DIY Vacuum Bag on a Budget

In this tutorial we will show you a relatively cheap way to use a vacuum bag technique.

This tutorial is for a smartphone stand in laminated wood.

Through pictures and direct guidelines you can follow along and make your own.

Good luck!

Step 1: Getting Your Materials

This is what you'll need:

- Pair of scissors

- Saran wrap (cling warp foil)

- Fast drying wood glue

- Rubber bands

- Veneer wood (we use oak veneer)

- Wood to make a mold

- Vacuum bag (vacuum storage bag)

- Vacuum cleaner

Step 2: Making the Mold

Use a sturdy material for making the mold. We use plywood.

TIP:

Make sure u use round-over corners, so the wood can bend around it. Sharp 90° angles will not work.

Step 3: Cut the Veneer to Size

Plain simple, cut the veneer wood to fit your mold.

TIP:

Cut the veneer so that you can cross the wood grain on the mold. This will make your final product stronger.

When using small radius corner you might want to lay the grain parallel.

Step 4: Applying Glue

Apply a liberal amount of woodglue to the veneer. Make sure you spread the glue evenly to avoid airpockets.

Step 5: Stacking

Stack the glued veneer on top of each other.

Step 6: Prepare the Mold

Warp the mold in saran wrap so that the veneer won't stick to the mold.

Step 7: Vacuum Time!

It's that time, now you can put your veneer on the mold and cover it with a layer of saran warp.

Now put the mold in the vacuum bag.

Once you've placed the mold and veneer, close the bag.

Now open the valve and use the vacuum cleaner to remove all the air inside the bag.

Finally close the valve, and let the glue cure. (read glue specifications)

TIP:

- When your mold has a difficult shape, you may use rubber bands to hold the veneer in place temporarily

- This kind of vacuum bags is not 100% vacuum and so after 10 to 15min is may lose some strength. Just re- open the valve and use the vacuum cleaner to re-vacuum the bag.

Step 8: Finally: Enjoy Whatever You Made!