Edge bander 101

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Anybody want to share some edge bander wisdom? I've half heartedly been watching used edgebanders on various sources, and have noticed a huge decrease in prices, along with most all tools. I've been going to buy a Freud gaget, but a full on edge bander, it ain't.

Hypothetically, if a guy where to decide to take one of these lower prices, what should he look for? I do a couple cabinet projects a year that an edge bander would be useful on. I know nothing about these machines. What would make a good used machine, assuming that I will keep it for a long time, and that the low use warrants a lowish price? How do I learn more about features, operations, maintenance, etc?

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

You might want to get in on one of the forums where they are more commonly used. the Felder Owners Group (FOG) has a great forum with lots of commercial users.

(http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/felder-woodworking/)

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Thats a good point Cliff. I hate the format on FOG so much that I rarely visit it. Will look though.

[David DeCristoforo]

The edgebander is the world's most expensive tape dispenser. For a "few cabinet projects a year", buy a clothes iron and save yourself a ton of dough and headaches. With some pre-glued tape, an iron and a good sharp chisel, you are good to go. Edgebanding machines are the most overpriced, hard to maintain, finicky, PITA machines ever invented. Trust me on this. And those (sorry about this) stupid hot air hand fed toys you can buy for a few hundred bucks? Save your dough! Unless you need 24-7 production scale banding, stick with the iron.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

The edgebander is the world's most expensive tape dispenser. For a "few cabinet projects a year", buy a clothes iron and save yourself a ton of dough and headaches. With some pre-glued tape, an iron and a good sharp chisel, you are good to go. Edgebanding machines are the most overpriced, hard to maintain, finicky, PITA machines ever invented. Trust me on this. And those (sorry about this) stupid hot air hand fed toys you can buy for a few hundred bucks? Save your dough! Unless you need 24-7 production scale banding, stick with the iron.

LOL! How do you really feel about these David? Thanks for at least giving me second thoughts.

[Jamie Buxton]

I second David's opinion. I've owned one of those hot-air veneer-tape things, and eventually ash-canned it. My current tool is an old clothes iron. $5 at your local garage sale. But then, I mostly try to avoid using veneer edgebanding.

[Don Bullock]

Here's mine. It's even cordless. My wife got the iron free when she bought a vacuum and didn't like it.:D

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=68335&d=1184879502
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=68336&d=1184879656

[Bill Huber]

I will have to say forget them, get an iron at the Goodwill for $5 and they work great.

I do have Band-It Edge Trimmer that I like and it work very well.

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=19416&filter=edge%20banding

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Thanks guys. I think you all cured my gadgetitis, well at least treated it. For the record, I hate edgebanding, I hate plywood, and I really hate MDF. But..., the LOML likes the cabinets I build, and when I "quoted" the price for her new sewing table, she gave me the look. I may have been dead if I would have given her the solid maple price. Like it or not, I guess this end of the hobby is infested by those nessecary evils known as cabinetry. I do seem to spend a lot of money trying to speed cabinet building up, and more trying to slow furniture down. Strange.

Hey Don, something is on fire behind your iron!:D Looks interesting.

[Tony Bilello]

Buy a clothes iron.

[frank shic]

skip the clothes iron altogether and get the fastcap PVC edgebanding which is way more durable than your usual wood veneer edgebanding.

[Charles Robertson]

Steve, almost every one has said it. Use the iron. Much more versitile. Been using an old sealing iron (small) since it was new. Twenty plus years. Veritux laminate splitter to trim down the edge banding. Splitter upside down in vise, pull banding thru. Wall paper seam roller to press banding. Small plane to trim down banding, then sand. Works for me.
Don, work mate for an ironing board. You California guys are always one step ahead of the rest of us.

[John Lucas]

Steve,
all good advise but add one thing to the mix. When you use any iron on any veneer tape, it will heat the adhesive just fine..and pess the tape into the side just fine, but it will stay moveable for several seconds after you move the iron away. Use a block of wood or a small block plane with the blade raised to cool down the section before moveing on. This "heat sink" is very important to the edging task in my book.

[Jeffrey Makiel]

John's suggestion is a good one. Also, a block of wood ensures good contact and can't damage the end of the tape that are hanging over the edge of the panel like a J-roller can.

Also, with the iron method, you can also iron your denim shop apron at the same time and look real spiffy. :)

-Jeff :)

[Laurie Brown]

I just use the peel-n-stick kind. Much less fuss and works for me. If I have to use the other kind, a regular old iron works for me. (After all, who actually irons CLOTHES any more?? :) )

[frank shic]

did i mention that the fastcap PVC edgebanding is prefinished? one less step!

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Frank, fastcap is the stuff that fits into a kerf? This project I'm just getting ready for is prefinished maple ply, and I bought the prefinished maple matching edgebanding to go with it. 500 ft worth. The iron may get tired, I know I will. Most of this goes on the top edge of the drawers. She wanted a pile of drawers, so that she'll get!

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Ahhhh, just googled fastcap. Peel and stick!

[Jim Becker]

Steve, I managed to score a used Freud last year. I never thought I'd really enjoy having one, but as it turns out, it's getting a lot more use than I expected. It's easier to use than a hand-held iron, although I've now discovered that I really need to fasten it down better during use, especially with panels that I need to handle with two hands.

[frank shic]

i bought a woodtek edgebander that's very similar to the freud and i HATED the thing. the hot melt adhesive gets all over the rollers and is a major pain to clean off. the peel and stick is so much easier although i'll confess that the shavings you get after edgetrimming it will stick like crazy to any surface they come in contact with including you lol.

