Strategies for Banding Plywood Edges
George Vondriska
Class Preview
2:23
- In-depth Instruction; over 94 mins
- On-demand video access anytime
- Bonus downloadable PDF resources
- Access to class Q&A
Making Thin Banding
10:58
When working with short pieces a shop-made jig makes it easy to rip thin edge banding pieces on your table saw and keep the guard in place. Long pieces require a different approach, but it’s one that also allows the guard to be used.
Iron on Edge Banding
9:31
Iron on edge tape can have an undeserved bad reputation. When it’s used correctly, iron on edge tape works great and stands up very well. There are a number of steps involved in getting this right, and you’ll see them all.
Clamping Strategies
19:15
Working with banding, especially thin banding, requires different approaches than what you’d use when assembling other projects. This includes everything from masking tape to brads to unique clamping methods.
Specialty Clamps
5:32
Exceptionally wide pieces of plywood can be awkward to clamp banding to simply because you need such a long clamp. Curved surfaces are also challenging to clamp to. No problem. There are a variety of specialized clamps that will handle both of these scenarios.
Using a V-Bit Set
12:42
This is a unique, and very cool, method for attaching banding. A negative V is cut into the sheet stock, and a positive V is cut into the solid wood. When they’re glued together there’s a lot of glue surface, and the solid wood is automatically centered on the sheet stock.
When to Use Loose Tenons
7:06
In most cases edge banding doesn’t need reinforcement. The joint itself is very strong; you might want to add a loose tenon to make sure the face of the plywood is in good alignment with the edge of the banding. This is common for shelf edge support. Biscuit joiners and your table saw both provide good way to add alignment tenons.
Trimming strategies
21:13
Banding is typically glued on with the banding a little oversized, so it projects slightly past the faces of the material. That means it needs to be trimmed. You’ll learn about shop-made fences for your table saw and router and how to use them, a shop-made jig for a hand-held router, and how to hand plane and sand the trim so it’s flush.
Skip the Banding
7:13
It’s possible that you don’t want to edge band at all, but you need to deal with sheet stock edges. This might involve painting the edges or clear coating them. There are a handful of things you can do to make painted and clear coated edges look much better.
When you use plywood in your shop, or many other types of sheet stock, you’ll probably want to cover the edges. When this is done well the final piece will look like a solid piece of wood. Let’s look at what you need to do to effectively band plywood in your shop.
Types of banding
In this class you’ll learn about heat sensitive edge banding, thin strips like are commonly used for European-style cabinets and wide bands like you might put on shelves to reinforce them. Each of these requires a different approach in order to be used correctly.
Making the banding
Banding is often very thin, and that means ripping those thin strips on your table saw. You’ll learn about a shop-made jig that works great for producing short banding, and a commercially made jig that makes it easy and safe to rip long pieces.
Clamp it
Clamping edge banding is unlike clamping other projects. Because it’s typically thin we have to take extra steps to make sure it’s secured. From masking tape to specialized edge band clamps, we’ve got you covered. We’ll even look at what it takes to clamp banding to a curved surface.
Trim it
Banding is applied oversized. That means the edges of the banding project past the face of the material. You’ll learn about shop-made devices that allow you to trim banding on a router table, table saw or with a hand-held router.
George Vondriska
Formally trained in technology education, George Vondriska has been teaching woodworking since 1986. He has been the managing editor of Woodworkers Guild of America since 2007. In addition to classes at his own Vondriska Woodworks School, George teaches at woodworking shows across the country and has taught woodworking for the Peace Corps, Andersen Window, Northwest Airlines and the Pentagon.
Bonus materials available after purchase