Hardware Store Vacuum Table - HOW TO make your own

Large vacuum formers are super awesome, but can't just be purchased like other equipment. Bill teaches you how to make your very own large vacuum former using materials from the hardware store!

Links:

Materials - Vacuum Former:

Patio Heaters (x2) - $240 - Amazon

Wood Screws - $4 - Amazon

Super 77 - $10 - Amazon

Wood Glue - $8 - Amazon

4 Corner L Brackets (x2) - $5 - Amazon

6’ Long 1/8” Thick x 1-1/4” Aluminum Angle Bar (x3) - $80 - Amazon
I only found 4’ long pieces on Amazon, you will need to buy 4 to get the total length you need. Also I recommend making your frame a little smaller than 24” square to save on aluminum. Cut the raw material into 2’ segments, then cut the miters on the ends. Assemble the frame, then build your platen to fit inside the frame.

8-32 x 1/2” Screws - $8 - Amazon

8-32 Nuts - $8 - Amazon

Sash Locks (x4) - $12 - Amazon

Thin Steel Plate - $10 - Amazon

Shop Vac - $120 - Amazon

Metal Mesh - $10 - Amazon

Striped Duct Tape - $5 - Amazon

30” Continuous Hinge (x4) - $35 - Amazon

Aluminum Tape - $10 - Amazon

Aluminum Foil - $10 - Amazon

Wood - Locally Sourced
1/2” 2’x4’ Plywood (x2) - $40
3/4” 2’x4’ MDF - $15
1/4” 2’ x 4’ MDF (x4) - $30

Total: $660

Tools:

Jig Saw - Amazon

Band Saw - Amazon

Table Saw - Amazon

Belt Sander - Amazon

Power Drill - Amazon

Drill Bits - Amazon

Countersink Bits - Amazon

Extension Cords - Amazon

Thermometer - Amazon

Circular Saw - Amazon

Bear Hand Saw - Amazon

Miter Box - Amazon

Spindle Sander - Amazon

Palm Sander - Amazon

Horizontal Metal Cutting Bandsaw - Amazon

Countersink Bits - Amazon

Metal Hanger Strap - Amazon

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[PrudentFishing]

Hey Bill, it's been a while since vacuuforming for me (worked at a sign company). A little tip: at the end of the vacuum draw, if there are some imperfections where the vacuum didn't pull all the plastic, use a heat gun to reheat the plastic as the vacuum continues to draw. That should fix it.

[misterfixit]

Although you are heating the plastic (to be formed), you also need to heat up the area around the form and vacuum table. As soon as the hot plastic hits the cold form and table it quickly looses heat and looses detail, thus the webbing around the bottom of the mould. Use an infrared bulb (or two) over the vacuum table to preheat the bed and form.

[Richard-nbiv]

2 years later and this video is still worth it. For your heater( you may have solved this long ago), I volunteered once building an Open 60 sailboat, they used prepregged carbon fibre/epoxy. The autoclave they built covered the whole boat and they used refective styrofoam panels with minimal wood framing. Worked like a charm! Loved the video and the trouble shooting process. Thank you!

[Richez]

This was actually very handy for me as im a younger diesel mechanic and i have loads of tools and this was a perfect way for me to make custom tool organizers for all of my tools even the oddball ones i own and so far its working perfect i just used black plastic and it was slightly thicker for durability. I also made a couple tool trays for a couple other guys in the shop and they love it so far! Great idea. Been trying to solve this problem for a while!

[barrylitchfield]

That was kind of difficult to watch.
Several years ago (~40 years)
I set up a vacuum forming operation for a company that used thousands of parts made on vacuum form machines. Seeing you struggling with starting from scratch to build a vacuum forming machine was hard to watch. All of the things that didn't work, and needed to be fixed, were very common when you're first learning about vacuum forming. I was glad to see you finally pulled a successful batch of parts. Good luck on your continued adventures in vacuum forming from the ground up. A good, wholesome video you made. It showed the good, the bad, and the ugly of starting to learn a new skill set.

[MrCubflyer]

best video Ive ever seen on how to make a vacuum forming table . It seems like most people treat them like its a secret or something they show the end result but no details on how to do it thanks.

[KP-nxlo]

Thank you for always showing yourself wearing proper safety gear! It makes others more conscious of safety

[jennifermeaker]

Dope! I love how you showed your trials and errors, and talked through the various issues and possible solutions, etc. Super cool to see the realistic process, and appreciative that the time you put in will save us time when we take this project on. Thanks!!

[alexjones]

I’ve started keeping a log of all my vacuform pulls: time, temperature, material used, that sort of thing. It makes it easier to keep track of what works well, and what doesn’t- especially what doesn’t.

[MarkWarbington]

Hey Bill. Just one critique for you. MDF is porous (you can actually pull a vacuum through it) so you're probably losing a lot of your vacuum potential to the underside of the table. Just give the bottom and the sides a coat of polyurethane and that will seal it right up. Good luck!

