Q.V.P. VAKUUM BAGS WITHOUT BASEBOARDS - Manual (Page 3)

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OVER
BASIC VENEERING
PRINCIPLES
5/4/98 - Basic Veneering Principles.cdr
FLAT SURFACES
1. Start with cutting the substrate to the finished size.
Good substrate materials are;
MDF, particle board or
plywood. If solid wood is to be used, a cross ply must be
applied and allowed to dry unless the panel is less than
1/4" thick.
2. Prepare a caul by rounding all edge that will be touched
by the VAK bag. The caul should be approximately 3/4"
larger than the substrate and made from 1/2 to 1" thick
melamine coated particle board. Any flat material can be
used, however, the coated stock has several advantages.
First, the coating makes it non-porous. With porous
material, the vacuum pulls the air from the pores over a
period of time, this has the effect of breaking the vacuum
prematurely. This causes the VAK Matic Controller to
cycle on and off more often. A coated caul can also be
lightly waxed, this helps keep the excess glue from
sticking.
3. The veneer should be matched and placed face down on
the caul. It should be about 1/4" larger than the substrate
so that it overhangs the substrate by at least 1/8" on all
sides. Tape the veneer to the substrate, however, make
sure that the tape will not touch the substrate when it is
placed on top of the veneer. You do not want to trap tape
under the veneer.
4. Glue one face of the substrate. Many use the regular
yellow glues unless the workpiece is going in a special
area where it sees some unusual conditions like excessive
heat (fireplace panels) or high moisture. Apply glue to the
top of the substrate and align the top caul, with its taped
veneer, on top of the substrate.
5. Tape the assembly together so it will not move when
placing it in the VAK Bag.
CURVED SURFACES
1. Build your mold with the knowledge that it will see almost
1 Ton/sq.ft of pressing force. A weak mold will get
crushed. This is also true of curved furniture. Veneering a
hollow round base can be a problem unless the inside is
structurally sound.
2. Make the mold convexed whenever possible and do not
totally close it in. Leave the bottom open or cut some slots
in the bottom so that air is not trapped inside.
3. Use the mold as the bottom caul and wax it as with a flat
caul. Tape the bottom veneer to the mold. Glue the
bending ply/substrate and place it over the veneer. The
number of bending plys glued at one time depends on the
size, thickness and stiffness of the ply. Glue several plys if
they are flexible enough to be bent in the bag. In some
cases, you will help the bag by pushing down on the
flexible top caul, as the bag is being evacuated. Once
evacuated, the bag will hold everything down.
4. Lay the top veneer on top of the glued substrate. Tape
the top caul to the assembly only at the points where it
meets the bottom assembly. If you tape it all the way
around, like with the flat panel, the inner plys may not slide
into their proper radius without causing a misalignment
problem.
5. Place a piece of plastic sheet over the top veneer and
tape in place. Place the top caul (bending ply) in position
and tape in place. Slide the completed assembly into the
bag. Start the VAK pump and hold the assembly down
while the reaches the desired vacuum level.
Notes:
A. Always try a dry run to make sure all the pieces fit to
gather and fit in the bag without problems. Go as far as to
pull the maximum vacuum with a new piece or shape.
B. Know your time limits for assembly, glue, and bag
evacuation so that you don't get caught short.
Base Board
Bottom Caul
Substrate
Top Caul
Veneer
74 Apsley St. - Hudson, MA 01749
Tel: 978-562-4680 - Fax: 978-562-4681