Thin Air Press Kit experiences

[Ken Miller]

Has anyone used this product? I have seen in more than one magazine that it does a good job but I am interested in some first hand experience. I'm interested in veneering a box, maybe 9"L x 12"W x 5"H. Can you use this press for this type of veneering or is this system mainly for flat panels? Having never veneered before, if this system is not good for this application, do you have any other suggestions? Thanks in advance.

[Don Baer]

I've never heard of the kit that you speak of but go to www.joewoodworker.com (http://www.joewoodworker.com) to learn all you need to know about vaneering.

[Mac McAtee]

Ken,
I think you would find a completed box will collapse if you put it in a bag type vacuum system. The air outside the bag would be trying to get into the void inside the box and unless you made the box out of cast iron it wouldn’t stand the pressure.

You would veneer the boards in the flat form then use them to assemble the box, if using a bag type system.

However you could veneer just like they have been doing it for centuries, hide glue (or a synthetic veneer glue) and a veneering hammer. A box that small would be rather easy to manage and would be a good learning experience.

[Ted Hunter]

Ken

You can laminate one panel of your box at a time using our kit. You have to be careful though as vacuum pressure can crush any unsupported sides. This could be easily remedied by filling the box with scrap rectangles of plywood.
Usually vacuum veneering is done on a flat substrate where the glue is applied to the substrate then veneer is cut and laid on top of the glued material. This can then be put into a vacuum bag and evenly pressed down. The process is not complicated. Once completed the components of your box can be cut and joined together.
There are tutorials on my blog at Roarockit that showing this process on a table top sample I worked on.


Hope this helps
Ted from Roarockit.