Replies

1. 
   Tony4211 | Dec 12, 2002 04:53am | #1

   Wally,

   I have had and used both of those machines and was less than pleased with the results, or to put it another way I tossed them in the dumpster. The Virutex machine was given to me by a friend who could not get it to work. I tried but was never able to get consistent results. The problems were trying to keep the banding aligned with the edge of the board and regulating the heat so it would not burn the banding. The Freud machine had the same issues. I have had excellent results using yellow carpenters glue. Brush the glue on the banding and the edge of the panel and let dry. Once dry use an iron the same way you would on the hot melt edge banding. I think the yellow glue holds better than the hot melt and the glue line is thinner. I have also taken my panels to a larger shop and had them run the material through their fully automatic edge bander. Hope this helps.

   Tony

1. 
   wklemp | Dec 13, 2002 05:16am | #2

   To your point, I ran into a cabinet contractor at the Cabinetmakers' Supply who said the mid-range edge banders are junk, particularly the Virutex hand-held.  He said they usually just use contact cement and for big jobs they farm out to someone with a high-end, high-speed edge bander.  Looks like you were right on.  I'm surprised there isn't a better option for small shops.  Thanks.