No way would I have ever thought of this on my own.

[Mike Schwing]

Food vacuum pump for small veneering jobs
I use a food vacuum-storage setup for small veneering jobs. Because the bags are sealed, the vacuum pump doesn’t have to run continuously, and you can do as many projects as you want with only one vacuum tool. With the proper attachment, the device will draw air from Mason jars to enable long-term storage of finishes with no skin forming on the top.

-- Tom Love, Delmont, N.J.

From Fine Woodworking #150, p. 20

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Can you hear me going "DOH!" I'd have never put 2 and 2 together. I use my food saver ALL of the time. Duh, vacuum system already in possession. I gotta give it a try next time.

[Don Farr]

Don't feel bad, I would never have thought of that either. I use mine for everything else. Important document storage, keep camping gear dry and of course food.
Great tip :cool:

[Jim Becker]

The only real downside to this is that the vacuum sealing bag material is not inexpensive. You can re-use to a certain extent (and SWMBO does!), but each pass leaves less material.

Now...combine the "food sucker" (as we call it) with a bag from a regular woodworking veneer tool source and you may be able to avoid buying a separate pump, at least for awhile...like when SWMBO gets angry that her tools are in your shop too much! (Our machine has a small hose for sealing the containers they also sell)

[Jamie Buxton]

A couple days ago, a friend told me about something I haven't yet tried for veneering. http://www.spacebag.com/ describes large ziplock bags with a one-way valve. The biggest is three feet by four feet. It costs $10 -- compare that to commercial veneering bags! The plastic is 40 mils thick, which is plenty for vacuum veneering. You could seal your workpiece in the bag, suck the air out the valve, and be done. Coleman distributes these bags for camping gear.

[Kevin Gerstenecker]

Good tips! My wife uses the Space Bags for storing seasonal clothing, and the first time I saw them, my reaction was "Ya, right"! After I loaded one of the bags with sweaters, and hooked the Shop Vac up to it, and started the suction, I was AMAZED at how much stuff you can compact with one of these bags. They really do work well, and you can store bunches and bunches of Clothing in just a few bags. They hold the suction very well also.........after storing Summer Clothes all Winter, there is absolutely no noticable leakage. The best part is you can buy the Space Bags in different sizes, and Walmart carries them all of the time. LOML likes the fact that you can store the clothes in the basement, and they don't get that "basement" smell. Until I read this thread, it never dawned on me to use these for Woodworking? Talking about thinking "outside the box"! Great ideas, great thread! :D

[Dave Avery]

I know this is heresy, but if you're time challenged, $300 for a Vacu-press system with a 48"X48" bag is not a huge amount of money. Haven't had a bad press yet. Add less than $100 for a 96"X96" bag, or make your own, and you're home free. I use Franklin veneer glue with great success and buy all my veneer on E-bay. Just a thought, if you're serious about veneering. Dave.

[Charles McKinley]

Don't try using them to move. They break when dropped too hard!Sweaters all over the back of the truck! Stuffed them in garbage bags. They are great for storage though.