Shop Lee Valley Vacuum Presses

Ideal for veneering, marquetry work and bending thin plies over a curved form, these are effective vacuum presses.

Originally developed for building skateboards, the system includes a 20 mil thick resealable vinyl vacuum bag with a built-in one-way valve, a length of breather netting, two rolls of butyl rubber sealing tape, a hand pump and instructions.

Each press is easy to use; once you glue and lay up the project, you simply place it within the vacuum bag with the breather netting positioned between the work and the valve to ensure unobstructed airflow. You then seal the bag opening with the butyl rubber tape and attach the hand pump to the valve. About 60 to 90 seconds of pumping creates a vacuum inside the bag, which exerts ample pressure for most laminate work (nearly 14 psi at sea level, slightly less at higher altitudes), distributed evenly over the entire project surface.

Recommended for use with PVA and epoxy adhesives.

We offer the presses in two sizes: 26″ × 28″ and 36″ × 52″. Choose the size that’s large enough to leave a few inches of extra space around your work to avoid stressing the seams; note that the bag conforms to the entire surface area of your work, so thick or heavily contoured work requires a larger size than thin, flat projects.

All components are reusable, but spare one-way valve caps and rolls of sealing tape can be purchased separately. We also offer sheets of softer breather netting for use with delicate work.

In all, a simple and inexpensive vacuum-press system. Made in Canada.