Plywood edge coverup question? Sort of.

[Tom Spallone]

I'm making a 36" diameter table.

The table top itsef will be made up of MDF and laminate on top.

I'm bending multiple thin layers of plywood to encircle the "insert" of the table itself. Kinda like making a shell of plywood and then slipping in the laminated MDF. (I might want to change this out at some later point, that's why I'm doing this.)

So, the end result with have a perfect 36" circle of about 1/2'-5/8" thick plywood around the table top. I want to cover the fact that this "ring" is plywood. Any suggestions?

I'd love to make a moulding of sorts, like a cap to go over the top edge of it but, how would I produce the bend at that diameter?

Any suggestions would help.

[Dave Richards]

Tom, why the plywood for the ring? Why not a ring of sawn pieces of solid wood? Or how about using strips of solid wood bent and laminated? Use the glue lines as design element. Laminate contrasting woods. Match the glue color to the wood and just mill the edge profile in it.

I can see two options for covering the plywood: sawn pieces milled with a rabbet for the ring or glued on veneers.

[Tom Spallone]

Yeaaaa, I can see using hardwood and bending it, to get the ring to the dimensions I want, ply seems the "easliest" and "cost effective". Still though, even if I laminate multiple strips of hardwood, wouldn't I end up with a look similar to ply anyway?

I guess I should have said that all the wood will be stained a Black stain. Not black paint and not dark brown stain, but a Black stain. So using contrasting woods or using glue lines as a design eliment wouldn't really show in a pleasant way using this stain.

Besides, my bandsaw is a bitch to work with and to cut 1/8" slices of hardwood 4" wide would have me pulling out what's left of my hair.

Sighhhhhhhhhh Why can't I design easy stuff?

[Dave Richards]

So use a dark hardwood (walnut or something). Rip the strips as close to 1/8" as possible and plane them on a sled of 3/4" MDF to make them thin enough. Glue up with epoxy tinted with lampblack or graphite to make it black. Stagger the ends of the laminations so the ring will be solid. Clean the top and bottom edges up with a scraper when the epoxy is green, that is hard enough to work but not rock hard. Apply the black stain and your cookin' with gas.