How much to remove with MFK700

[levib1]

I have MFK-700 with the 0 degree base.

Building a sapele vanity. Plywood with 3mm thick sapele banding applied.

Plywood 19mm. Banding currently 27 mm wide.

That’s 4 mm proud either side. Using the zero degree base, is that too much material to shave off?

Any tips for this process?

Thanks

Should I rip narrower?

 

[alltracman78]

Well the base gives you just over 5.5mm, so you should be fine.

I was under the impression the 1.5* base was better for edge band trimming though?

I don't do edge banding, so I can't speak from experience.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

Well the base gives you just over 5.5mm, so you should be fine.

I was under the impression the 1.5* base was better for edge band trimming though?

I don't do edge banding, so I can't speak from experience.

This is one crazy timed thread. 5 years to the first comment, and then over 7 years to the next resurrection? Ok.....

Any way, alltrackman78 the 1.5 degree base is more geared toward thin edgebanding. Once you get into thicker edges, you will notice the angle. Your parts start to look like they have a beveled edge, rather than nice and flush.
The limiting factor of either base is the cut-length of bit that will fit in it.

[member=50264]levib1[/member] how much you can trim off at once is a little dependent on the wood species itself. Some types of wood will take that, others will splinter and rip out chunks.
I would rip your edges narrower in the future, assuming that it will not cause you problems getting it applied correctly. I would strive for taking less than 2mm.
I think I would adjust the cutter up to only take about 1/2 of that material in the first pass. Cut all of your parts like that, then adjust closer, for a second pass.
If you rip narrower later, you can skip the 2 pass method.
Sapele is pretty hard, so it might be splintery, though I have never edged with it?
If (and that's a big IF) you are comfortable with it, climb cutting is a very good way to combat splintering. Since you are talking about only 3mm edges, it should be fine. There isn't much material to grab, but still be very cautious with this. And absolutely don't try it with that full 4mm depth.

 

[alltracman78]

Any way, alltrackman78 the 1.5 degree base is more geared toward thin edgebanding. Once you get into thicker edges, you will notice the angle. Your parts start to look like they have a beveled edge, rather than nice and flush.
The limiting factor of either base is the cut-length of bit that will fit in it.

Ah, ok.
Good to know, thanks.
Mine actually came with the 0* base, instead of the 1.5*
I never got around to returning it; I'm curious how the 1.5* cut would look with edging.

I took the limit question as the height of the banding above the top. 5.5mm is all the clearance you have under the base.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

[member=79208]alltracman78[/member] that clearance problem can be "worked around" by adding a spacer to the bottom of the base plate. This could also work as the first cut of the 2 cut method.
I was involved in some talks with a member here about 3D printing a spacer like that, which could easily snap on/off as needed, but we just never got around to actually doing it. I had an up-coming project, which could use it, at that time and the logistics/timeline just didn't match up. I may still pursue it at some time, but it's not a priority.

The point of the 1.5 degree angle is that, while trimming thin edgebanding (like 1mm PVC) the bit itself can extend out over the surface of the material you are trying to trim flush to. It would be very hard to have the stick-out of the bit exactly the same as the edging's thickness, which you would have to do to avoid cutting into the surface of your part. The angle allows for that, yet the edge is so thin that you can't see the taper.
If you did this with a wooden edge that was 1/2" wide, that 1.5 degree angle would be visible. In factory-built form, that is about as wide as you can cut, but there are a few of us who have modified that zero degree base to take a longer bit, thus extending the capacity of cut width.

 

[alltracman78]

Thank you. Good info.

 

[levib1]

Thank you for all the input.

Apologize if post in the wrong section of forum.

 

[PaulMarcel]

I trim edge banding that thick or thicker often with the 0º base.

I previously used a 1/4" down spiral with double-bearing. Set the fence to leave just a hair to sand flush and use the base feeler bearing to set the bit's double-bearing just beyond the banding. Though you shouldn't need bearings on the bit, I like the safety if I bump/tip the router since the bearing should protect the likely veneered surface leaving the repairable banding to deal with your ill-timed sneeze.

Recently, though, I got an 8mm down spiral. Same configuration as above except the tip of the down spiral is just beyond the banding without a supporting bearing. The feeler bearing is beneficial here.

Since your banding is at times higher than the base clearance, just double-stick tape a piece of 1/8" or 1/4" MDF/ply to the base and give it a quick pass to knock down the height so it clears the base. CRG's removable spacer would be handy in this case

 

[levib1]

I can reduce the thickness (width) in the planer/drum sander to say 21 mm. That will leave 1mm either side to trim.

I was planning 3 mm thickness for the edging, but any suggestions to go thinner or thicker?

Any specific suggestions on router bit to use?

Thanks again!

 

[Crazyraceguy]

3mm thickness is pretty popular. It has enough substance to protect the edge of the plywood, as opposed to iron on veneer that many also use. It is also fairly "invisible", meaning that it doesn't stand out like a huge border. It all depends on what you are looking for.
However, it does come with its challenges. It is flexible enough to make clamping a little difficult. It is hard to clamp tight/gap-free. A lot of people do the blue tape thing, but that's not for me, it's just not tight enough.
There are work-arounds, like cauls or clamping 2 pieces edge to edge. Whether it's worth the effort is up to you.
Thicker edges are easier to clamp, but they come with other issues, end grain for one. You might get into mitering to overcome that one. Thicker also opens up the ability to add a profile like a round-over or chamfer/bevel.
Bits are kind of a toss up.
[member=3513]PaulMarcel[/member] uses (or at least used to)  1/4" spiral bits. I just never got along with that for some reason. I much prefer larger diameter bits, they "lift" the fibers less, reduces tear-out. I use a 3/4" diameter straight bit. I would prefer a spiral of a larger diameter, but that just doesn't exist? Not with an 8mm shank anyway.....at least until very recently. Now Woodpeckers makes a 16mm spiral pattern bit. I have not tried one yet though, I'm not sure of total length, for fit in the MFK700 though. Since it has a bearing on top, the shank might be too long.

 

[PaulMarcel]

Yeah I used to use 1/4" spirals, but switched to that nice 8mm spiral recently. Larger diameter is much better for a flat surface as it greatly reduces the scallop effect the small diameter bit can have. Once I had a nice 1/4" bit, I didn't look around much until a recent thread here mentioned the 8mm bit. I used to get my bits from Vortex but they are more for CNCs so 'small bits' aren't really in their catalog.

 

[Sparktrician]

Well the base gives you just over 5.5mm, so you should be fine.

I was under the impression the 1.5* base was better for edge band trimming though?

I don't do edge banding, so I can't speak from experience.

If I'm using the thinner iron-on edge banding, I use the zero degree base and finish with 400-grit Granat to take off any roughness.  If I'm using anything thicker, especially hardwood material, I'll go with the 1.5 degree base to get the slight slope preferred for bookcase shelves, again finishing it off with 400-grit Granat.  [smile]

 

[levib1]

Any specifics on the 8mm bit preferred? Festool? Different brand?

 

[PaulMarcel]

I dug out my 8mm bit. I guess I did eventually find a small enough bit from Vortex... it's a Vortex 1322 8mm down-spiral. Woodpeckers seems to be creating more 8mm bits. They may have a good bit for it as well.