best way to trim edge trim flush to panel

[Jay Yoder]

I am building a drill press table, and I resawed a 1x2 oak into 1 ½” strips and attached to the edge of the table itself. The table was built with 2 pieces of birch ply and laminate applied to the top…I need to trim the edge flush to the table now. I thought of tipping the table on edge and using a trim bit. Anyone ever do it this way? Any other suggestions? Thanks ALL…

[David Giles]

I love power tools and have built jigs to flush trim with the edge of a router bit and jigs to flush trim with the end of a router bit and jigs to let me flush trim on a router table. But a sharp block plane works best for me on small jobs. If you don't own a nice LN 60 1/2 or equivalent LV block plane, now's the time!

[David DeCristoforo]

"DG" has covered the only really good options. Since you can't sand the PL, the choices are limited. This is difficult to do without damaging the PL to some extent. Next time try to get the wood as close to flush with the PL as possible to begin with or better yet, run the PL over the wood edge and flush trim to the outside. Then, if you really want the thickness of the wood edge revealed, you can run a detail around the top that removes most of the PL covering the wood.

[Steve Clardy]

Various ways.

Hand plane
Sand it down with Ros.

Or I like to use the lipping router plate I acquired from Pat Warner.
70465

Does the same thing as a Lipping Planer.

[Alan Tolchinsky]

I suggest a block plane but use blue tape on the table just inside the banding to protect the table top. When you start tearing any tape you've gone far enough to sand the rest.

[Ian Welford]

If you put tape on the edges of the laminate ( ie top surfaces of table) and then use a flush trimming bit in the router you protect the laminate . You then remove the tape and sand away the thin layer ( thickness of the tape) left. It works best if you extend your router base so that there's less chance of it tipping.

Hope that makes sense.

Ian

[glenn bradley]

I do it on edge as you describe. I clamp an additional board to the back side (bottom of your table) to give me more surface to rest the router plate on. No harm to the laminate and a perfect edge.

However, I did this operation on my workbench trim with a hand plane. The bench top weighs 200# and I didn't want to go schlepping it around to get to all the edges. Worked quite well but a couple little nicks that I got (through my low skill level) on the workbench top hardly show. This might not be the case with a laminate.

If you are comfortable with a plane I would do that. If not, burn those electrons.

[Marty Barron]

Here is a jig I used to do just the same thing.

Hope this helps.

Marty

http://www.popularwoodworking.com/projectplans_display/?planid=11141

[David DeCristoforo]

"Or I like to use the lipping router plate I acquired from Pat Warner..."

This is really the safest way. Not too hard to make either. But, you gotta watch it on the PL 'cause there's no fixing it. Block planes and sanders give me the "heebies" around PL for the same reason. That's why I always try to get edging on PL tops flush at glue-up (thank whoever, I don't have to do much PL and on shop fixtures I don't get too worried about it anyway).

[Gary Keedwell]

"Or I like to use the lipping router plate I acquired from Pat Warner..."

This is really the safest way. Not too hard to make either. But, you gotta watch it on the PL 'cause there's no fixing it. Block planes and sanders give me the "heebies" around PL for the same reason. That's why I always try to get edging on PL tops flush at glue-up (thank whoever, I don't have to do much PL and on shop fixtures I don't get too worried about it anyway).
David.....what does PL mean?:rolleyes: :)

Gary K.

[glenn bradley]

David.....what does PL mean?:rolleyes: :)

Gary K.

I'm going with Pastic Laminate.

[David DeCristoforo]

I'm going with Pastic Laminate.

Si........

[James Biddle]

Various ways.

Hand plane
Sand it down with Ros.

Or I like to use the lipping router plate I acquired from Pat Warner.
70465

Does the same thing as a Lipping Planer.

I can't tell from the pic how this is different from Pat's offset bases. Also, what kind of bit are you using in the router?

[glenn bradley]

http://www.patwarner.com/images/vtrim_subbase2.jpg

The difference in elevation allows clearance for the trim to be . . . uh . . . trimmed.