Vacuum Bag - The Easiest Way to Press a Veneer Deck

In this video I'm going to be using a vacuum bag to press a DIY mountainboard deck. This is probably the easiest way to get started pressing your own decks out of veneers. These same techniques can be used to press skateboards, longboards, powsurfers, or any number of other types of boards.

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Tunes by Drew McCann:

[larryciesla]

I build furniture and often need to create bent parts like rocking chair rockers or curved backs for chairs. In your video you noted what I refer to as springback which happens when you remove a bentwood lamination from the press. Springback is caused by the glue itself giving a little as Tightbond is meant to do. Tightbond is a fantastic glue, but a better choice for laminations is a glue that produces an absolutely rigid glueline. You might want to experiment with a urea formaldehyde glue like Unibond 800. This will eliminate any springback after removing from the mold but may inhibit flexing too much for what you're doing. At 73, I'm well past your age but the boards you make look like something I would have loved in my younger days.

[willy]

I build helicopter blades for a living and this is a very common job for me. I have it a lot easier though being the central vac system and air pressure gauges. This is a very effective method for a budget build. Great video man. Ps I’m still very excited to see how your next snowboard build comes out. I’m super stoked man. 👍🤙

[ramwoodburns]

Yeah I'm sold on doing this. Great video.

[inherited-shop]

Enjoyed your good instruction on setting up and using this vacuum press bag. I am waiting for the Roarockit kit I ordered to arrive so your video was of great interest. I am not making a mountain board but a bench seat that I am having to build up to desired thickness of red oak and there will be two laminated bent back rest pieces.

[zornig]

Really enjoy your videos. Great work man.

[gaoyong]

Nice built. The board looks pretty fun and the shape is killing it. Next build you could try a split powsurf!

[mta]

I learned a lot from your videos. Definitely will try to make my own skateboard deck. Can you show us how to make electric skateboard enclosure. Thanks a lot for making more videos.

[deopersad]

Your lucky to get veneer, I'm in New Zealand they only sell it in a big stak which I will need a storage place and it cost is high, so I will just use what i got Canadian maple, I can just get one sheet at a time, it does the job 👍🏻👍🏾

[Roarockit]

Love the video! Can't wait to see what you make next!!

[karikaroyt]

I recommend opening up the sealing tape a little more gently and slower. That way, you're able to use it for more presses. Loved the vid!

[LongboardTechnology]

To preserve glue using the roller method, I stick the roller in a plastic bag, get it mostly air tight, and keep it in the fridge between layups.
The bag also allows me to pull the roller off the handle without getting glue on my hands.
It stays fresh for potentially weeks, but it best suited for when you're making a new board every few days.
The roller itself really seems to just eat up a ton of glue, so anything you can do to avoid having to saturate a fresh roller with glue seems to be the way to go.

When my Roarockit bag of over 10 years eventually got too beat up to be worth keeping, I spent a good amount of time trying to come up with an alternative.
There's a couple ideas which might be viable for single use, but ultimately I decided I should have just got another roarockit.

One build idea which might be fun is a bi-deck snow skate.
Its deck building, but also you have the ski which is like a mini snowboard.

[eross]

dry cool. where do you get those veneers from? is there a website ?

[trickswithjp]

you should try to make a bi-level snowskate. its essentially a skateboard deck mounted on top of a miniature snowboard or ski.

[Lostdog-gcblife]

What vac press do you use? Love your vid its really informative thank you. Im planning on making a skateboard iv wanted since i was little (langas board from sk8 the infinity) im so excited to do this

[numninja]

I just bought unidirectional CF and a biaxial FG for the middle layer, foam core, new 14" band saw, new 2'x4' CNC router for deck press plates and engravings, and all the multitude of resin and vacuum forming products. This is all your fault, bro! Haha. Great video.

[camerondonoghue]

I just put together a longboard with two sheets of 1/4 inch okoume plywood, I found it's pretty soft and bandy. Any info on what type of wood may be a little bit stiffer for the next one?

[negaopiroca]

Would it work to use the other half of the mold, instead the one you used, which has the upper shape of the deck?

[sensicz]

Hi! Planning to build my own snowboard I just found your channel today and it's amazing! Can you please share where did you buy this vacuum bag with the pump? Thanks

[slowlancer]

Is the little pump you used for the vac bag stong enough to press a snowboard ? If yes where could i buy one?

[conscienciaprimordial]

Hi Chris, how are you my friend? I have a question... can I use epox and press with a vacuum bag without a problem? Or with vacuum bag works only with glue?