How to Trim Edge Banding? Step-By-Step Guide with Video in 2022

If you are new to woods, you should know there is a problem with wooden boards. They make rough, raw edges after cutting them into pieces and stay like this way even if you did edge banding. These woods ultimately need trimming. These edges absorb moisture, damage your furniture and make them look hard-grained.

Trimming is the only option to make your wooden furniture smooth and without any strewed border. For that, you must know how to trim edge banding.

Why trimming an edge banding is important?

Edge Banding

Edge banding is applying a thin stripe at the wood border. When you slice your wooden boards for making any object, they sometimes overhang or have a rough tippling surface edge. Then you seal the raw side using a thin material. It helps to prevent warping your wood sides.

When you are done with edge banding, they need trimming. Trimming is a process to make the edge banding smooth. It is for setting up the banding on the edges perfectly.

Banding them will cover the edge up and protect the woods from getting moisture. The banding also lessens the liquid spills. Trimming the banding is gives the finishing you need. It is a significant task to do. This will make sure your wood’s edges will become smooth, and you will get a perfect outcome.

Things you need

A sharp razor blade, scissors, sanding block, iron file, something flat and hard are used to press the banding.

How to Trim Edge Banding

For any wooden furniture you built, the way to trim the edge banding is quite the same by using different equipment: sandpaper or sanding block, iron files, chisel, and laminate trimmer for the process.

After you finish fitting up the edge banding with iron and glue now, you are ready to trim them.

Trimming the banding using sand block/sandpaper in a block

Step 1

Notice carefully how much extra banding you are to cut and trim. Search for the fragile banding overhangs. And collect the materials you need.

Step 2

Take a sanding block and sand along with the edge banding by bending them in. Do not rub it on both sides; otherwise, you will end up pulling the banding from the edge. Try to create a crease right on the banding.

Step 3

Take the sharp razor blade. Cut the extra banding you’ve put.

Step 4

Use the sanding block again to clean the surface and make it plain.

Trimming by using iron file:

1. Take the file and rub it onto the banding surface. Start from the one corner of the board.
2. Once you finish one corner, come back from the other side.
3. Clean the extra rough banding adhesives that come off after applying the file on it.
4. Check the wooden board. If the corners are not perfectly smooth, use the file again there.
5. Cut off the extra banding through a knife or blade.
6. Take a piece of sandpaper and rub the edge banding of the board again.

Easy Way To Trim Edge Banding

Trimming the edge banding with a chisel

You can use a chisel when the banding you taped or glued moves away from its perfect road on the wood edge and creates grain in another direction.

1. Pay attention to where the grain is. See the direction it spilled.
2. The way grain starts to move, apply the chisel in the same direction. Pushing the chisel in the opposite direction will lift up the extra banding.
3. Take a sandpaper block again and rub it on edge to have the finishing.

If you want to perform like a professional carpenter, you can use the laminate trimmer with a flush-cut bit. This machine has nut-bearing on the base that rolls along with the wooden board and holds the but flush with the wood.

1. Make the wooden board vertical so that the edges can be erected.
2. Take the trimmer. Run it over the wood.
3. Keep rolling it from one side to another side.
4. It holds a lot of adhesive on edge. Clean them up with a scissor, blade or knife.
5. Lastly, use sandpaper and make your wooden board smooth by rubbing it.

Things you need to know

1. You cannot gauge them, and you can’t destroy the veneer too. You are going to trim them softly by pushing not so hard.
2. Always use the safe edge file when you are choosing the file to trim. A safe edge file is a file without iron teeth. It doesn’t go around the wood edges, and it is not so sharp that it gives the perfect aggressive push that you need to trim the corners.
3. Using the trimmer can be a little tough sometimes as it takes a very short time, so everything happens quickly. Be careful not to peel off the finish.
4. If you used a peel and stick edge banding, try not to use the trimmer. It doesn’t go well with it, but it does go with heat transfer edge banding.
5. Using the chisel can be a little tough too. It can sometimes destroy the veneer if it is cut loose.
6. Remember! The file is the fastest option to trim an edge banding. If you cannot manage a file, sandpaper block is the second formula I say.
7. Do not sand the surface too roughly; just give it two quick passes after and before you trim it.
8. You don’t need to go so far down where the bit is not exposing too much that you are taking and finish if you wobble it.

 Final Words

As you have already known, there are different ways to trim the edge banding. Now that would be easy for you to get into the trimming of edge banding.

You can consider one way to get the perfect finishing which would be most convenient for you. Hopefully, you will have a better finishing as you have considered all issues of how to trim edge banding.

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