Edgebanders
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Hi Brett!?
As an initial response, I'll volunteer that I am currently performing precious little edge banding, so I'm an example of a (very!) low volume shop. For what little edge banding I do apply, I am using the Festool Conturo handheld edge bander. Given my space constraints and low volume needs, it's been nice to have around.? Pros: -- Small footprint when not in use. The tool occupies a Systainer 5, the accessories another Systainer 5, plus a trimming router, plus whatever inventory you want to maintain of glue and banding -- I've rarely used it, but the MFT/3 table for the Conturo is handy for shelving and other smaller parts (I subscribe to the "bring the small thing to the big thing" relationship between the work and tools). When not in use, the table folds up and can be stored out of the way -- Setup/warmup time is reasonable, I think around ten minutes?? -- Swapping between glue colors is pretty straightforward. The purging process burns through a puck or two, but I haven't found it to be a big deal -- You're locked into using the Festool glue, but you can use just about any non-glued edge banding you want. I have used hardwood veneer and 2mm PVC without issue.? Cons: -- This is in no way a production machine. Apparently some production shops keep a Conturo around for inside corner work, but otherwise yeah this is a small scale machine.? -- Cost. At $3k for just the machine, plus accessories, it's not inexpensive, though I suppose it's a drop in the bucket compared to free-standing machines.? -- Skill: Since this is primarily a hand-held machine, there's some amount of finesse/attention necessary to dial the settings in properly and actually applying the banding. If employees will be using the machine, it may not be a great fit.? -- You'll need to follow along after applying the banding with a router to trim the excess. Again, this can take some skill.. Anyways, I suspect you are primarily looking for input on free-standing equipment, but hopefully if nothing else the Conturo can establish a benchmark in terms of the small end of the spectrum. Good luck on your hunt! -- Tom Gensmer Heritage Home Renewals, LLC Minneapolis, MN |
¿ªÔÆÌåÓýFor production work, I outsource edgebanding to a local high volume shop that produces Ikea-like closet solutions. Production edgebanding machines are very maintenance intensive, especially if run intermittently. ??Depending on your volume, you might be a lot better off outsourcing big projects, and using a handheld bander like the Festool or the ForKa (sold by Felder and others). ?For in-house work (typically thicker hardwood banding), I devised a clamping table system that works great, but is certainly low volume. ?I have done a lot of edgebanding with that simple clamping table in conjunction with a lipping planer to trim flush after glue-up. ?Details on that are here: ??David Best https://www.instagram.com/davidpbest/
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Hey Brett,
Do you have a good idea of how you will be using a bander? I've always glued and clamped hardwood strips, but last year I had a large frameless kitchen. I got a used hot air machine from a buddy who moved up to a glue pot machine so he could run 3mm pvc. All my boxes are Columbia veneer core prefinished maple ply. It works quite well. I set the top and bottom trimming to about .005 over, and just clean it up with a plane blade. It saved me a ton of time. I've? tried peeling a piece off, and it breaks. I was pretty impressed. Jason Holtz J. Holtz Furniture 3307 Snelling Ave. South Minneapolis, MN 55406 612.432.2765 -- Jason J. Holtz Furniture 3307 Snelling Ave. South Minneapolis, MN 55406 |
Tom Gensmer
David P. Best
Jason Holtz