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depending on the glue , I do like the vacuum press but for HHG the gobar deck works the best for me.

Hey John -- why is the vacuum press not compatible with the HHG? Like I stated before I am just too lazy to use HHG but I am curious as to the concerns regarding the vacuum clamp which I reccomend often.

You need a vacuum platen not the bag to use HHG as it is tough to get the HHG glue into a clamp before it sets up . This stuff sets up very fast compared to tite bond . I use my gobar deck with HHG . It works the best for getting things under pressure . You can add heat to help with the tack time . By the time you have the braces glued and set the HHG will set up before you can bag it.

That is a pretty neat contraption. Perhaps overkill for a couple of guitars, but if you plan on many, then you should be able to crank them out.

Kevin

Kevin Sjostrand wrote:That is a pretty neat contraption. Perhaps overkill for a couple of guitars, but if you plan on many, then you should be able to crank them out.

Kevin

I built a few of those 2 years ago and tried to sell them on the OLF classifieds and didn't get any interest. When people see them in person, I've sold 3... go figure.

It's an updated copy of the press in the C F Martin museum that they used to use in the old factory.

If I do another one, I'll widen it enough to use a standard radius dish as the clamping caul.

I've found, if you use a radius dish to contour the rim, you can pad the dish and use it for a clamping caul and end up with a perfect joint for the back and side. I went from needing binding to cover the top/back joint to being able to leave the rim unbound if I wanted to.

Tony,
it really is not that big, plus it makes a good storage rack for the clamping caul, radius dish and you can store your back and side woods in ot under flat ply and apply pressure until you need them.
Steve

It is a little bulky. I might try to make the next one break down easily.