[David DeCristoforo]

"Peel and stick" banding is very tempting. But in my experience, it is not too good in terms of "long term durability". I would stick (no pun intended) with pre-glued banding and the iron.

PS The suggestion to "burnish" the banding before the glue cools is solid. It will make for a much stronger bond.
PPS That Oreck iron looks pretty "high end" to me. Some guys just can't resist.... But what the heck, you can buy a lot of Oreck irons for the price of even the cheapest edge bander....

[Charles Robertson]

As Mr. L said. The wallpaper seam roller acts as the heat sink. Try it, it works. At least has for well over a thousand feet over the years. And Laurie, does'nt anyone else iron their shop curtains?
C. Alan

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Steve, I managed to score a used Freud last year. I never thought I'd really enjoy having one, but as it turns out, it's getting a lot more use than I expected. It's easier to use than a hand-held iron, although I've now discovered that I really need to fasten it down better during use, especially with panels that I need to handle with two hands.

Jim, I bet there is a story there:D

[Steve Rozmiarek]

I will have to say forget them, get an iron at the Goodwill for $5 and they work great.

I do have Band-It Edge Trimmer that I like and it work very well.

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=19416&filter=edge%20banding


Bill, how close will that Band-it trimmer get to the stock? Will it get the squeeze out off? I've done about 1/3 of the 160 parts with a chisel, and there has got to be a quicker, more consistant way to do this. Tried flush cutting bits, planes, a rig on a shaper, and some I won't burden you guys with. I'll be trimming edgebanding next month at this rate...

[Jay Brewer]

Hi Steve, Virutex.com has some good trimmers. The RC21E is a good end trimmer for $45, and the double edge trimmer for $18.50 does a good job also.

Most manual trimmers I have used just smear the excess glue, a quick wipe with thinner takes care of it, this is why I use the Fast Cap peel and stick banding, it holds every bit as good as the iron on stuff and no glue squeeze out. Hope this helps.

[Bill Huber]

Bill, how close will that Band-it trimmer get to the stock? Will it get the squeeze out off? I've done about 1/3 of the 160 parts with a chisel, and there has got to be a quicker, more consistant way to do this. Tried flush cutting bits, planes, a rig on a shaper, and some I won't burden you guys with. I'll be trimming edgebanding next month at this rate...

I am just using the HD edge banding and it works great on it. After you install the banding and let it cool good it takes it right down to the point of a once over with a sanding block and that's it. I also take the sanding block over the front edge to take the real sharp edge off.

I got some extra blades with it but I have never used them, I just take the blade out and hone it to keep it really sharp.

[Rod Sheridan]

Bill, how close will that Band-it trimmer get to the stock? Will it get the squeeze out off? I've done about 1/3 of the 160 parts with a chisel, and there has got to be a quicker, more consistant way to do this. Tried flush cutting bits, planes, a rig on a shaper, and some I won't burden you guys with. I'll be trimming edgebanding next month at this rate...


Steve, I'm loaning my shop out one weekend a month to a group of women from a Co-op who are refacing kitchen cabinets.

I saw the door slabs, they edge band , drill, install hinges etc.

They use an iron, a double trimmer followed by a single pass from a razor blade scraper.

The trick is to wait until the glue has cooled, then there's no squeeze out left after the razor trim.

To give you a time frame, two women edge band and trim 24 doors in two hours.

Regards, Rod.

[Garth Hulley]

David
You mention that in your experience the peel and stick banding is not too good in long term durability. What has happened to cause you to form this opinion? I have been using Fast Cap peel and stick for the last several years and I certainly hope that in a couple of years all my edge banding will not fall off. I have found that after several weeks the banding is impossible to remove, but you have me now concerned about the long term.

Garth

[David DeCristoforo]

"What has happened to cause you to form this opinion?"

Well... it comes off.... No, it does not "fall off". But it comes loose after a while, starts to peel at the corners or someone scrapes the edge of a shelf and it comes loose. FWIW, I try to avoid using edge tape at all. Not my idea of high quality woodwork.

[frank shic]

garth, one of the main reasons for the failure of the edgebanding is not trimming the edges closely enough. if there's a slight bit of overhang on the shelf, stuff can catch on it as it gets dragged over the edge. this is not as much of a problem on cabinets with doors or drawers since the drawer front or the door protects the edgebanding. i usually use an edgetrimmer and then follow it up with a utility knife skewed slightly so that the edgebanding is cut slightly lower than the edge of the shelf. no, it's not as nice as solid wood edgebanding or a face frame but it sure is a lot faster!

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Not my idea of high quality woodwork.

And I have learned my lesson, I will NOT be using this approach again. Trying to take a shortcut with the prefinished ply and edgebanding, to make this monster sewing room island for my wife has ended up being a pile more work then if I would have just used solid wood and finished it conventionally.

Plus then I would have been able to justify a new paint gun. Now all I've got to show for it are huge piles of little shavings, a rather smaller pile of finished cabinet parts, a still huge pile of unbanded parts, and a very sore back from standing in one spot applying this danged stuff for two days.

Guess the painful lessons, we really remember...

[Sean Rainaldi]

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone here uses the END & EDGE TRIMMER from woodworkiers supply at
http://woodworker.com/cgi-bin/FULLPRES.exe?PARTNUM=875-769 and if so, do you like it?

Can the blades be replaced (did not see any blades on their site)? Or sharpened?

I'm thinking about getting one...