17 – How to Make a Vacuum Bag for Veneering

Video - May 31, 2007

In this episode, I show you the process of making your own vacuum bag. There are two materials to choose from, polyurethane and vinyl. My old bag is made from vinyl but this time I am going to try my hand at polyurethane, which is supposed to be more durable. My source for all for all of the materials and the instructions is one of my favorite sites on the web, VeneerSupplies.com. Not only does Joe provide detailed tutorials and information on making your own vacuum bag and making your own vacuum press, he also provides all the materials you need to do it. He even sells pre-made bags.

The results of this little project are not exactly what you might expect. It was quite a learning experience. If you are considering making your own bag, this video is a must see!

Discussion

nick May 31, 2007 3:26 pm

i heard poly was better for curved pressing than vinyl is, true or false? and im so buying my bag after seeing that :).

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Vic May 31, 2007 3:45 pm

yeah…think I’ll just buy a bag.

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david May 31, 2007 4:53 pm

marc did you wait 24 hours between drying because i noticed you were wearing the same things when you un-clamped them

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Larry May 31, 2007 7:25 pm

Marc, what do you use to seal up the unglued end when the vac is on? Just curious. Thanks for the vid.

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Joe May 31, 2007 7:28 pm

Poly is definitely the best choice for curved projects because its much more elastic than vinyl.

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thewoodwhisperer May 31, 2007 8:47 pm

Well, there’s an answer from the MAN himself! Thanks for stopping by Joe.

To answer the other questions, I did wait 24 hours for the glue to dry. You will notice that I generally wear the same clothes throughout my podcasts. I do realize how funny this looks when the viewer knows that a day has passed. But I assure you, the shirt washed at least once while filming. lol. Usually Nicole makes sure my clothes are clean everyday but she was out of town. :)

And from my initial experiences with the poly, the material is much more flexible than the vinyl bag I have. I could see this material conforming easily to just about any shape my little brain could come up with.

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Joe June 1, 2007 5:29 am

Just one more follow up…

You can also use the HH-66 to seal up any remaining leaks by brushing it onto the seams while there is vacuum pressure in the bag.

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Skee June 1, 2007 6:45 am

Excellent episode Marc.

Thank you for sharing this adventure. I’d love to see other content providers talk about and discuss some of their projects that didn’t go as expected. Most of the woodworking shows I watch make it all about “getting it right every time”. I’m positive they edit out the projects that got sideways on them. When filming, they just repeat a step that didn’t go as expected and the show makes it look like it was done right the first time.

Think we can ever get the Yankee to do a blooper reel?

Again, thank you.

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mot June 1, 2007 11:16 am

Great video. I’ve been looking at making a bag and was wondering how the heck was I going to get that poly to keep from curling when the solvent is applied. I think I’ll just buy a bag. Thanks!

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Ray June 2, 2007 10:20 am

Hi Marc, I enjoy watching your video’s great job. As for sealing the polyurethane bag, maybe a different approach would be to tape the seams with something like 3M VHB 9473 (very high bond) style tape.

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Che June 5, 2007 6:20 am

Thanks for the episode…

I don’t know if Joe has it but I used to work in a boat shop and we used “Dum Dum” to seal vac bags and to seal the bag to the mold. It is like a long strip of stiff silly putty. It has some thickness to allow for minor misalignments and you can add “Darts” for major misalignment and curves. It can also be re-used a couple of times if your careful. The best part is that it is generally used to seal the bag to the mold even if the mold is a flat panel. This way you don’t have to try and slip your work into the bag. You simpally place the bag over the setup and seal it to the table. Of course you table needs to be air tight and you’ll need a breather cloth.

A stethoscope with the end cut off can really help pinpoint leaks.

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Regnar June 5, 2007 3:52 pm

Marc, I went to a school that taught us how to vacuum bag composites like fiber glass, and other materials. What we used to seal up the bags was a sticky play-do like material. We even used a play-do press to form it into long strings. It allowed us to change the size of the area to be vacuumed. I have photos of what I am talking about if you would like to see them. But the largest area we cover was 10′ x 5′ and it worked like a charm. Leaking areas only need to be pushed down and your done.

