Guys, I want to ask your opinion on this. I searched for quite a while to find any content on how to edge band a circle with real wood and was only able to find an old thread (on another forum) on how to do this but had to ask one of the responders for some clarification/additional info and someone chimes in with did you see this posting is from 2011? Does the fact that its an older post make the info I'm looking for any less important? By asking on a thread with some responses at least there are some people that are subscribed and might follow up??

This is what I'm trying to do but with a formica top. 

Pat,

I too have seen this type of snarky response on another forum.  I'm with you - it may be an older thread to some, but it's new information to others.

Jim

A real reason to belong to the Patriot Woodworker. Ask a question and you get a genuine, helpful answer.

 

I did some smaller edge banding on some table top trivets. These were done in maple.

 

 

I made a steam chamber out of PVC pipe and bent the edge band

 

A word of caution, the PVC pipe was not solid plastic- more of a cellular wall structure. It did not hold up well to the heat. But it worked for what I needed to do.

 

 

I used a web band clamp to apply the pressure and bend the heated wood.

Edited January 24, 20206 yr by lew

Jim, thank you for the support. Good info is good info no matter how old.

 

Lew, I do have a 4' steam box but by my calculations(113.1") it would take 3 pieces to make it all the way around.  do you think cutting scarf joints on the mating sections would look ok?

Edited January 24, 20206 yr by Pat Meeuwissen
correction

1 minute ago, Pat Meeuwissen said:

do you think cutting scarf joints

That's actually how I did the joint on the round table trivet

Great minds my friend!! As for asking my question elsewhere I don't think I will in the future PC BS is just not what I'm looking for.I should know better and just ask here first. Allot less frustration and always get some info I can use.

I would love to bring a response over here from that other forum to see if you guys could help me understand what he's trying to say( is that ok?)

If you are going to make it in three sections I would bend them before fitting and leave the pieces 4"-6" long.  The ends always seem to not bend as well as the center section.

Pat what's the diameter of the circle you want to edge band?

36"

I have done it with soaking the banding,(solid oak 3/8"X 1 1/2"W in wet towels pouring hot water on them. It raises the grain when dry,but can be sanded back smooth. Watch the grain ,it will want to split sometimes ,try to bend the same way the grain is running, The straps are a good idea. You might try to make a form smaller than the actual piece and bend them around that because you are going to get some spring back when you release the clamp. Scarf joints is the best way to go, as mentioned above.

Herb

Edited January 25, 20206 yr by Dadio

1 hour ago, Pat Meeuwissen said:

36"

You can do a bent glue lam without steaming or water at all, rip strips of the wood you want to use into thin strips, use your table or surface for the mold. Or you could use a secondary mold that has larger diameter, such as 40", that way you'll be able to trim the edging exactly to fit once it's set up and dried. The 40" dia won't make any difference to apply the newly formed edging to your 36" diameter round.

 

How about doing it out of layers of thinner wood? Kinda like laminating. It would be easy to do and you could do a fair job of hiding the connections by offsetting them 120°.

3 minutes ago, John Morris said:

You can do a bent glue lam without steaming or water at all, rip strips of the wood you want to use into thin strips, 

 

Great minds think alike 😄

3 hours ago, Pat Meeuwissen said:

responders for some clarification/additional info and someone chimes in with did you see this posting is from 2011? Does the fact that its an older post make the info I'm looking for any less important? By asking on a thread with some responses at least there are some people that are subscribed and might follow up??

Human nature to be a know it all when in fact they don't?? 

 

Recently a newer member @Kevin Beitz has been going through older posts and making comments.  I love it, some people have even replied and shown the project years later still looking good or added tips on how they did something he asks about.  

I have reread some of those and note I responded the first time and do not even remember that.

Bent lamination is doable.  You will need straight grain.  I made a lazy susan for a kitchen cabinet a few years back.  I think the rad was 15 in.   Danl

 

8 hours ago, Danl said:

Bent lamination is doable.  You will need straight grain.  I made a lazy susan for a kitchen cabinet a few years back.  I think the rad was 15 in.   Danl

 

What is a good straight grain wood that isn't cost prohibitive but should be readily available? I have poplar and oak that would be the right thickness.

Guys I want to thank you all for your input. I'm going to try the laminating method without steam bending. Will take some shots of my progress.

I think I seen @BillyJack doing some on a mirror a couple weeks back...

On 1/25/2020 at 7:19 AM, Pat Meeuwissen said:

What is a good straight grain wood that isn't cost prohibitive but should be readily available? I have poplar and oak that would be the right thickness.

Ash is almost always pretty straight