Thread: Trimming timber edge banding

I usually do it with a block plane.

The pattern following bit you asked about on the other thread is not the best way - what you want is a flush trim bit which has the bearing on the end of the cutter, not on the shaft. That's probably the most common machine way to do it. But as you say, it is difficult to balance a big router on a 19mm edge. They usually use a small router for that - called a laminate trimmer.

The third way I know of involves fixing a flat bit of ply or MDF to the base of the router, back from the bit so that it is exposed. You sit the panel flat on the bench, then rest the router on top, then wind down the bit until it is just touching the top of the panel. Then you move it to the edge and switch it on and cut away. It's not possible to tip the router unless you try very hard.

That's probably the way I would do it if I had a lot to do.

But for one panel I just use the block plane with a bit of tape over one half of the blade so that I don't damage the surface of the panel. Then a quick pass with the plane on a very slight angle to produce a very light chamfer.

There is one other way if you have a router table. You put some shims on the fence with a couple of mm clearance from the table. The shims need to be at least as thick as the protruding bit of the banding (in your case >4mm). Then you set the fence so your straight cutter is flush with the shims. You stand the panel on edge hard against the shims and cut away. That's not bad for smaller panels. No chance of marring the board because if it tips, it can only tip away from the bit.

The pattern following bit you asked about on the other thread is not the best way

Thanks sC, no, I definitely need a pattern bit, and it is not for the other thread project which was for trimming the timber edge banding - agree that a flush trim bit is required there.

flush trim bit, block plane or if you plan on doing it often buy an electric flush planer

1. Router table with a tall fence with thick shims to form a clearance rebate for the protruding trim. Align in/out feed sides of fence/shim with the bearing or reference diameter on the bit. If you need to get a lot of material off, do it in 1mm or cuts with the bearing buried in the fence/shim initially, then align the bearing for the final cut.
2. For handheld, if you have more than one panel of the same size, clamp two panels together with the edge to be trimmed at the top and some 25mm or wider packers separating them. This will then give you a stable base to run the router along.

very neat! thanks malb

Just one problem with it -with all 4 sides edged and ready for trimming, you can't do the edging to the trimming blade at each corner, as the protruding edges prevent this.

Sorry Jill, I was not aware of the issue of 4 edges already applied. Both methods will work for a single edge applied, the handheld method will work with edges applied to opposite sides, as will the table method provided that the shim will fit between the overhanging edges to be trimmed. Both will work for third and forth sides once the first pair are trimmed.

With four edges applied I suspect that the safest approach would be a plane and scraper. If you can trim the two shorter sides with hand toolsm you could revert to the router (either method) for the long sides, but hand tools would be as quick when you take the setup time into account.

I eventually designed a jig for trimming the edging that works OK for me.

The real problem with using a router for this type of work is to keep the router base exactly flat on the edge while trimming, not an easy task.

To help do this, I added a brace made of two pieces of pine glued together and attached to the router's fence, and positioned so that the vertical edge of the pine block is exactly under the line of the flush mounted router bit. That way, by keeping the jig against the side of the board being trimmed, the router base sits flat on the edge while the flush mounted trimmer bit does its work.

The trick to making this jig is to make sure that the surface against the base of the router and which screws in to the fence is exactly at right angles to the surface that runs agaisnt the workpiece

hope the pictures explain it all. Excuse the rush photos, but you will see there was a snake wandering around the dust collector at the time

If edging a full panel, I will have to do two oposite sides at once, then trim them, and then add the next two edges and trim them.

Jill

Which one Yellow, Blue, or Grey and what happened then,
Are they protected or can you massage their backs with a shovel ??

Regards
Brian

nah, it was just a rubber one to scare the mynah birds away