Caul/vacuum press substitute?

| A couple of current threads mention cauls and I'm wondering if | anyone has tried this. From top to bottom, a stack like this... | | 3/4" ply | 4" foam | protective paper | veneer | substrate | 3/4 ply support | | Clamping just around the edges squishes the top & bottom ply | together...that compresses the foam everywhere (though less in the | center on large objects) which provides a relatively uniform | pressure everywhere. Depending on the size of the | substrate/veneer, one or more length wise 2x4s could be place in | the central area to increase the foam compression there. | | I used to use this to mount rather large photos on canvas...enough | pressure to transfer the canvas texture through the print. | Admittedly, I've not tried it on veneer as I've had no need.

Interesting. Another of what I've thought of as a good idea was to use a recycled leaf spring to ensure that there was adequate pressure all across the caul's length.

-- Morris Dovey DeSoto Solar DeSoto, Iowa USA