These new zipper bags from Vacuum Pressing Systems are the closest you can get to a pricey flip-top vacuum press without actually having one. These thick, zippered vacuum bags open on three sides to allow complete access to the interior, eliminating the trickiest part of vacuum veneering: sliding awkward assemblies into the end of a heavy bag and hoping nothing shifts out of place in the process. Instead, you can work directly on the bottom platen, building your assembly carefully and zipping up the bag around it. The three-sided access also makes it easy to veneer multiple panels at once.

Most importantly, these bags’ industrial zippers were airtight in my testing. That’s what you are paying for, and there really is nothing like these bags on the market. I recommend combining one with Evacunet (also from Vacuum Pressing Systems), an inexpensive plastic mesh that goes atop your veneer assembly and helps vacuum pressure spread evenly across it.

Vacuum Pressing Systems offers two bag sizes, 4 ft. by 8 ft. and 5 ft. by 10 ft., but half-size models are on the way at an estimated price of $900 each.

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—Craig Thibodeau is a furniture maker in Altavista, Va.