Tips on edging ply or MDF

[glenfield2]

I’ve always struggled with this - lack of skill probably but maybe also that my board cutting by track saw or DeWalt table saw doesn’t leave a smooth enough edge to work to.
Can anyone walk me through edging, say, 18mm ply with ‘proper’ wood? (I can’t convince myself that stick-on edging is any good.)

 

[glenfield2]

Any chance of a spot of advice on this one? Thanks.

 

[sams93]

I’ve always struggled with this - lack of skill probably but maybe also that my board cutting by track saw or DeWalt table saw doesn’t leave a smooth enough edge to work to.
Can anyone walk me through edging, say, 18mm ply with ‘proper’ wood? (I can’t convince myself that stick-on edging is any good.)

I recently did some hardwood edging on some 25mm Oak veneered MDF. Appreciate it isn't ply, but the process will be the same (Although I would think the edges of ply might not like being glued as much, however this isnt something where a lot of structural strength is really required. If you are using birch or a good quality ply then I don't think it would be an issue at all)

- The material I wanted to edge was 25mm MDF, so I used a 29mm thick oak board and cut strips about 7mm thick on the table saw (you could then run these through a drum sander or thicknesser if you werent happy with the finish off the table saw, but the finish I had was fine and I was going to sand them later once they had been stuck on anyway. You then want to cut these to slightly more than the length of the material you are edging. (retrospectively I should have done the edging process, then cut the MDF boards to size. In reality I did the edging afterwards and that was a faff to then trim the edging to the exact length of my already cut boards. Whenever I do it again I will edge the wood first, and then cut the wood to size)

- I then applied glue to the edges of the MDF, I used normal wood glue. Then applied the edging onto the MDF, ensuring that there was a near enough equal overhang of 2mm either side. I then used a 23 gauge headless pinner to hold the edges in place and save me having to clamp it all, and left them to dry.

- The next day I came back with a flush trim bit on a handheld router and trimmed the 2mm overhangs off so that the edging was now flush to my board. I then gave it a 1/4" roundover to soften the edges for my project.

The headless pin nailer makes the process very quick, and you really cannot see them in the finished piece. You also don't have to wait for it all to dry to get your clamps back so you can work on the next piece. If you dont have one of them you could use some veneer pins and just hammer them in, or you can use some edge band clamps (photo below: spring clamps with a bit of rubber to hold the edges on)

I actually took some photos as I was doing this edging so I'll see if i can find them and attach to this post.

I had my first go at using 'edge banding' not long prior to this, I thought that edge banding would be easier than doing hardwood edging, but I have to say it actually was a lot easier just doing the hardwood edging.

 

[Droogs]

If you are after a more substantial edge and fixing rather than just ironing on a thin edge band then look at fixing a solid wood lipping to the ply board. Consider using one of these types of router bit sets that will give a much better mechanical fixing along with a larger glue surface area.

This video shows you how

 

[sammy.se]

I've done both and you'd be surprised how good iron on edging comes out. If you've not tried it yet, give it a go.

 

[glenfield2]

That does a very neat job. But first I’d need to invest in a router table. Just got a hand one at the moment.

If you are after a more substantial edge and fixing rather than just ironing on a thin edge band then look at fixing a solid wood lipping to the ply board. Consider using one of these types of router bit sets that will give a much better mechanical fixing along with a larger glue surface area.

This video shows you how

 

[glenfield2]

I recently did some hardwood edging on some 25mm Oak veneered MDF. Appreciate it isn't ply, but the process will be the same (Although I would think the edges of ply might not like being glued as much, however this isnt something where a lot of structural strength is really required. If you are using birch or a good quality ply then I don't think it would be an issue at all)

- The material I wanted to edge was 25mm MDF, so I used a 29mm thick oak board and cut strips about 7mm thick on the table saw (you could then run these through a drum sander or thicknesser if you werent happy with the finish off the table saw, but the finish I had was fine and I was going to sand them later once they had been stuck on anyway. You then want to cut these to slightly more than the length of the material you are edging. (retrospectively I should have done the edging process, then cut the MDF boards to size. In reality I did the edging afterwards and that was a faff to then trim the edging to the exact length of my already cut boards. Whenever I do it again I will edge the wood first, and then cut the wood to size)

- I then applied glue to the edges of the MDF, I used normal wood glue. Then applied the edging onto the MDF, ensuring that there was a near enough equal overhang of 2mm either side. I then used a 23 gauge headless pinner to hold the edges in place and save me having to clamp it all, and left them to dry.

- The next day I came back with a flush trim bit on a handheld router and trimmed the 2mm overhangs off so that the edging was now flush to my board. I then gave it a 1/4" roundover to soften the edges for my project.

