I made an auto-cycling veneer press and a new veneer bag.

A 'real' vacupress pump is drastically over priced at $2k+ for the model I'd need. I bought a cheap vevor pump years ago and used it when making this dining table. It smoked a lot and filled me with dread leaving it running continuously over night for an epoxy cure. This new gadget switches the pump off when 500bar of pressure is reached, and as the system fills with air again and the pressure drops, the switch goes back on. The switch, which mum sent from the UK was $32 (it retails for $290 here, how's that for a straya tax) and will definitely suffer from the inrush every time the pump comes on, eventually welding or burning out. So I added a $4 relay that will be a sacrificial part to take the inrush and protect the vacuum switch.

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I also made a new bag - bags are also absurdly expensive to buy - using clear plastic from clark rubber and high tack acryclic tape. The first time I made a vacuum bag I used PVC weld and it was a huge faff and mess and didn't even hold a vacuum. This way took about 15 minutes all up and those seams are sealed hard. All in all with this and the vac pump I'm about $4k ahead on buying one off the shelf.