Thread: advice wanted for applying cabinet edge strips

I have my iron set to wool ( so hot but not full volume)

The edging strip will move around a little bit as you apply pressure and the glue melts so I don't try to line up an edge.


Place brown paper (or similar) over the edging as you iron.


The instructions usually say to use a roller after ironing. I firmly press down and run along the edge with a block of wood whilst the glue is still warm and covered in the brown paper.

Once the glue is cold you can trim the overhang with sharp knife, chisel, plane blade or file, then a gentle rub with sand paper to remove sharp edges.
Taking a fine metal cutting file and filing from the edge to the side in a slightly forward motion is the most forgiving method. You can make really ugly mistakes with a blade.

Practice on scrap first!
You can easily run the iron over the edge a peel it off but if you dig your blade or knife into the melamine face........well it will end in tears.


I am sure you will get a variety of methods suggested.

thanks for this valuable info, blackhole.

do any others have any comments please?

Jill

Jill,

I've done a bit of ironing and suggest:

- clamp your door vertically in a vise
- cut your edge-banding strip a little longer than your door
- pre-heat your iron
- roughly centre the strip and start to iron, working slowly from one end to the other
- you know when the adhesive is melted when you smell it, so keep it moving
- let it cool and the glue sets
- wait a few minutes (or do another door)
- with your door still in the vise, cut one end of the tape flush with the door (I use an old planer blade)
- then pare both sides using a slicing action; do a couple of inches at a time using all of the blade
- hold the blade at 45 degrees and flat against the door face for best results
- finally pare the last end
- run a file at 45 degrees down both edges as they are sharp
- do the same at the ends, but at 90 degrees
- use metho to clean the strip if needed - you shouldn't have any burn marks

Job complete!

Jeff

thanks jeff, this is excellent advice too. Will now give it a go

kind regards,
Jill

Jillb

The above have given you all the details on what to do I would like to add a method I use when trimming. I use a 300mm steel rule and with a slicing action (very acute angle) I find there is less chance of cutting into the face of the door material. It is worth a try and once you have the correct angle it is also quicker to trim. There is also on the market a double sided trimmer, cutting both sides at once, but regret it was not as good as using the steel rule. Suggest you try a scrap edge first.
The material is layed flat on the bench when trimming with the rule. Also add some masking tape to the end of the rule resting on the material.

Good luck
Tom

Well, Blackhole was right ( Post above). There was weeping and gnashing of teeth, in the true biblical sense

This forum has been so good to me that I felt it was owed feedback, despite the fact that I am publicising my failures.

First, I started off on a sample, using a plane blade to slide along the edge. There were problems with this, leaving uneven nicks along the edge which looked terrible. It was going to be a big job trimming the edges of a door and a cabinet top, and my hands would get tired quickly and resulting in even more poor workmanship.

So I decided to use the router and a trimming bit with the bearing at the bottom of the router bit. A test on a trial piece showed that the router needed to be kept exactly at right angles to the edge, and it was sitting on 22mm edge - not easy! Looked at using the router sliding fence, but this interfered with the laminate edge. So, I took the fence off, and away I went. Stupidly , I started on the exposed side of cabinet top, rather than the underside of the top which would never be seen. All went well until the every end of that edge, when the router tilted slightly, and gouged the laminate of the surface. ( Photo 1).


So, I decided to be clever, and use my Triton router table and make up a jig to keep the workpiece exactly vertical to the table ( Photo 2). I even ran a little groove along the bottom to take the untrimmed edge while the other edge was being trimmed (Photo 3). My router table sags 1.5mm in the center due to the weight of the Triton router, so I packed it with 1.5mm shim and put a piece of laminated ply over the table as a work surface

No joy here, either. For some reason , sometimes the trimming bearing slightly kissed the main surface while trimming the edge, and the marking is obvious (Photo 4). This could only happen if the work surface of the workpiece tilted away from the vertical.

So, I have had no success at all, and would be open to suggestions on how to better do this without risk of damage.

I am also open to suggestions on how to repair the damage shown in Photos 1 & 4

I hope someone learns from my mistakes

kind regards,
Jill

PS: I ended up with the non-glued PVC edging, so had to do the edging with contact cement - very slow!

Thanks for posting your struggles with edgebanding Jill.I am going to be attempting it for the first time soon and I have learned a bit by reading your comments.

I'll let you know how it goes, good or bad.

To correct mistakes I use the white no more gaps stuff. It is not fantastic but it covers little gaps and blade chip marks. Squeeze some on, smooth with finger and then wipe the rest off.

Have a try of the file method, it is slow but very controlled.

I have only used the iron-on edge. The edging you have might be thicker and the router table jig may be tool for the job. Maybe put some masking tape along the face of the board that the router bearing will run along to give a little bit of safety margin, so you get flush plus the thickness of tape.

[quote=JillB;801042]For some reason , sometimes the trimming bearing slightly kissed the main surface while trimming the edge, and the marking is obvious (Photo 4).

Jill,
This can sometimes be caused by the shield below the bearing. ( Looks like a thin washer. ) You could try removing the shield and lowering the bit in the table so that the cutting edge is just high enough to do the job.

Mike

Jill
Just as matter of interest what is the thickness of the edge material you are using? When I offered my advice in a previous posting I was wrong to assume it was the standard material and not the thick material which would be difficult to remove with a steel rule.
Tom

thanks guys, for the latest advice. Yes, I should have lowered the router bit so that only the 1mm PVC edging material was cut, and I should have considered masking tape, but I was in too much of a hurry - this was the last step of this project, and I was impatient to finish it, and use it.

I like the idea of the no-more-gaps stuff, will give it a go on the door which was not so badly damaged.

Have decided that I cannot live with the butchered top, constantly remining me of my mistakes, so I went to a specialist panel supplier this morning who cuts them to size, and edge bands them too - got a piece for $40. Ahhh.... peace of mind

It has been a steep learning curve, but very worthwhile. I still don't know what sort of hinge to use - the 16mm laminated MDF door is fully overlaid on the Melamine carcase, which is basically chipboard. I don't think it will be strong enough to hold a 900mm high door with 3 flush mount hinges screwed in to the edge of the Melamine, or even piano hinges for that matter, but would welcome any suggestions

kind regards to all,

Jill