Edge banding for shop sawn veneered panels

[Sean Moore]

Im planning a record cabinet that will be made predominantly with shop sawn veneered ash on a baltic birch core. In the past, I have always done a solid wood edge banding glue to the BB core, with the veneer then being glued on top of that. However, ive had some issues with the veneer material being a slightly different shade than the solid wood captured banding, so there is a noticeable line.

Im curious how other people that utilize shop sawn veneer go about edging their panels. Id like to add a slight thumbnail profile to the edging, and was thinking of using one of those v groove edge banding router bit sets to accomplish this, with the edging have a v shape on the back side and a thumbail profile on the exposed side, and then glueing it in place. Or is it best to do the thumbnail after gluing the edging on?

Thank you!

[jerry cousins]

i too use shop sawn veneers - 5/64. usual practice is to do as you described - solid wood band around the substrate - then veneer over to the edge - which does leave a line. but if it is a design element i have also used a solid wood surround butting up to the veneered panel - which allows for a more beefy profile.
jc

[David Stone (CT)]

However, ive had some issues with the veneer material being a slightly different shade than the solid wood captured banding, so there is a noticeable line.

Yes, there will be a noticeable line due to varying shades as you say, and also where the veneer is showing end grain and the banding is edge grain. But with shop sawn veneer, I see this as a feature, not a bug, since the extra thickness means the veneer edge reads more like a deliberate design element to be enjoyed, as opposed to an unwanted byproduct to be concealed if possible.

Id like to add a slight thumbnail profile to the edging, and was thinking of using one of those v groove edge banding router bit sets to accomplish this, with the edging have a v shape on the back side and a thumbail profile on the exposed side, and then glueing it in place. Or is it best to do the thumbnail after gluing the edging on?

I've always glued the edge banding on first, a touch over-thickness, then flushed it up with a card scraper/sanding/whatever wIMG_0811.jpgIMG_0394.jpgorks, then profiled the edge. I've never used those v groove edge banding cutters, but the question I'd have is whether, as a practical matter, they register the joint with sufficient accuracy to enable use of edge banding that is exactly as thick as the substrate and therefore skip the slightly tedious step of flushing up. If not, it's hard to see what would be accomplished in your application--or maybe I'm missing something, since I've not used them.

[Jamie Buxton]

I've done it both ways. When the panel is standalone, like a table top, banding after veneer seems right to me; the banding acts as a frame around the veneer. But when the veneered panels are part of a group with grain pattern continuous across the group, then banding first is better. Here's a pic of that situation. This is a wall-hung vanity cabinet which is almost nine feet long. The front is shop-sawn claro walnut veneer. In this case, the veneer runs all the way to the edge of each panel. That is, edgebanding preceeded the face veneering. I always make the banding wider than I need. I glue the face veneer on, expecting the veneer to squooge around in the vacuum bag. After the face is on, I trim the banding to wherever it needs to be.

vanityoverallmed.jpg

[John TenEyck]

The possibility of color or grain mismatch between the banding and veneer exists no matter which way you do it. The risk of the glue line being visible is higher if you add the banding last. IMO, the panel looks better with the banding applied first so that the veneer runs all the way to the edge. The only exception is if I want to create a shaped edge where the profile on the banding meets the veneer right at the joint where they meet.

John

[al ladd]

Another minor detail that can help is a bevel that ends at the veneer line, more or less obscuring the glue line itself.