laminate and corners/edges

[Kiatuthlanna]

Hi all,

I'm in the early stages of building my first cabinet. I decided to use laminate for this project (1/16" Formica brand laminate on 5/8" MDF). The process seems pretty straightforward. One thing I haven't found too many tips for, however, is how to get nice clean edges at hard angles where two sheets of laminate meet. I've been staring at all the laminate furniture at work for the last couple of days trying to think about how best to do this. Does anyone have any tips or best practices for getting nice laminate corners and edges?

[Vigo]

I think that is just a matter of getting a good tool for the job. They make laminate edge trimmers in both hand and electric variety. A standard electric laminate trimmer can suck on edges without proper surface area to keep it perpendicular to the sheet of wood, but there are electric tools with edge trimming guides. I never owned one though. There is nothing wrong with the hand tool though. You can get a nice hand double edge trimmer that most likely work nice for your needs.

Just be sure to practice on some scrap pieces before you do the real thing when using the hand tool. I also found that if you have a lot of extra laminate banding hanging over the side of the edge, it can make it harder to work with. You can take some end cutter pliers and snip off a portion of the extra to make it easier to work with. Also, take things slow and don't apply too much pressure gripping the tool. When dealing with curves, I found doing one side at a time is a bit easier. The tool just comes apart down the middle so you don't need to use both sides at a time. You just need to be more careful doing when doing only one side. Curves are the biggest problem for me with hand trimming edges.

[shponglefan]

I just use a flush trim bit w/ the router.  I mask the edges with masking tape to protect them, then trim with the router.  End result is a nice, clean edge.

[BobA]

Outside corners are simple.  They trim out nice and sharp and flush with the corner.   Inside corners will end up with a radius that depends on the size of the flush cut bit.   You have to finish a sharp cut with a manual trimmer of some sort.  Cutters, utility knife, file, laminate manual trimmer, or whatever works for you.

[Kiatuthlanna]

Thanks for the input. These comments are along the lines of what I've been thinking, but I just wanted to make sure there wasn't some trick I was missing.  I'll definitely be doing a test run before I do the final.

[kahlid74]

Good tips above and the only thing I'll add is to make sure you're careful.  I've seen routers jump/skip when running around edges like this so take it slow and steady.  Don't rush it.

[shponglefan]

Ditto going smooth and steady.  One other thing is that if you use masking tape to protect the laminate surface, make sure it's smooth.  Otherwise, you risk snagging and bunching.

[yaksplat]

usually these bits have a very small diameter, be sure to use a very high speed on the router.

[knohbody]

Good tips above and the only thing I'll add is to make sure you're careful.  I've seen routers jump/skip when running around edges like this so take it slow and steady.  Don't rush it.

To cut down on skipping/jumping, make sure you're working in the correct direction.
Here is a guide to determining the correct feed direction.

[jennifer]

This may not be the approved way, I do a lot of laminate to a painted edge....So I tape a piece of plastic banding strap over the paint for the router to ride
along, this will leave a lip (the thickness of the strap) then Jen comes back with masking tape to cover the paint, and a large flat file (round ones for a radius). It sounds like a lot of extra work but the results are awsome.