Making Your Own Solid Wood Edgebanding

In a pinch, making your own edgebanding is no big deal. Here's how to do it. April 20, 2008

Question
I’m banding a set of doors and drawer fronts for a small kitchen and haven't able to find 3mm fir edgeband without an 8 week lead time or crazy prize. I'll need to make my own strips and am looking for the quickest way. It'll be some combination of table saw, planer and maybe drum sander, but I need to iron out the sequence. I don't have a bandsaw, which I think could be the fastest. The strips will be applied with an edgebander. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Forum Responses
(Cabinetmaking Forum)
Why not use 1/8" fir, some pva , and some 23 guage pins? I doubt you’d even have to fill them after sanding.



From the original questioner:
I haven't been able to track down 1/8" fir, and am looking for the quickest way to mill it. The strips will be applied with an edgebander.


From contributor Y:
Set your table saw up to 1/4" rip, use either a power feeder or at minimum a push stick. Rip the stock then set the planer to 3/16". Run the stock and set the planer to 1/8" run stock. Edge band with a bander, then sand and finish.


From contributor T:

Plane a board on 3 sides, set the table saw to a bit less than 3/16", cut the strips, make one pass through the drum sander to 1/8", then glue sawn edge down. This takes very little time and has worked well for me.