edgebander help

[Mike Kees]

I am looking for my first edgebander. Long story short I have a small pro shop and I want to add building kitchen cabinets to the work that I do. So what I have figured out .Hot air or glue pot type. Minimax has a hot air (I believe) m10. Has anyone used these? Or should I go straight to a glue pot model ? If I was to buy used what models would be the ones to buy ? New? As I am starting out I do not expect to build more than 10 or so kitchens a year. I currently am a carpenter with a real good wood shop.The plan is to transition more to the shop over the next year or so.I have found a Felder G330 that is 4 years old and purportedly lightly used ,would this be a good candidate for my needs ?Any help would be appreciated, Mike.

[Wayne Lomman]

Glue pot type allows you to use any type of edge strip including pvc and should allow you to use any thickness strip. Hot air type restricts you to the limited range of preglued strips that are of heat resistant materials. If buying used, see it running and do a lot of samples as repeated reliability is the test. Cheers

[John Kee]

Mike I've been using a Virutex model PEB150 for about 7 years now. I originally thought about a hot air but they have to many restrictions. Its a portable gluepot that came with a tabletop mounting option. Nice when you have edgeband curves. I'm low production and haven't had any issues. I do mostly hardwood edgebanding from veneer thickness upto 2.5mm and manually trim with a Festool MFK700 using the 1.5 degree guide. The link is the newest version. I was lucky and got mine when the dollar was in better shape.

http://virutex.com/gluepotedgebanderportableandstationary-modelpeb250-trc-withtempandspeedcontrol.aspx

[Scott Buehler]

Glue pot will be more expensive, but well worth it. If you are going to start doing cabinets, then definitely go with glue. I have an SCM edgebander and an happy with its performance, but there are many brands that will work fine. Good luck

[Mike Kees]

John thanks for the info. I was looking at Virutex the other day online. What type of work do you do with it.?So do you have the tabletop option ? Mike.

[Peter Kelly]

10 kitchens a year isn't huge volume, you might look into the Festool Conturo system.


https://youtu.be/S2raoiwCANo

https://www.festoolcanada.com/products/edge-banding/edge-bander/203161---ka-65-pluskb-ka-65-sys#Overview

The Lee Valley store in Calgary should have one you can look at in person.

[Mike Kees]

Thanks Peter. This Festool and the Virutex are the same type of machines. I have an hot air type bander with a heat gun similar to the Freud type from 20years ago. it is not nearly good enough for regular use. More to think about now with these newer "portable type glue units''.Mike.

[Peter Kelly]

The Virutex machine is the same as or very similar to the Co-Matic BR500 (http://www.co-matic.com/en/product/PE-BR500). Felder (https://www.felder-group.com/ca-us/products/edgebanders/manual-contour-edgebander-forka-200-eco-plus.html#lightbox-content-36218), Maksiwa and some others have the same unit so you might be able to find a bit lower price if you shop around. Nowhere near as refined as the Festool system but should also cost around 1/2 the price.

[John Kee]

John thanks for the info. I was looking at Virutex the other day online. What type of work do you do with it.?So do you have the tabletop option ? Mike.

Mike I have the table top model for the extra 300.00 or 400.00 it was a no brainer. Its nice to have the versatility to remove the unit for portable work. If you contact Virutex they might have a demonstrator they are trying to sell for a good price. My work is mainly applying custom made wood edgebanding to components I build for custom cabinetry and furniture. I have also applied melamine type edgebanding when needed. There is a bit of a learning curve with temperature settings and glue types, feel free to PM me if you need any info after you have made your decision.

[John Kee]

Peter I've seen the Festool in operation and will stick with what I've got. Its proprietary glue pucks makes it extremely expensive to own and operate with no actual benefits over the lower priced units except it looks a little fancier and like you said twice the price. When spending that much, a higher end edgebander becomes much more attractive IMHO. The other units you mention were clones of each other the benefit of the Virutex at the time was the ability to have the unit mount into a stationary fixture. I know the only part of the Felder unit made in Austria was the Felder sticker.

[Peter Kelly]

Woodworker's Supply has the Maksiwa glue pot bander with table and everything for $2,200 USD. Seems not a bad deal if you can get it shipped to Canada. https://woodworker.com/maksiwa-portable-edgebander-mssu-172-871.asp

I've read you typically get 28' feet of banding out one Conturo puck. At $2.91 per puck it's about $.10 / foot.

[Jeff Duncan]

I'd go with a newer used machine if you have access in your area. This will allow you to get more features you won't get on the entry level models. I saw the Festool video and while it's impressive for what it is, it's not what I'd want for my shop.... far too limited and time consuming to use. I picked up a Holz-Her Express 6 years or so ago and it paid for itself on the first job. It can do PVC and solid wood up to 1/8" and makes edge banding so much easier. Unfortunately mine is on the older side and is getting to the point where it's going to be cheaper to replace than keep her going. But it was cheap and I had a job fall in my lap where I needed it quick so didn't have a lot of time to shop around. When I do replace i'll look for something a bit newer.... and probably smaller as mine is just a bit on the large side;)

good luck,
JeffD

[Mike Kees]

Peter shipping is not a problem.I ship to a business right on the border in Montana and then drive down and bring goods across personally. Shipping is stupid expensive to get right to my house usually double. As I am only one hour from the border this works well.John thanks for the input on the Virutex. Jeff I am looking at a Felder 330 this Saturday, four years old, lightly used. Working on a deal for a Felder s700 slider and the edgebander,it will be a eleven hour drive one way. I have a real good friend who is insane enough to come with on this "road trip''. Will keep you posted on the results,Mike.

[Peter Kelly]

Lightly used or not, I'd have that G330 looked over by a tech from Felder prior to purchasing if you end up going that route. I'd also recommend having someone from Felder stop by and do the initial setup once you've taken delivery.

Stationary edgebanders are pretty complex machines and even the best ones can be moody when things aren't dialed in perfectly. Troubleshooting them on your own is not an easy task.

[Mike Kees]

Well I said I would post the results of my trip. Pulled the trigger on a Felder k700s with 10' sliding table and two sets of blades (main and scoring as well as a 12 tooth rip blade. I also bought the edgebander a G330 Felder. Both machines are pristine, hardly used. Also got a pile of edge tape and 3/4 of a bag of glue. One tired but very happy camper here. 12.5 hour drive each way. Mike.