The headless pin nailer makes the process very quick, and you really cannot see them in the finished piece. You also don't have to wait for it all to dry to get your clamps back so you can work on the next piece. If you dont have one of them you could use some veneer pins and just hammer them in, or you can use some edge band clamps (photo below: spring clamps with a bit of rubber to hold the edges on)
View attachment 154941

I actually took some photos as I was doing this edging so I'll see if i can find them and attach to this post.

I had my first go at using 'edge banding' not long prior to this, I thought that edge banding would be easier than doing hardwood edging, but I have to say it actually was a lot easier just doing the hardwood edging.

Thanks for taking the trouble to give such a comprehensive reply. I’ve got an 18 gauge pin gun which I guess doesn’t score as well on the invisibility rating. I think I will invest in some more spring clamps for starters.
Edging before cutting is a good tip too: I might waste a bit of wood but pinning the ends might stop the whole shebang squirming around when the glue is wet.

 

[sams93]

Thanks for taking the trouble to give such a comprehensive reply. I’ve got an 18 gauge pin gun which I guess doesn’t score as well on the invisibility rating. I think I will invest in some more spring clamps for starters.
Edging before cutting is a good tip too: I might waste a bit of wood but pinning the ends might stop the whole shebang squirming around when the glue is wet.

I didn't want to purchase a load of spring clamps and I had a lot to do so that's why I used the 23 gauge headless pins. It meant I could glue on 20 metres of edging in about 2 hours, with no need to wait for a bit to dry to move onto the next bit of edging.

If you have air tools then a headless pinner isn't expensive (this is the one I have - can give you an axminster 15% off referral code if you decide to get one from there) - or you can just buy some pins and use an old-fashioned hammer.

As you say I will know for next time that edging before cutting is the sensible approach, I felt a bit silly edging 40 components individually where I could have done it in about 5 pieces if I had done it beforehand.

The 23 gauge pins are effectively invisible once the thing is sanded. Other family members I showed the finished thing to couldn't see them even when I pointed them out.

You would be ok using an 18 gauge nailer if you made sure the nails were set slightly deep and were happy to fill the holes, might be the simplest way to do what you are talking about with the tools you have, but ovbiously the finish would be better with the smaller pins.


I would also say let the glue dry before you cut the parts, this applies both if you do edge banding or hardwood edging. If you are doing hardwood edging then the process is:
1. Cut the edging strips ready
2. Glue and pin on the 1-2mm oversized edging strips
3. Use flush trim bit on router to trim the edging overhang so it is perfectly flush with the wood.
4. Cut the pieces to size.

You need the glue to be dry for step 3, otherwise there is a risk of a) the edging moves and then you have to do it all over again, and b) gumming up the router bit.

As I am learning every time I do another bit of woodwork, taking my time and doing bits step by step is the way to go, I used to be really rushed and I never realised just how much that contributed to the finish quality of what I was doing. If asked at the time I would have said it made a 10% impact, but retrospectively it was probably more like 50-60%.

 

[sams93]

It was actually my first time edging, I thought I’d try the stick on edge banding for the underside of the pieces - which won’t be seen), and try hardwood edging on then it’s that would be seen. The photo above is some of the bits with the stick on edge banding. It was actually more effort and time than doing the hardwood edging for me, probably due to inexperience, but I would head for hardwood edging every time now when I do it again!

Below is the hardwood oak edging ready to be put on.

 

[paulrbarnard]

Are you actually working in your living room on a carpeted floor? If you are you have a VERY supportive partner.

 

[sams93]

Are you actually working in your living room on a carpeted floor? If you are you have a VERY supportive partner.

No the boxes are her commission (They are under bed storage for her clothes...) and I was just giving her the sales pitch for the edging ha!

I don’t think I’d get away with actually doing it in there (although I did get to build a bed in the kitchen not too long ago...

 

[Doug71]

I generally use the masking tape trick to hold the edging on until the glue has set.

 

[Droogs]

No the boxes are her commission (They are under bed storage for her clothes...) and I was just giving her the sales pitch for the edging ha!

I don’t think I’d get away with actually doing it in there (although I did get to build a bed in the kitchen not too long ago...

mmmmmmmmmmmmmm brekkie in bed yum

 

[cowtown_eric]

like doug71 I also use tape, but generally tape from the granite ctop supply house which is no only stronger than painters tape, but also has stretch-ability. and thus great clamping pressure.

I'm fortunate enuf to have a lamello lipping planer (all my edging is about 2mm oversize x 5 or 6 mm thick) and lay down a strip of painters tape to indicate when I'm really close to surface with the planer, then finish it off with a card scraper veneer ply ain't as consistent as in thickens as one may think..

Same thing relatively easy to do with a low-angle block plane

Dragging a fingernail over the edging reveals if yer flush or not!, even for the preglued edgebanding.- draw-filed flush and burnished with a hardwood block.

Eric in the colonies