Iron On Edging

I have a project coming up that will need some iron on edging on plywood.

Should I buy the trimming tool or is there a better way to trim the edging?

I tried to do it with a chisel plane, then a razor blade and could not do it cleanly. I'd opt for the trimming tool.

Trimming tools can be tricky, if you get a snag in some run out you’ll likely be doing a do-over. I like a mill single cut file. Any variety will work. Any smooth file you have on hand will work better than the trimming tool. Likely some videos or articles out there on it, but the general gist is register the face of the file on the face of the panel and push the file to trim the veneer flush. I then use some mineral spirits to clean any residue off.

I find trimming with a mill file works the best. If it is wood banding, make sure you read the grain and work appropriately. The Melamine stuff direction doesn't matter

I prefer to just use a wide chisel held flat against the face, with a slight downward slicing motion, followed by a sanding block to just break the sharp corner. Once you get the hang of it, you can move quickly.

The problem with the trimming tool is that if the grain of the banding isn't perfectly straight (which it often isn't), one side of the double sided trimmer will be cutting against the grain, making it likely you'll get some tear out. Using the chisel, you can always work with the grain.

For long runs of banding I set up the shaper with an auxiliary table and power feed, for short runs I use a trim router in a jig that holds the spindle parallel to the panel face. You can run a router on the panel edge if you take care to avoid tipping, or run a router with a sub-base on the face for flush trimming. All of these avoid the potential tearout of working with edge tools. A file is safe but very slow.

Paul describes it perfectly. The trimmer tools are just fine for plastic edge banding, horrible on wood. I also follow up the iron with a wood block to press the hot glue joint and let it cool.

Thanks everybody. Files and chisels I have and I'll save the 12 bucks for something else.

several laminate trimmers set up different for different functions

Do you not climb cut on wood? I do solid edges with a lipping planer but dont see why wood veneer would blow out if you climb cut first.

I hope you have a card to clean up those files. Hot melt is gooey stuff.

I set up my router table with a tall fence and a flush trimming bit and finished with sandpaper. Works for both solid edging and glue-on. No-go on the trimming tool with wood as they follow the grain right into the shelf.

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Originally Posted by Lisa Starr

I find trimming with a mill file works the best. If it is wood banding, make sure you read the grain and work appropriately. The Melamine stuff direction doesn't matter

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This is what I have done when I have used iron on banding. For Formica type edge banding I use a laminate edge trimmer on my router.

I've trimmed at least a mile of wood edge banding with a trimmer that cuts in both directions. If you read the grain, it's easy to know which way to go. And, yes, sometimes you have to trim part of the banding one way, and the rest the other way. I'm sure I've ruined a piece of two over the years, and had to strip it off and replace it, but not many. I finish the edge with 220 grit sand paper on a wood block held at an angle.

John

Just learning with the stuff. The trimming tool works very well if you are trimming sythetics. If you are using it on wood listen to Lisa it will ruin the banding quickly. I had success with a trim router and flush trim followed by 220 to break the edge

I recently used some maple edge banding. Climb cutting with a trim router worked best, although I did have to clean the adhesive off the bit a couple times. Be sure to unplug or unbattery the tool first though.