I have a wall “nook” that I’m lining with some great looking 1/4″ maple ply. I’ll avoid the lengthy description of why I’m using 1/4″ ply, but suffice to say it’s my best option.
Anyway, the edge of this ply lining will be exposed. I could put a casing like a door casing/molding, but I’d rather leave the wall flat.
Anyone have to do this themselves before? How about a 1/2″ wide by 1/8″ deep rabbit in the ply and the same in a matching 3/4″ wide by 1/4″ think piece of maple? Sound good?
I can easily post a picture of the nook when I get home in a few hours if anyone would like.
Thanks,
Kevin
Replies
I've put solid lumber edging on 1/4" plywood. 1/4" wide is enough glue area for a simple butt joint. Rip strips that are maybe 1/8" or 3/16" thick, and maybe 3/8" wide. Glue a strip to the edge of the plywood. Because the strip isn't stiff, use a caul to spread the clamp pressure. After the glue cures, cut off the extra parts of the strip. I take it down almost to the veneer with a hand plane, and then scrape or sand from there.
The bad thing about the rabbet approach you describe is that you need to clamp the edging tightly in two directions. You have to clamp in the 1/4" direction to get good glue contact on the 1/2" wide surface, and you have to clamp in the other direction to close up the possible crack that will be visible when you're done.
I edgeband a whole lot of 3/4" & 1/2" ply. Get you a nice straight piece of hard maple, joint one edge, rip a 5/16" piece, do this as many times as you need pieces. When you glue up, butt the jointed edge to the ply so you don't have any saw marks in the joint. I use a laminate trimmer with a flush trim bit to remove the excess, then sandpaper.
A tip. Cut your ply to the proper length minus the thichness of the finished banding, and 1" wider than needed. Band and trim the ends, then rip these panels to the proper width. Take some off of both sides so you get a nice clean joint at the corners. After you get them trimmed, take all the banding down to 1/4", and round over with a 3/16" bit.
Hey you guys, that's great! I was thinking 1/4" would be too thin to glue up a banding strip to, but sounds like I'll be ok. Thanks for the tips from both of you...
Kevin
Hello,
Just thought I'd add that my favorite clamp for edge banding is masking tape. It has a bit of stretch to it which really pulls the pieces together. It also allows a bit of adjustment after "clamping".
Steve
A good glue to use for edgebanding is contact adhesive. Spray it on the edgebanding, let dry, and then use a hot iron to attach the edgebanding to the plywood. Don't overheat, but this is very quick and works like a champ.
John
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