[Murat_Ustundag]

Instead of the steel mesh, you use for the vacuum system, stick the pipes just like you would make a floor heating system. but group the above holes and place the pipes, one pipeline every 4-5 rows. also, join the pipes in each group into a single pipe. then fill between the pipes with a filling material such as silicone, liquid plastic, plaster or epoxy. After it hardens, remove the pipes. so you will have pipelines distributed into groups from a single pipe inlet. In this way, you vacuum the air in a controlled and equal amount. You put a lot of effort into making this video. Thank you for keeping us informed.

[BuckJolicoeur]

Three things:
1: Use insulation around the box to decrease heat loss.
2: Add a plastic mirror (45 degree angle) to the bottom so you don't have to squat down for the IR Sensors.
3: Blow an air chuck into your form to release it.

[badad]

5 years later. The Garage 54 team bought one. I watched them unbox it and pull door skins. The trick they have that you don't is a vacuum reservoir launch system. In your setup, the shop vac would void an inline series of pipes or a tank ahead of the table. A dump valve would release a super duper initial suck.
Your plastic is farther away and upside down in comparison to the commercial ones. A little closer to the flame might do the trick. But it's five years later.

[SoHautRightNow]

Ah, that book is such an awesome resource! Awesome build. Loving the new "as we go" style.

[wayneparris]

A couple tips from an aerospace tool maker / metal worker ... now retired. I am making these while watching the video so if you address something after I say it, good on you for seeing something and taking care of it!
When cutting angle to make a frame, esp alum, simply notch the top there is no need to cut all the way down the sides, you just cut a "triangle" out of the top and bend the sides, less work and a stronger frame results.
Tap magic... unless it is specifically for Alum, is not to be used on alum. There is a chemical reaction with the chloronated fluid and alum, bad things result.
Center punching is good, nice work.
Interesting use of window hardware!
1, 2, 3 blocks are GREAT to use for quick measurements!
Those heaters should be radiant heat so if you made a closed box and made it deeper IE more distance between the heater and the plastic, you should get a wider pattern of heat.
A heat GUN can be used to spot heat for better detail under vacuum. .
In addition, a cover over the plastic will also hold the heat in, without a cover you have a large radiating surface.

Over all score I would give it a 9.5 out of 10. Nice job!

[markevens]

Great video! I loved watching the struggle and troubleshooting you did. It's nice to know that it is okay to not get it right the first time, and make adjustments when needed.

[wilwrktls]

I very much like the build! I'm moving soon and will finally have room for one in my new workshop space.

Something we used to do a place I worked was put carpet padding under the master which let it pull vacuum all around.

If there's a few more dollars to throw at the project instead of aluminum foil to line the box you could get a roll of Reflectix- it's great stuff and you'll bake the plastic in no time! You'll lose a LOT less heat.

Also you could tape off unused areas and make a smaller vacuum area on the table to use with a smaller frame. Multiple tables in one.

[EthanfromEngland-]

When casting its a good idea to pull past the object. It gets rid of the webbing ruining the result and means it can be cut off. Either be able pull past the table height or raise the master via a stand. Idk if im making any sense. Also I love the scifi panel idea.

[GFlCh]

Great build, great video.

I haven't built one of these, I'm not an expert at this and I don't play on on TV, but I did think of a couple of suggestions ... here is just one.

It's a bit complex, but not so much if you plan the build around it from the start:

For the heater box:
1) Cut a slot in one side, about 1-inch down from the top, and for the full width of the box (yes, this would cut through your hinges but it could be planned for in a new build. The height of the slot should be about, but a little bit bigger than 1/4 inch, but see step 5 to plan the slot dimension.

2) Next cut 2 strips of wood, say 3/8 or 1/2 inch (square in cross-section), and as long as the inside dimension of the box.

3) Attach these 2 strips of wood inside the box, on the 2 sides adjacent to the side where you cut the slot, about 1-inch down from the top of the box. The top of the strips should be even with the bottom edge of the slot you cut, in step-1.

4) Optionally, an additional similar strip of wood could be attached in a similar way to the remaining side (the side opposite to the slot).

5) Prepare a piece of wood (Plywood, MDF, Masonite, ...). Logically this would be made of the same material as the material used for the box. The thickness will be 1/4 inch, but this piece of wood has to fit into the slot cut in step-1, so if using a thicker piece of wood, the height of the slot cut in step-1 needs to match. The width of this wood needs to be lightly smaller (narrower) than the inside dimension of the box. The length needs to be about 1 inch longer than the inside dimension of the box.

6) Optionally, cut a strip of the same material, about 1 inch wide, and the length of the box. Mount this strip about 1/2 inch above the slot, using a continuous hinge, or a few individual hinges, or interlocking screw-eyes and hooks. This piece should swing (pivot) to block or allow access to the slot.

7) Insert the piece of wood cut in step-5 into the slot and push it all the way in, until it touches the opposite side of the box. This piece will be a "lid/cover" that you slide in or out as needed.

Now, when you use the heat-box, you can pre-heat the box, then place your framed plastic sheet on top, and slide the cover out, and you have full instant heat.

[skuffles]

What a fun project! For the platen I would've done away with the mesh and added a ring on the elbow as a stop so that it doesn't go all the way to the top. This allows for a higher CFM since there's less air resistance. The other change would be to make your "oven" shorter so that there is less volume for the heaters to heat up alleviating some lost heat calories. Otherwise, great build :D