Rather than make the post about Guido's cabinets get unwieldy, I decide better to start a new thread on edge banding. I would like to get members experiences doing the same. Woodworking is a past time so I am not going to send thousands (except on the green stuff), but I am willing to spend a little on a bander.

I use the wifes old clothes iron to heat the glue on the banding , a stick to ensure the banding is glued to the edge, a banding tool to cut off the excess on the end then I got a 1010 to trim the edge banding. I got the 1010 ILO the 700 because  I planned on getting the LR32 system (which I did). 

Good luck finding a well used "automatic" edge banding machine for USA$30,000 Such machines that are actually useful cost over USA$90,000 installed. I own one that was on back-order when we were in class together in Henderson, NV. At that time I was using an earlier-generation loaner provided by the manufacturer. So at least all of us got a lot of on the job experience adjusting banding machines. I believe they are designed for large factories with a sophisticated maintenance staff. Probably they are also more efficient when a given machine does essentially the same task all the time. Once adjusted my new bander is effective and very efficient.

Still, I own several MFK700, as well as a lot of OF1010, some of which are used to trim solid wood edge banding too thick for the MFK700.

In Festool cabinet construction class we used inexpensive clothes irons with heat-set wood banding. The trick is to have pieces of wood dowel @1.5" dia cut in half to use to burnish the banding in place before the glue cools. One of the many modes available on the automatic edge bander is the application of hot glue so the coils of wood banding does not need its own glue. The burnishing pressure rollers do the same thing as the wood dowels.

The auto bander has another mode in which it uses strips of solid hardwood 3mm thick hot glued to the work. This is the mode we use the most. The banders trimmers work very well, but I still have an MFK700 ready to provide touch-ups as necessary.

For myself, I use all the Fastcap edge banding tools.   If you go to Fastcaps web site you can watch all the videos of the tools they sell.

If you are looking to build a couple cabinets, I would recommend the Fastcap system for edge banding.

I built a couple cabinets using the Fastcap edge banding and other iron on brands.  All applied using the Fastcap tools.   Good price, they don't

take up a lot of room in the shop.  And I just find they work great. 

I have the Fastcap  Speed Roller.  Pneumatic  Quad Trimmer.  Flush Cut cutter and FastBreak.

I clamp the working piece to a MFT.  Apply the edge banding.  Use the Speed Roller to spread the glue.  Cut of the excess from the ends.  Run the Quad

Trimmer(which trimmers both sides at one time) down the work piece and finish it up with the FastBreak to soften the edges. 

Everything I bought from Fastcap has been good so far.  Give them a look.   Hope this helps

Good Day:

I was wondering if anyone can recommend any video/tutorials on how to setup the MKF router to trim edge banding tape.

Thanks,
Michael

Since this a hobby for you, I would forget about the mega buck edge banding machines and just use Tidebond to glue on a solid edge and then trim it with a block plane.

Jack

I like to rip half inch strips out of hardwood. Then I use the 4 mm dominos for attachment. This provides a reliable and long lasting way to mount the banding. Lest I forget I start with thicker hardwood than what I am edge banding to. Once the pieces are dominoed in place then they are ready to be trimmed. I use the MFK700 with the 1.5 degree base a Ken mentioned above. Follow his directions and between his methods and mine you will have edge banding that will last forever. And yes the hot glue on stuff will fail and since it is very thin when it gets dinged, and you know it probably will then the underlying plywood edge that is trying to be concealed will rear its ugly head. Using half inch thick banding will take much more abuse before that could happen! Happy edge banding!!!

I've often puzzled over the fundamental differences between the $1K+ bench top units, the $5K+ floor standing units and the astronomically stupidly priced units ($20K through $100K+). Yes I know, the big ones are for the big boys.

I've never got into edge banding, but I can see myself wanting to as time goes by.

I've seen local (Oz) sub $5K units that seen to do everything ...

"The A4V4 is a fully automatic Edgebanding machine is equipped with Digital Temperature Control, Belt Feeder for automatic piece feeding, Top and Bottom Trimming by twin motorized 160 mm dia 18 tooth carbide cutters, Second Guillotine that flush trim both ends of the board, Top and Bottom Buffers, End Rounding and Buffing and Automatic Timed Shutdown of the Heater Fan. It utilizes pre glued melamine, PVC, (ABS) or veneered Tape to a maximum of 2 mm thick by 38 mm wide, or 3 mm thick by 28 mm wide."

... so what do the big machines do apart from bigger, faster and maybe better?

There are also router bits that you can use for solid edge banding.  MLCS has 2 different styles for this application. 

I've got the 4mm cutter and a box of dominos just itching to be used for something like this and I've got some questions.

I assume that you punch the mortises in the hardwood before you rip the edgebanding down to 1/2"

How far apart do you put the dominos?

If I did this for case parts, tops, decks, sides,  I'd need the zero degree base correct?  So the edges would touch at the butt joints.  I'm about to do some frameless cases that will have a wider than normal revel.  The edgebanding will be visible so I'm looking to use the same material I'm using for the doors and drawer fronts.

Do you think the domino method is faster than an edgebanding router bit?

How

Do you cut the banding to length before attaching?

How do you clamp it?

That is a very good question, I've asked myself the very same thing a couple years back and ended up buying the bench top Felder unit. That unit is fine for what it is (although I think there are better units out there for the same price) but I only use it for edge banding one or two pieces of plywood. If I have a job involving particle board or larger quantities or usually both, I load up the van and use a 80K (or something like that, a lot...) unit at a fellow woodworkers shop. The reason being? I can edge band all the parts for a kitchen in about 90 to 120 minutes easy including the 20 minutes it takes me to get there and back plus the loading and unloading of the stuff and the results are top notch. Doing the same with my bench top unit would probably take me the better part of a day. I mean, that is IF I can cut the melamine without damage and get an absolutely 100% clean cut each and every time and that just doesn't happen. After that you glue on the first two of the four edge, then trimming those, first trimming the excess, than rounding over the edge, than on to the remaining third and fourth side. With the big machines it's finished in one go and with a constant high quality. No hassles, no static plastic particles that end up in your hair and other parts from routing those edges, you just feed the part in and it's done. Of course those machines need to run a fair number of hours to get your money's worth (which is why I'll never own one probably) but in my opinion they do a better and a heck of a lot quicker job.

Looking back and knowing what I know now I would probably not have bought the bench top unit or at least not the Felder one. It is a bit limited, only works with one type of glue for instance (would love to use a glue that is whiter than what I can get over here...). However, it is great to have around for those moments I work with birch plywood or I simply cannot use the big machine, like when it is after six and I really need to band that one edge. When you use particle board and melamine though, there simply isn't any other way really than to use a big unit with automated routers to clean the edge before the band is glued to the material. Yes they are expensive but that is why you can probably rent one by the minute/hour near you.

Cheers, Bob.