Light Commercial Edge Bander Needed

[Dan Strebig]

A carpenter friend of mine here in Bolivia asked me today about the cost of an edge bander that adheres and trims in one process. I told him that I was sure that such a beast existed, but didn't know just how compact they might be as I envision these machines more for high production shops and not the occasional user. However, since I really don't know - I'm turning to you who do.:)

The questions are:
what brand would be advisable (not a "homeowner" type);
what particular models have any of you used that you would recommend;
are there options that should be sought out and/or avoided;
and do any of them come wired for 220 volts from the factory?

I see that Rockler has one for $250. Has anyone used this model?

Thanks for any views you can offer.

Dan

[Mark Singer]

I have that model....it is the same as Freud and is good....it does not trim though. There is a hand trimmer and it works well.

[John Renzetti]

Hi Dan, There are edgebanders that will put the glue on band, trim, cut, and if necessary polish, some at the rate of 90ft/min. There are basically two types of stationary banders-hot air and hot melt, with hot melt being the preferred method. There are a couple of decent stationary banders on the market. Minimax has the ME15, and Casadei has I think the 20/10. Virutex has a couple of models also. A friend had an AMT from Canada that he really liked. These banders are in the $5000-8000 range. For a hot melt the price can really skyrocket. The cheapest one that I know of is the Cehisa EP2 for around $5000. Nice compact bander but it doesn't trim the edges. I have an older model that I bought from a friend and it works great. From their the price jumps to $10k and can go into 6 figures. Unless you know the condition and history of the machine, stay away from used banders.
A cheaper alternative would be the Virutex hand held model. I've run into a couple of guys that have used this model and said it worked great. You need to hand trim but at about $350 it could be a good deal.
Hope this helps,
take care,
John

[Gary Sutherland]

There are quite a few Edgebanders on the used market now because a lot of furniture factories in Pennsylvania, etc. are closing. Of course many of them are pretty big machines. Here's an example:

"(Lot 29) Olympic Model NOVA 2 Edgebander

Complete with 3 phase, 220 volt electrics, heated infeed fence, 60 mm height capacity, coil and strip infeed unit, 4 roll pressure section, 2 motor end trim station, 2 motor top and bottom flush trim station, ¾” thickness capacity, variable speed feed. Click on photo(s) to enlarge."

This machine just sold at on-line auction (Industrial Recovery Services) for $400.00. Of course shipping is a factor.

Anyway, if you have time to look around, you may find what you need at a great price.

gary