So, my buddy Lou finally picked up the CD/DVD rack I had built for him. He was supposed to come over during the Independence Day  weekend to retrieve it, but we had some incredible amounts of rain. Seriously. I guess we are now in our rainy season, because my rain gauge with a six inch capacity was overflowing during those heavy rains.

Since I posted  shots of Lou’s project, I had gotten some input from other folks out on the web as to how I could have maybe done a little better. “Those raw plywood edges look cheap, Tom. We expect better than this from you!” Hey, that’s how the client wanted it!

Many of the suggestions offered focused on how to apply wood edging with brads and glue, dowels and glue, biscuits and glue, stepped rabbets and the works. I’ve seen suggestions to iron on an edge tape or cut my own edge tape from the plywood’s veneer itself. While these suggestions are all time tested and work fine, the one that Tim Walter over at Eagle America offered was something that I had never even considered. “Tom… get with the times! We’ve offered two styles of edge banding bit sets for years, and I have a feeling they may have given you a better option.”

Instead of attaching these facing elements with some kind of fastening system, Tim was referring to cutting a continuous interlocking joint that integrates the pieces. “You don’t have to cut biscuit slots or drill dowel holes. And, you don’t need to use screws or brads. Can you imagine your friend staring at brads when he selects a CD? Can you, Tom?”

OK, Tim, I get it! But, why not just use glue and clamps alone to attach the hardwood edging? “You really want to be careful about the edging getting out of alignment during the glue up. Sure, you could try to sand it flush if the glue up comes out all out of whack, but the possibility of sanding through a thin plywood veneer face is just too great.”

Good point. Tim also brought up another point- if I wanted to put a fancy profile on the edge band, the hardwood edge allows for routing a wide variety of profiles. “With this system, you won’t run the risk of hitting a fastener, which would spoil the look. And, hey, it’s the little details that mean so much.”

Of course, using these router bit systems does require some additional care when you use them. “You really want to make sure that the work is held flat to the table. Featherboards are great accessories to provide that downward force when pushing the work past the bit.”

Plywood is a very useful material when building casework. Bits such as these provide an interesting way to help make plywood an even better choice for projects I’m planning on building in the future.

I live about ten minutes away from the beach.  My wife and two sons are off for summer vacation. The beach is one of their  favorite destinations to spend some time on a hot, lazy summer day. This means that both of our cars are filled with sand.  Sand on the floor of the cars.  Sand in the trunks.  Sand on the seats.  Sand in the living room.

It’s a constant effort to keep on top of the sand situation.  Sweeping. Vacuuming. Shaking rugs out.

But, hey, I keep my sanding contained to one part of the house!

I’d like to introduce you to the sanding team:

Starting in the back is one of the most frequently seen sanders in home shops – the Ridgid spindle/belt sander.  This is one sweet little unit, easily converting from a belt to a spindle sander.  It has plenty of muscle to sand all kinds of wood – maple, hickory, oaks… the works.  I’ve been able to get inside some tight curves and do some long tapers with it.  If you are looking for a small bench type sander, it’s hard to go wrong here.

My new (refurbished) Ridgid belt sander that I recently picked up.  This has the potential to be a very blunt instrument, stripping away wood and digging divots.  However, with a careful hand, this can carefully refine a curve or even out the top of an end grain cutting board.  I never thought I’d get much use out of it, but boy, was a I wrong.

My Porter Cable random orbit sander.  I’m torn when it comes to this sander. The rotating pad does give a very nice finish that typically just needs a little scraping to perfect, and it can work around corners.  The only problem I have with this model is the dust collection cup.  It is held with two plastic clips onto two lugs on the dust outlet port.  For the first six months, I would twist it on and hear a satisfying snap.  That meant that the cup would stay on regardless.  Unfortunately, since those first six months, the plastic clip hasn’t held on worth a darn.  I keep trying to bend things back into place, but it’s a lost cause, and I usually have to end up sanding with a fan on and my garage door open to vent the dust.

Finally, up front I have a sanding block I picked up at a local home improvement store.  Even thought I have the power sanders, I know that for many situations, nothing beats the versatility and control of hand sanding.

For me, I always wear a dust mask, eye protection and hearing protection.  Even though it’s just sanding, I’d much rather not inhale the dust, get it in my eyes or kill my hearing.

Yes, one day I would love to give up on power sanders and be able to finish all of my projects with planes and scrapers, but as long as wood has its peculiar workability properties, there are just some times when power is better.