MiKro Posted April 22, 2009 Report Posted April 22, 2009 Hi all, In my quest for a larger vacuum bagging clamp system I have been looking all over for a venturi vacuum generator for a reasonable price. Most seem to start at 40+ $ well I have found one for about $15. Yep, Harbor Freight has an air vacuum pump on sale for $12.99. I added a few fittings for about $2.25. Well It pulls 26.2 " of vacuum @ 90 psi using 4.2 cfm Not bad for on the cheap. Now I need some caps for the 3" PVC res tanks and I'll have a new vacuum bag clamp system. I know there will be some other fittings as well needed but most are minor in costs. Hope this helps someone like me, that's on a fixed budget. BTW I painted the venturi block Mike Quote
Woodenspoke Posted April 22, 2009 Report Posted April 22, 2009 Reasonable price, on the cheap. This should be the mantra of this forum. I generally go to http://www.joewoodworker.com/index.html for veneer press info. I have been eying the $65 vacuum pumps at HF rather than try an use my compressor. Its the bags that can be costly. So far I have not comvinced myself I need one. the other side is vacumm clamping, probably abit cheaper than veneer bags but you have to buy a special ball valve. Quote
Buter Posted April 22, 2009 Report Posted April 22, 2009 Venturis work well but they can make a hell of a racket, you need a compressor and you either need a completely airtight bag with a non-return valve or you need to keep running air through the venturi to maintain the vacuum which is very noisy. I've built hundreds of skateboards by using the suction side of a fridge compressor as my vacuum source. These compressors can be had quite cheaply from a small appliance repair shop. These things can be left to run for the entire curing time of your adhesive and are nearly inaudable. Another option is to order a manual vacuum bagging kit from Canadian skateboard company Roarockit. Not the cheapest option but if you're new to vac bagging a very sensible starting point - plus you can make a board to skate around your shop! cheers Buter Quote
MiKro Posted April 23, 2009 Author Report Posted April 23, 2009 Reasonable price, on the cheap. This should be the mantra of this forum. I generally go to http://www.joewoodworker.com/index.html for veneer press info. I have been eying the $65 vacuum pumps at HF rather than try an use my compressor. Its the bags that can be costly. So far I have not comvinced myself I need one. the other side is vacumm clamping, probably abit cheaper than veneer bags but you have to buy a special ball valve. Yep Spoke That was the inspiration for this. and as Buter says they are somewhat noisy but I have found that this is exceptable for me. I just wanted to pass on the find if someone is interested in doing the V2 project from Joe Woodworker and save a few dollars MK Quote
Buter Posted April 23, 2009 Report Posted April 23, 2009 Reasonable price, on the cheap. This should be the mantra of this forum. Its the bags that can be costly. Tell me about it. Buying a custom, premade bag can require a visit to a mortgage lender. This is an old thread on Swaylocks and it will cover more than you would ever possibly want to know about vac-bagging from home including how to make your own bags. The main info starts on post #13 but, if you have the time, there's loads of good posts by other users in the thread, not just the original poster. If you're creative, you can probably find everything you need to build a bag in your own house. Once you get to grips with vac-bagging you'll wonder how you ever got along without it! Cheers Buter Quote
HuntinDoug Posted April 23, 2009 Report Posted April 23, 2009 Hi all, In my quest for a larger vacuum bagging clamp system I have been looking all over for a venturi vacuum generator for a reasonable price. Most seem to start at 40+ $ well I have found one for about $15. Cool! I finally broke down and ordered a 24" x 24" bag from Joe veneer on Monday, so this is perfect timing for me. I figured it's time I tried this vacuum thing. I have a borrowed venturi block that runs $90, but I'm never comfortable borrowing tools. I will definately pick one of these up today. Keep posting pics of your PVC tanks & progress. I get email coupons from HF about once a week...didnt even see this in the last email: It expires on 4-26-09. Anyone who wants to use it should be able to print it out, and take it in to the store. About once a month they email a 20% off any single purchase coupon. Quote
MiKro Posted April 23, 2009 Author Report Posted April 23, 2009 An update to this, if anyone is interested? I chose to use a 5gal air tank from HF instead of the PVC route. For the same price as four 4" pvc caps, @7.95ea, I bought the tank. I added a few valves and a new Vac gauge, my other gauge is 30+ years old. As you can see a very basic system but was able to pull 29" vacuum in less than 2mins on the tank. I think that's exceptable? Total parts are still under $100.00. That's excluding hose and bag. Thanks for looking, Mike Quote
Buter Posted April 24, 2009 Report Posted April 24, 2009 Hi Doug Can you let us know how you get on with the 24"x24" bag? The reason I ask is that I just measured my LP and the shortest length I would use on that would be around 30", and that is assuming that you have a bag closure method that doesn't steal too much of the bag's length, I'm not sure how much excess length you need for the double pvc tube type seals. Also, you need to allow significant excess so that when you pull vacuum, the edges collapse on themselves instead of putting more pressure on the seams of the bag. This is something that doesn't really make itself apparent until you put something too big into your bag and have one of the sealed edges let go. I just laminted two necks the old fashioned way (clamps) and I wish I'd used my vac press to do it instead. If I have to re-do two neck through blanks I won't be a happy bunny but I'll post up the pics to show how I would lam a neck with a vac. Thanks for posting this, Mike. Cheers Buter Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.