Edge banding clamps - any advice please?

[AJB Temple]

I need to do quite a bit of edge banding of hardwood onto 24mm and 18mm BB ply. I am looking for advice on clamps.

This is a job I rarely do, and so I have tended to use G clamps and knock in a wedge as the third leg. However, I now have quite a lot of edging to do, with thicknesses from 5mm to 30mm. It needs to be dead on accurate, and I do not want to mark either face of the baltic birch ply.

I know I can get three way G clamps from Screwfix for a fiver each. And Bessey do what looks like a very practical one handed solution for about £55

But I balk at spending £55 each for a clamp that I won't use much - though I suspect I could move them on next year when I have finished my kitchen (getting there) and utility room (finally tiled the roof, but have done nothing else so far).

Has anyone tried the ones that you link up with an F clamp?

More of a faff to use, but spreads the pressure more and is about £17 each.

I know I could bang a few brads in with a second fix nail gun and fill, but I am looking for a perfect finish.

Thanks, Adrian

 

[sunnybob]

Masking tape.
If the fit is correct then a piece of masking tape every 3 inches stretched tight over the edge will hold the edge in place while the glue dries.

 

[doctor Bob]

What do you mean by dead on accurate?
do you mean flush, if you do thats high risk, much safer to do oversize and trim down.
Get your surfaces right and a roll of masking tape works wonders, rather than all that clamping faff /expense. I have all the clamps but use masking tape as the easy option.


Sunnybob beat me to answering

 

[AJB Temple]

Thanks both. OK, I will confess. This is a slight balls up remedy.

Due to Covid 19 availability issues, I had to get the quartz worktop fitters in before I could finish the cabinets. About 20 square metres of work tops. This meant I had to fit some bespoke 24mm BB cabinets in, built to fit permanently against the walls and ceilings, and get my appliances in (for a very restricted Part P sign off window), before I could do edge banding.

So now I need to edge band very rigid and heat duty cabinets that are already in. Not ideal I know, but I was working on my own and had to fit in with the trades I needed, as they were doing serious mates rates and fitting me in to availability windows.

So now I am edge banding some cabinets in situ. I am making the edges out of oak (not an issue to do them mm perfect).

I have used tape methods for many years, as I used to make guitars and have done a lot of tedious edge inlays etc. I just don't find that masking tape is strong enough to get a really super tight fit for larger cabinets. Unless you use strong tape. And that can leave glue shadow marks. (I once binned a figured maple guitar body that took ages (3 days) to construct, because I could not get rid of glue shadow well enough prior to finishing.)

I am well aware that "don't start from here" is the answer, when seeking my directions.

 

[TJC]

I assume you've probably already seen the Bandy Clamps? I haven't used them personally, but they seem like they could work well in situ in a kitchen...

 

[AJB Temple]

Nope. Not seen those. I will check them out. Thank you TJC.

 

[custard]

I've a bit of experience with the Bessey versions, plus an even more expensive edge clamp called a Kantenfix. I tend to use them less for applying lipping and more for awkward glue ups, such as you'll often find on chairs or for example in this application, which was side tables that I made with "X" cross stretchers.

To be honest I don't rate any of them all that highly, they just about get the job done, but they simply don't grip tightly enough to apply the kind of pressure that I'd really like.

For edging/lipping I'll often just pop in some tiny brads and then either extract them after the glue has set, or sink them beneath the surface and fill the minute hole. Alternatively I find that for all practical purposes I can get virtually as much cramping pressure using stretchy masking tape as with these style of cam lock clamps.

Going back to your concern about glue shadow marks from tape, I find it's really all about tape quality, I'll happily spend top dollar on 3M or that German company who makes specialist veneer tapes, just to avoid these type of problems. I used to have loads of problems with masking tape pulling away little whiskers on veneering jobs, but as soon as I started using the very best tape then all those issues just went away.

 

[AJB Temple]

Custard. Super helpful. Thank you. I can see you are well used to my issues with tape. I take your points. I think I will use brads. Probably only I will ever know they are there.

 

[HOJ]

These are what I use for edging, not keen on pins, same principal as the Bandy clamps, cheap & simple spring clamp with a short piece of cycle inner tube pulled over the ends, I now put tape on at the point of contact as well, as the inner tube can react with the glue and leaves a black mark, they are also useful as a third hand.

 

[TheUnicorn]

HOJ beat me to it, was going to suggest innertube clamps as a potentially free way of doing it DIY Band Clamps | Step by Step Woodworking Tool

 

[Myfordman]

Pairs of folding wedges and f clamps are effective and cheap

 

[AJB Temple]

Thanks Myfordman. As I mentioned in my original post I have in the past used g cramps and knock in wedges. I am looking for a more convenient solution.

I might look at the inner tube idea.

 

[AJB Temple]

To conclude this, someone here offered me 6 large size unused Bandy Rockwell clamps for £20. Thank you. You know who you are. They arrived today. For holding on edge banding they are actually really good. Capacity is a touch limited, but I was easily able to get enough pressure on my test glue up this afternoon. I wrapped grease proof paper around the job to avoid glue getting on the elastic part of the clamps.

I will be buying the Kantenzwinge (thanks Custard) ones for future use as well, as it turns out my FIL can bring them from Germany and they are over for a couple of weeks shortly. They are currently 46% cheaper than in the UK (trade deal) from the place we usually buy from near Koln. Even the sheds sell Bessey stuff there.

 

[ivan]

If you want an invisible glue line on thin edging, edge clamps need backing up to spread the pressure. Best solution found so far is to make up a jig* from cheap ply and softwood, a bit larger than the item to be edged, and press the good board and glued edging down (by screw or wedge) on to 25mm vehicle heater hose, which is then blown to 100psi. Worth it if a lot to do, cut mdf spacers for smaller panels. Not an original idea-saw it in FWW methods of work some years back. PU glue leaves invisible glue line on ~4mm timber edging on kitchen doors, panels, etc.
* An ultra wide wooden "sash cramp"; screw or wedges at top, and hose at the bottom. 25mm hose in ~10mm deep matching routed recess.

 

[AJB Temple]

Thanks Ivan. Helpful ideas there. Normally I fit edging before I fit the panels. However, in this case I was forced to crack on and did not have time. Hence, quite a lot (not shelves) needs fitting in situ. This makes it a bit trickier.