Adding Edge Trim to Tabletop Edge

[Lawrence L'Hote]

My idea, described here, is probably not something new to old fahrt ww's but I've not seen anything similar, lately. I have glued a 1/4" piece of oak ply to a 1/2" substrate of pine for a desk top. My plan is to edge the top with

1/2" oak. Originally, I thought about a breadboard ends but that seems like too much trouble. Anyhow, I needed something simple to attach the edge trim to the ends. Glue and biscuits, dowels or tongue 'n groove seemed too involved. What I am now planning to do is countersink pocket screws through the trim and into the end of the top with glue. To reinforce the screw attachment(screwing into endgrain is almost a futile act) I will use a 1/2" bit in my router and plunge through the pine board layer and just into the ply. Add some epoxy to some dowels and insert into the hole. The screw needs to be predrilled in though the dowel or it will split(found that out quick). I will plug the screw hole in the trim(with matching oak) and sand smooth.. I practiced this on some pieces of wood (s)crap and it seems to work super. This idea would probably work well with particle board(if you are forced to work with that crap.) (pix 50-60kb)

[Wilson]

I'd clamp the trim in place and drill pilot holes for the screws, then remove the trim and set the dowels, countersink the trim, screw it up and plug the holes. I don't like the 1/2 inch holes in the 3/4 trim.

Come to think of it, you could just glue and clamp the trim, then bore through and set some dowels, maybe contrasting like walnut. If you aren't hammering on it, I don't think the screws are crucial. Wilson

[George]

And gluing was too difficult?

I like the ) (cove) in the ply to a feather veneer edge and the ) (half round) on the trim. Lots of glue surface, and (nomex donned) perhaps a nail to hold until the glue dries.

That was plywood as a substrate, right?

SNIP

[Lawrence L'Hote]

The holes in the trim are cut with a 3/8 Foerster bit. A 1/4" hole doesn't give enough clearance for the pocket hole screw head.

The dowels don't go through the oak plywood(the top surface). IMHO Glueing to theendgrain alone is not a good joint, even with a few brads(until the glue dries).

Larry

[Lawrence L'Hote]

Glue alone on the end grain would not make a good joint

The oak plywood is the top surface. The piece of wood with the cove and half round is a scrap piece of some molding that I made to go around the bottom of the desk base.

Larry

[WilliaJ2]

Why not just use pocket holes in the pine to hold the edge banding? They wouldn't be seen & a lot less hassle.

Big John

Take out the TRASH for E-mail.

[Lawrence L'Hote]

I used pocket hole attachment for the faceframes in the carcase.

I thought there would not be enough 'grab space' in the half inch thick trim to have much holding capability.

Larry