Edge-banding shelves

I am planning on edge-banding 1 1/2 thick shelves (2 sheets of 3/4" plywood glued together) with 1-by-X poplar strips

I am deciding between two approaches:

  1. Glue 1x2" poplar strips to the leading edge of each shelf and then sand the joint line smooth.

This would require precise alignment and gluing since the 1x2" is at most a smidgeon wider than the thickness of the 2 glued sheets of plywood (since each sheet is typically dimensionally a little less than 3/4" wide).

  1. Rip 1x3" poplar down to an actual width of say 1 3/4". Then approximately align and glue the poplar strip followed by applying a router with a flush cutting bit and bearing to trim down the excess banding.

This requires less precise alignment when applying the poplar band but will require extra work with the router. The extra work would be worth it if I can be reasonably sure of a better result.

Any thoughts or alternative suggestions?

Thanks!

Reply to
blueman
Loading thread data ...

If you are painting go with option 1 but I would reinforce with dowels, biscuits, spline, tongue, etc. It won't matter if you oversand the veneer when you paint.

If you are staining go with option 2, again reinforce the joint. Haven't tried this yet but makes sense. Put a layer or two of masking tape on the plywood where the bearing will ride for the first pass. Remove the tape and run the router by again to get a cleaner cut.

Reply to
RayV

When I apply banding like this, I rip the strips so they are just a hair thicker than the shelving. Just enough so that when I glue it on, I can be sure that the banding is proud of the shelf along it's entire length. I don't use a router to trim, but will take a few passes with a hand plane if necessary, then sand. Sometimes I can skip the sanding. (I admit that when I first started using a plane for this, I did occasionally nick the plywood. Can't remember the last time it happened, though)

One thing and DAMHIKT, make sure to wait a full day or more before trimming the banding. Otherwise, the moisture from the glue can actually swell the banding enough so that when it dries, it shrinks to _less_ than the thickness of the shelving in the vicinity of the glue line.

Reply to
lwasserm

Option 2. That way you can't fail to get a precise fit because you're doing it in place.

I'd tack the edging in place and then drill all the way through and peg it in, because I like the way it looks. Otherwise, T-G or biscuits.

Another thing you might consider is doing the shelves a touch wide, edging them, and then crosscutting to exact width. This ensures an absolutely perfect fit.

Reply to
boorite

How about option 3, use an edge banding router bit. It would cost you but should fix the alignment problem. Used on a router table one side would come perfectly flush. If the banding on side 2 isn't flush you can leave it facing down or just work on sanding the one side. The uneven side could even become a feature/detail of the piece.

formatting link

Reply to
todd1814

And what did you do then?

Reply to
boorite

If you use thin veneer on the edge, you can roll on white glue on both the veneer and the edges, let it dry a day, then iron it on (in hot-melt glue fashion, with grandma's clothes ironing apparatus). This removes clamping considerations. It also is kinder to the veneer because it's not damp at attachment time so won't dry/shrink/crack later

Another quick attachment method is to use contact cement (your edging has to be relatively thin, though). Again, no clamp-and-wait step.

I've trimmed overlapping edging with knife, with block plane, and MUCH prefer a router table and ball-bearing guide trim bit. Clamp a good guide surface over the router bit so the board won't tip while you're feeding it.

I'd consider using thinner plywood (1/2") and rabbeting the edge wood to make your 1.5" sandwich; little of the strength of the shelf is in the center of that heavy stack anyhow.

Reply to
whit3rd

formatting link
router bits, but will it give that much better alignment than just using biscuits in my trusty plate-joiner?

It also seems to me that biscuits would be simpler and require less fussing than setting up my router table (which by the way may be small for the job), aligning the groove bit, cutting the groove, changing bits, aligining the tongue bit, and then cutting the tongue.

Also, I would save the $45 cost of a bit (though it would be a good excuse to my wife about why I am getting yet another UPS delivery...)

Reply to
blueman

Uh, well, uh, I said DAMHIKT,

Seriously, though, one shelf I redid, one I put at the bottom of the bookcase, and the rest I judjged to be acceptable.

Reply to
lwasserm

You're right about biscuits giving the same degree of alignment. I would probably go that route if I were you. Just thought I'd point out those bits. I haven't tried them yet and was curious to see if anyone else would comment on them.

Reply to
todd1814

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.