Can You Round Edges On Hardwood Plywood

Banding can t slip up or down on the edge of the plywood during glueup and clamping.

Can you round edges on hardwood plywood.

A common method for applying an edge treatment is to apply a piece of hardwood stock to the edge that either matches the plywood or compliments the plywood to create a contrasting look. You can take the trimmer apart and only use 1 2 of it going with grain. A groove can be cut into either the plywood or the hardwood edging and then a corresponding tongue can be cut out of the opposite material. To clean up the look without covering or hiding every edge you can just cover them with a strip of self adhesive veneer edge banding.

Then you can use a router to run a corresponding groove into the plywood edge. Make rounded corners with your router. Plus there are several species of edge banding available to match the plywood that is being used. Wood magazine s bob wilson shows you how you can make rounded corners of any radius time after time with a simple jig.

If you want a 3 4 in x 3 4 in nosing you ll have to rip it on a table saw or have it ripped at the. Not totally necessary but if i have time i run the plywood edges past a table saw sanding disc prior to gluing. Double edge banding trimmers on wood don t work well b c the grain is running opposite directions you can get tear out. Routers or woodworking videos.

Tongue and groove. A virtue of hardwood edge banding is it will hold up far better over time. Read more about. If you don t own a table saw you can cut a clean accurate edge on plywood by clamping a straightedge to the sheet and using it as a guide for your circular saw.

It can be trimmed using a craft knife but a cleaner cut can be achieved by using an edge banding trimmer. After you have routered the profile you could pop a few nails into the plywood as well. Best is to use a tablesaw or router table to put a tongue on the hardwood. If you prefer a routed edge you can leave the banding say 1 8 proud of the veneer and then rout a 1 8 round over.

Edge banding is not that difficult to apply. This simple method makes plywood look more like a solid board without the upcharge. It will also finish far better assuming you will apply some type of finish. Building with plywood is convenient and inexpensive but the exposed edges typically look unfinished.

It really gives a nice clean edge. Just be careful that none of the nails come blowing up through the top of the plywood. It s the only product of those we tested that can be used effectively in a handheld router.