Question on gluing edging to plywood sheves............

[Kent A Bathurst]

......... clamp 2 shelves together with a couple of 2x4 spacers in between, with solid oak edges up. In both cases, you now have a much larger area to run your router base along.......

This is what I generally do. I set the 2x4 a few inches below the edges, so the flush-trim bit won't hit it, and then can do all the edges on both shelves with one setup. In this case, there is only one edge to do per shelf, since they will be 3/4" x 1-1/2". And - since it is only a very small amount to trim off, I like to use my little lam trimmer - a few minutes to make a larger accessory base out of 1/4" - 1/2" ply gives a broad, stable base. The lam trimmer is much easier to control than a router.

[Erik Christensen]

dumb question but I have to ask it... If you are not using the edging for structural reasons - why not use hot melt edge banding? With a tough water based poly finish it holds up remarkably well - I have some shelves in the garage that are over 5 years old and they still look good

[Larry Rasmussen]

I have attempted to use the 23 gauge pins and found they were unsatisfactory. If you strike out clamping use the 16 gauge if you have to use a fastener through the face. Glue and clamps are what I always go back to. I like to glue two shelves face to face with a 2X wide facing in the middle then rip it down the middle for the two shelves. Seems to get more milage out of the time you spend aligning and glueing the facing and plywood.
Good luck,
Larry R
Seattle

[Kent A Bathurst]

dumb question but I have to ask it... If you are not using the edging for structural reasons - why not use hot melt edge banding? With a tough water based poly finish it holds up remarkably well - I have some shelves in the garage that are over 5 years old and they still look good

Not at all dumb - valid point, Erik: 2 reasons.

First, I am looking to add some structural integrity, although the dimensions and the intended use puts the shelving in a comfortable "sag range" without the edging. My original question was a bit inelegant...what I was really driving at was the ability to successfully glue solid wood to the edge of plywood. The primary purpose of the pins will be alignment and hold-in-place while the glue dries. I gave everyone an unintentional head fake by putting too much emphasis on the pins.

Second, I am fortunate to have these friends with a fairly new future-retirement home on the water at the lower Potomac. I have a key to the house, and know where they keep the key to the boat, and it is not unheard of for them to arrive for the weekend and find their boat out on the water, and their wine closet under seige. In return, I am always coming up with projects to "pay the rent" as it were, and to teach my friend how to play this game. Accordingly, I have "helped" him with projects that move steadily up the technique/methods/design scale one step at a time. The first was 24' x 10' 2 x 4 and plywood shelves in the garage.... lag screws and roofing nails. The last sizable project included 36" x 60" plywood shelving-cubbyhole unit in the mudroom for shoes and stuff, on top of a curved bench with storage drawers underneath. Those used hot melt iron-on edging tape and were painted. This next step in the skill accumulation is hardwood edging, dye, varnish.

The very, very first non-shop thing I ever made was a bookcase of ply with the iron-on edging and wipe-on poly....still going strong after ~ 20 years. A few hundred pounds of garden and plant reference books are in it.

I have attempted to use the 23 gauge pins and found they were unsatisfactory. If you strike out clamping use the 16 gauge if you have to use a fastener through the face. Glue and clamps are what I always go back to. I like to glue two shelves face to face with a 2X wide facing in the middle then rip it down the middle for the two shelves. Seems to get more milage out of the time you spend aligning and glueing the facing and plywood.
Good luck,
Larry R

Larry - thanks. As noted above, the 23ga pin thing was an unintentional misdirection. My friend has more than enough clamps to do the job, and I am not at all opposed to using them. The pins will help with alignment, so the edging doesn't "creep" under clamp pressure. I was, though, kind of wondering if the pins alone would hold firmly enough for the joint to properly set up without the clamps....not getting a lot of love for that idea, though.

Interesting technique on doubling-up and ripping. Will keep that in mind for the future - my friend doesn't have a TS, though, so not an option this time at bat.

He has a CMS and a DP. Everything else is hand-held. Each Christmas, I give his wife a list of things that would be great additions to his shop, and she always gets every one. He also buys things at my "suggestion" - air compressor, countersink/counterbore set, forstner set, brad point set, etc., etc. The goal, of course, is to add things that I want to have there when I come......so far, so good. In fact, the DP was Christmas 2010, along with a set of LV bench chisels. 2011 was a PC 690 with standard and plunge bases. Man, I love spending other people's money...... [Right, Paul?? ]