Cloverdale Band-It Edge Trimmer

tried a few different options for edge banding 13 melamine cabinets, including the double sided ones. this had the best, most consistent results

Does the job right.

This item must be used carefully (AVOID rushing as you trim the overhanging edge of wood veneers; check frequently to see if the direction of the grain has changed, and adjust to that by changing your direction of movement).If you do the above (as I did after viewing several Internet videos on the topic of applying and trimming veneers) you should not have any problems.Two additional items of which you MUST be aware before purchasing and using this tool:1) The razor inserts dull QUICKLY -- not a concern if you're just trimming a short length of veneer edge, but if you're doing more than, say, two meters (6 feet) probably a good idea to buy additional blades and change them out frequently.2) If trimming the overhang from a tight external radius this may not follow the curve effectively and deliver a close/clean trim -- especially if the radius ends close to a vertical column or molding. In that situation, you'll need to (very carefully and methodically) trim the veneer by sanding or planing it down.

The cutting blade on this sits in a slight recess and is clamped along one side. Unfortunately this does not prevent slivers of laminate from working their up under the blade, springing it up slightly (first picture) and potentially damaging the veneer of the workpiece (second picture). The only solution I found is to put a piece of packing tape along the blade to keep it flat in its recess and prevent material from wedging it up - this seems to alleviate the problem.Note: Amazon has posted the picture in incorrect sequence.I'm a little perplexed that the designers didn't consider this, but with a bit of tape now and again it can be made to work.

I have two trimmers, this unit and the Quad Trimmer Quad Trimmer With Tungsten Carbide Blades. This trimmer has one distinct advantage over the Quad Trimmer - the Quad Trimmer will jam if you're attempting to trim a strip that's a little too wide. My wife and I were working on 1/2" birch plywood, and all I had on hand was 7/8" banding. We ended up with about 1/8" of surplus band on one edge, and about 1/4" on the other. Both trimmers did okay on the 1/8" side, but this trimmer handled the 1/4" side better (after a couple of inches, the curling cutoff would jam in the Quad Trimmer).Unlike others, we haven't yet encountered a problem with the blades dulling. We've done well over 100 feet of banding and can't tell the difference from when we first opened the unit. That's not bad for a trimmer that costs less than $20.

I've had to deal with cutting veneer to size before. I've used a simple blade on the inside while supporting the wood on the outside with a board; I've tried just a blade at an angle straight onto the edge, I've tried sanding on the edge to weaken the veneer into breaking right where it should. NONE of those techniques even compares to the ease of use, time savings and precision of this tool.I used thick, pre-glued veneer and while the veneer itself did put up some resistance, this thing was absolutely amazing. Can't recommend it enough.

We purchased a T molding trimmer for made by another company for about $100 to trim the surplus molding that sticks up above the surface of the tables that the molding is installed in. It did not perform well and slowed down production.I had one of these Band-It Trimmers on hand and although it is not designed for T molding, I was able to modify it by cutting off about 1/8" of an inch from the face of the trimmers stop to make it suitable for the job. It performs PERFECTLY.I hope that Band-It reads this and makes a modified version of this trimmer and offers it for sale. Other production shops will love it.

I was worried that it might mar the surface - it didn't.I was worried it would be less precise than my old razor knife - it wasn't it was more precise.I felt like Forrest Gump the first couple times I used it trying to figure out how to position it. You won't have that problem.All in all it makes a simple step even simpler.