Love the shows Thanks for all the helpful hints, tips, and knowledge.

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stuart October 31, 2010 3:56 pm

hi marc
i’m new to wood working and i was just wondering in some supermarkets they sale space-saving vacuum bags witch is for compressesing and storeing pillows, quilts, sweaters ect… (place the items to be stored in the bag zip up the end and use any household vacuum cleaner with a hose attachment to evacuate the air from the bag.) will this work for vacuum pressing in stead of the proper stuff.

Reply
- thewoodwhisperer November 1, 2010 8:14 am
  
  Hey Stuart. Honestly, I don’t think that will work. The key to this clamping system is drawing out pretty much every last bit of air. And while those systems draw most of the air out, which is enough to collapse blankets and pillows, I don’t think the vacuum is as close to a true vacuum as you’d need it to be. I can’t be 100% sure though since I never tried it. But that’s what my gut is telling me.
  
  Reply
  - stuart November 1, 2010 2:35 pm
    
    hi marc, thanks for your reply i appreciate your thoughts on this matter, i was just wondering which one of the vacuum pumps do you consider to be the best, i have just started watching your programs and i think that thay are great, thank you for all your wisdom.
    
    Reply
    - thewoodwhisperer November 1, 2010 2:39 pm
      
      I honestly might not be the best person to answer that question Stuart. My pump experience goes no further than the model I have, which I purchased from some wholesale place years ago. You might ask for recommendations in our forum at http://woodtalkonline.com. I am sure you’ll get some more experienced recommendations there.
Rance April 19, 2011 10:19 am

Marc, Nice job on the video. I may delve into Vacuum Bagging one day. And if I do, now I’ll know where to start.

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Robert Baker September 30, 2011 10:11 am

What happened to the mastic type material Joe Woodworker used to sell two years ago? This stuff stuck to everything: poly or vinyl, fingers (until you figure out how to handle it), it didn’t stink or cause your mind to shut down like the contact cement and acetone, plus it can be reusable. Basically the material is a sealant, made by extruding a 3/8 ” to 1/2″ Dia. line of material onto a 1″ wide strip of waxy paper at whatever length is required, then spiral rolled and packaged. Because the material stays flexible it is easy to make a veneering bag- just sandwich the upper and lower layers with this sealant between the edges of the two layers. Make the seal by lightly squeezing all three together.Need an opening, just pull apart the bag layers, insert parts or make adjustments then reseal. No special tools needed, or waiting 24 hours for contact cement to retack. If there is a vacuum leak ,kneed the sealant and bag in the area of the leak or add a bit of sealant to the leaking area until the leak is gone . Again no waiting for 24 hrs for contact cement or fouling the air with VOC’s.
The stuff I received was yellow in color, and packaged in ten or twelve foot rolls, and it was compliant with any plastic I used for a vacuum bag.

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Rosie February 26, 2012 12:54 pm

Hi Marc,

I was waonding if you would do a video on how to use a vacuum press for veneering. I would like to try veneering but don’t know where to start. I have look for videos but have not found any good ones. I live in Canada and I can’t find any stores that would carry and kits., at least the ones I know of. Please help.

Thanks Rosie

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Larry Booth April 1, 2016 5:44 pm

I was wondering if small amounts of green wood could be cured in a vacuum. I know one would need to remove several times add heat compensating for evaporation heat loss. Curing in 4 days would be better then 16 days. The pressure would keep the wood from warping. Cellular collapes??? Water boils at room temperature under a vacuum.

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John Hay July 12, 2020 7:55 pm

I had the exact same experience with the same supplies. I think your advice to just buy a bag is good. It’s not worth the frustration. And, it will haunt you. “ maybe if I just…”
FAIL followed by, “I know! I’ll try…” FAIL
At a certain point you just have to give up. I want to be a woodworker not a bag maker.

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John Hay September 9, 2025 7:04 pm

I’ve had no luck making a polyurethane bag

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17 – How to Make a Vacuum Bag for Veneering

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