Edge banding MDF top

I think that will work. On my Torsion Box I screwed my edging to the MDF and plugged the holes with a contrasting wood.

-- Tony, Ohio

Sry,

Knickknack posted a small oak table project and he provided an excellent answer to your question: it’s about 1/2 way down the post. This may be what you are describing. If all else fails, rabbet the harwood banding, the glue the banding to the mdf.

Goodluck!

-- Brian, Lebanon PA, If you aren’t having fun doing it, find something else to do.

Thanks guys. I’ll try it out and post the results when I post the project.

You could use biscuits and glue…will help align everything and the glue will make it stay.

-- //FC - Round Rock, TX - "Experience is what you get just after you need it"

I’ve successfully applied a strip of hardwood around the edge of my MDF top, and intentionally left it a little proud of the surface, thinking I could trim it flush a little later.

My new question is: what’s the best tool for the job? It seems like a larger job than my little block plane should handle, so maybe a larger plane like a #4?

mdf is made from sawdust and glue. Edgebanding it is easy as can be as glue sticks well to glue. Fasteners like brads help hold it till the glue dries, but if you clamp well, even that may be unnecessary.

-- making sawdust....

Steve, to flush trim, you can use a flush trim bit on your router.. Or you can use a plane if you want to do it by hand. There are also many router table set ups that can help do this.

-- making sawdust....

ya you could use a flush bit on a router. might get a bit hairy with the bit out in the open and everything. if the edgebanding is 3/4” you could use a block plane for a #4 or #5, 6, 7, 8. really any plane. i would use a #4 though because a #7, 8 might get a bit tiring

Steve, how did this turn out? I am at this exact stage on the same exact bench and am wondering the exact same thing :)

-- Dave, Colonie, NY

Dave,
I ended up just sanding to get the edge flush with the mdf top. There was only something like 1/32” difference. Didn’t take very long. When I do it again though, I’ll probably skip the tongue and groove setup, because as mott points out, it should stick really well without.
If you look at my projects, both my workbench and drill press cart have the same kind of top, and both have taken quite a beating and held up great.
Good luck,

-Steve