent way to create amazing things.
Lee
-- by Lee A. Jesberger http://www.prowoodworkingtips.com http://www.ezee-feed.com
Dusty56
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posted 435 days ago
well now , I just learned something from you that I may never use , but I hope it rings a bell if I ever need to ! LOL thanks for the excellent information, Lee : )
-- You know you're getting old when you know the difference between you're (you are) and your (belonging to you) AND how to use them in a sentence .
Lee A. Jesberger
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3710 posts in 872 days
posted 435 days ago
Hi Dusty;
My pleasure.
Remembering is my problem too.
Thank you for the kind words.
Lee
-- by Lee A. Jesberger http://www.prowoodworkingtips.com http://www.ezee-feed.com