# Attaching solid wood edge to plywood fast!



## eastside (Jun 21, 2009)

I am bidding on a cabinet job that is full overlay (no face frame) and the customer wants solid wood not iron on veneer to cover the plywood edges. Has anyone found a fast way to do this without clamps? Contact cement seems a bit messy. Also the boxes' will be prefinished maple so care not to sand the edge is important. I think he might be asking for too much.


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## Gene01 (Jan 5, 2009)

Sorry, Mike. Can't help with the speed thing. Especially with using prefinished panels. 
Masking the panels, cutting the trim fairly close to the panel thickness and using a router and flush trim bit, would be my method. But that ain't fast! Still gotta sand to remove that little bit of thickness left from using the tape. The tape would help protect the panel during both operations. Still, way too much time and effort, though…..Unless he's paying very well.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

You could nail it with a pinner. That's the fastest way to go. Otherwise
you get to mess with clamps or thicken it up and use pocket screws
or whatever.

A good tip is to make the wood edging 1" wide and 3/4" thick. This is
stiff enough to keep the edge straight. If you use thin 3/4" wide edging
the edging will follow the inevitable warp on the panels. The thicker
wood method looks much better and craftsmanlike.


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## ChrisForthofer (Jan 1, 2010)

Something like this? (The edge banding bits at the bottom)
http://www.mlcswoodworking.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/smarthtml/pages/bit_edgeband_ogee.html#edge_banding_anchor

It would eliminate having to align the edge material and would probably be a clamp free glue up if you used some pins or brads to secure the edging. Make the edging overside and flush trim it to the prefinish. Just my 2 cents.

Chris.


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## Jered (Sep 15, 2010)

You can use blue masking tape to glue (regular yellow glue) and tape the edge on. Put a piece of tape every 3 or so inches. When you have all the tape secured, go back and make adjustments wherever the edge slipped.

This is the standard way to put edge on laminate countertops and I have also done it to put wood edge on prefinished plywood. No need to use pins. The miters need to be taped across each other to get them nice and tight. scrape the squeeze-out with the sharp edge of a scrap of plywood once it rubberizes but before it is too hard. You should be able to get it nice and flush.


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## Dirte (Feb 7, 2011)

I am in agreement with ChrisForthofer… I would thickness plane all of the stock to the exact measurement of the carcus thickness and route away. Some quick set glue and a couple of pin nails and you are in business.

http://www.mlcswoodworking.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/smarthtml/pages/bit_edgeband_ogee.html#edge_banding_anchor


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

Colin has it … masking tape. I've been using it for years and never had a problem. I use green but that's Canada maybe its different in USA. As long as it has a bit of stretch, it will work wonders, don't use the cheap stuff. I call it the universal clamp and use it for lots of other things like edge gluing veneer.


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## eastside (Jun 21, 2009)

Thanks guy's lots of good stuff I guess i was hoping for the silver bullet but i do think the tape will work. This is how i see it; i will wrap the outside edge and inside edge with blue painters tape. The edging will be 1/4 inch thick and milled to the exact thickness as the ply with the 2 pieces of tape then glue it down with the tape strips as clamps. The 2 pieces of tape that is wrapped around the unit will protect the finished sides and when removed i will very carefully remove the small amount of wood that is equal to the thickness of the tape with a chisel plane. I think i should do a test piece before accepting the job.


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## D_Allen (Oct 11, 2010)

I used water based 3M contact adhesive to put prefinished, by me, 1/4" solid wood faceframe pieces on existing cabinet faceframes. The waterbase was less messy and not flamable. It is holding on great after years. You would probably have to put on a second coat of adhesive on the plywood edge as it would soak in more. It dries in about 15-30 minutes and has about a 1-hour working time. Maybe something to consider.
I've used it on lots of other projects such as baseboards, veneer on drawer edges and end panels.


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