| Project by Lee A. Jesberger | posted 454 days ago | 648 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
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21 comments so far
woodspar
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684 posts in 580 days
posted 454 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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5846 posts in 754 days
posted 454 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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5690 posts in 578 days
posted 454 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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12893 posts in 881 days
posted 454 days ago
Great info Lee.
-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com
Lee A. Jesberger
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2745 posts in 460 days
posted 454 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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2745 posts in 460 days
posted 454 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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2745 posts in 460 days
posted 454 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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2745 posts in 460 days
posted 454 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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2586 posts in 658 days
posted 453 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.canterburybaptist.org/
Lee A. Jesberger
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2745 posts in 460 days
posted 453 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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11909 posts in 641 days
posted 453 days ago
oooooh small boxes!!
Don loves small boxes
-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
CharlieM1958
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4169 posts in 699 days
posted 453 days ago
I smell an internet search in my future….
-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"
Lee A. Jesberger
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2745 posts in 460 days
posted 453 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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2745 posts in 460 days
posted 453 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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4840 posts in 517 days
posted 453 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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2745 posts in 460 days
posted 453 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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1819 posts in 619 days
posted 453 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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12893 posts in 881 days
posted 453 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.
-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com
Lee A. Jesberger
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2745 posts in 460 days
posted 453 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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1159 posts in 169 days
posted 23 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 : )
-- Dusty56@comcast.net
Lee A. Jesberger
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2745 posts in 460 days
posted 23 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