Small Glue-Pot Edgebanders
With the growing popularity of frameless construction methods for cabinet shops, an edge bander has become an essential tool for modern cabinet shops. An edge bander covers the raw cut edges and seals them to increase the longevity of the cabinet and make it more aesthetically pleasing. Even for face frame shops, an edge bander still comes in handy for shelves and some styles of drawer boxes.
The problem with adding an edgebander for most shops is the cost. Automatic edge banders are extremely expensive with prices comparable to automobiles. There are machines ranging from "Toyota Camry" to "Ferrari" with everything in between. At the higher end, panels roll off the machine completely clean, flush, polished, and ready to ship. At the lower end you may be hand trimming and buffing panels, or worse: dealing with down time while you wait for a technician to come repair the unit.
A Good First Edgebander
There are some good entry-level options for shops wanting to bring in an edge bander without financing something or making a substantial up-front investment.
There are two main types of entry-level banders: pre-glued banders (hot air) and glue pot banders. I would suggest looking at glue pot edge banders over hot air banders simply because of how flexible they are. These types of machines have several advantages:
- You won't be limited to the types of banding you can buy pre-glued.
- You can use dark glue pellets for dark materials and light glue for light colored materials making the glue line seem to disappear.
- The bond is generally much better than any pre-glue banding can achieve even under ideal circumstances too, meaning fewer call-backs and the damaged reputation they can bring.
- You'll also save a little bit on consumables with a glue pot edge bander since you're not throwing away pre-glue banding that's past its shelf life or paying a premium for pre-glued material.
The Challenges of Glue Pot Edgebanders
Entry-level edge banders are not without their challenges though. While you should expect some substantial initial challenges in setup and adjustment. Most machines in this class are poorly-documented, making for an arduous setup process which is further compounded by the absence of accessible technical support. The machines generally are manufactured in South America or Southeast Asia, so the language barrier can be an additional challenge if you're lucky enough to get somebody on the phone. If you can deal with these challenges though, these machines can deliver satisfactory results. You'll probably be hand-trimming and buffing, but the edges are solid and can rival what you'll get from an automatic machine once you get the hang of processing panels with your machine. You can often find this type of tool on the used market too at a reduced cost from businesses upgrading their equipment. Think of them as a stepping stone and you won't be disappointed.
A few Popular Options
Tooltech makes a few edge banders in this class that a lot of shops use successfully. They include trimming and buffing stations, but personally I found the to be more frustrating than hand-trimming.
Maksiwa makes a few different models in this class too that are pretty nice. I like that they have a separate trimming unit and it works pretty well. It could even be an add-on for a different glue pot machine or used for glued-on solid wood edging with some adjustment.
Festool makes the Conturo, a handheld bander that can be added to a work table to use stationary. Their trimming solution is a multi-purpose router with a horizontal baseplate.
Virutex sells a hot air edge bander that is fairly popular if you want to go that route.
There are others, but these seem to be the most popular.
What about a used industrial machine?
Investing in used, higher-quality machines may be a more prudent choice for some, but they come with their own set of challenges. An older automatic machine can become a maintenance nightmare. Parts can be difficult to find. Finding a technician who will even work on an older machine can be challenging.
They come with hidden costs too. Before you pull the trigger on a machine like this, a few things to consider:
- They are much larger machines, so you have to consider the real estate they take up and the rigging costs to pick them up and install them in your shop.
- Most require 3-phase power, so if you're working in a residential area you may have to purchase a VFD to even power the machine.
- They also need a significant amount of air and dust extraction to run them properly, so you may need to upgrade these systems if yours are undersized.
I wouldn't want to have to rely on an older automatic bander if it was a cornerstone of my operation mainly due to the small size of my shop and how obnoxious it would be to have a useless machine in my space the size of a Buick. If space isn't an issue for you though and you're mechanically-inclined, maybe look into an older automatic bander.
Conclusions
Don't underestimate doing it the old way: wood gluing solid hardwood banding. If you're edging shelves for instance, gluing and taping on hardwood strips can be fairly quick once you get the hang of it. You can use strips that are 2x thickness plus a saw kerf and glue up two shelves front to front, then cut them apart. Add spacer blocks and use double width strips plus a saw kerf, and you can glue up 4 shelves (or more) at a time this way. With a lipping planer to flush trim, you can put out very high quality edging without bonding issues and sell it as a premium option. Just a thought.
Have you bought a smaller glue-pot edge bander? What did you buy? How has your experience been? Would you buy it again? Let me know in the comments.