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Vacuum Bag Versus Frame Press
Question
Forum Responses
From contributor B: For flat work the frame press is the way to go. For things that are taller than 6” a bag is much more flexible. Basically a frame press is a bag that is tented over a frame that seals to a table. A frame press is much more convenient than a bag, especially in a one-man operation. You can build your own, although retrofitting an existing bag may give questionable results. You may need the bag for future projects. The shop-made ones I have seen are use a torsion box with a laminate top for the table and frame made of steel or aluminum welded together and membrane, usually 20+ mil vinyl sealed together with closed cell polyurethane tape. From John Van Brussel, technical advisor, Veneer Forum: The bag is the most versatile but if you are doing mainly flat work the flip top would be the way to go. You can also get a deeper than 6" pleat in the membrane if you are doing some radius work. You can also start with a bag system and then add a flip top using the same pump by adding an optional 2 or 3 port manifold. Also, a bag can be rolled up for storage if space is an issue in your shop. From the original questioner: Thanks for the response guys. I ordered a 4 x 8 frame press and a 4x10 bag with 10 cfm pump to handle both situations. Would you like to add information to this article? Interested in writing or submitting an article? Have a question about this article? Have you reviewed the related Knowledge Base areas below? 
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